Rescued from a skip - the table which went under the hammer for £40,000

Shrewsbury-based auctioneers Halls said they and the owners of the flap-top table, a family from Powys, were delighted with the price fetched by the lot.

Made by 19th century architect-designer Edward William Godwin, the table was identified by Jeremy Lamond from Halls during a routine valuation visit to a house in the Welshpool area in March.

Treasure from trash: The 19th Century walnut table

Mr Lamond, Halls' fine art director, was told that the item of furniture had been consigned to a skip only to be retrieved by another family member.

"I am absolutely delighted with the price achieved for the table," said Mr Lamond.

"It was contested by three telephone bidders and was finally purchased by a specialist dealer from London.

"In terms of significant discoveries during my career, this table has got to be right up there in the top 10 because it is so rare."

Recalling the day he made the exciting discovery, Mr Lamond added: "As soon as I walked into the room I spotted the table and my heart skipped a beat.

"To the untrained eye it could be passed off as an Edwardian occasional table worth around £30, but I recognised the brass fittings and immediately thought it was by Godwin.

"Similar examples are in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and the National Trust's Ellen Terry Memorial Museum at Smallhythe Place, Kent."

The sale also highlighted the importance of calling in the experts to assess items, Mr Lamond said.

"People have nothing to lose and everything to gain from getting a professional valuation, which is free."