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A small bronze Buddha found near Shark Bay, Western Australia, was identified as a Ming dynasty object on the BBC’s Antiques Roadshow. But despite headlines saying it was to be auctioned, no auction result or sale has been confirmed in the reports available through September 2026. The finders were instead reported in 2025 to be seeking its diplomatic return to China.
What was found near Shark Bay?
Metal detectorists Leon Deschamps and Shayne Thomson found the roughly 15-centimetre bronze figure near a roadside in Shark Bay in 2018. It weighs just over a kilogram. They later took it to the BBC’s Antiques Roadshow, where Asian-art specialist Lee Young identified it as an infant Buddha from China’s Ming dynasty, which lasted from 1368 to 1644. Young said figures of this kind were used in ceremonies for the Buddha’s birthday, when water or tea was poured over the figure’s shoulders.
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The finders’ account and Young’s identification are described in The Guardian’s 2023 report; Storyful’s March 2023 report also covered the discovery and identification.
What is known about its authenticity and burial?
The Guardian reported that Ian MacLeod, a fellow at the Western Australian Museum who had examined more than 35,000 bronze objects for museums, used microscopic analysis and concluded the figure was “unequivocally not a forgery.” His examination also indicated it had been buried at the findspot for about 100–150 years before the 2023 reporting and showed considerable use before burial.
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Those findings bear on the figure’s authenticity and time in the ground. They do not establish when it reached Australia, who brought it there, or why it was buried.
Was the Buddha auctioned, and what was it valued at?
The figures reported in 2023 describe an estimate, an expert’s speculation and a reserve set by the finders—not a completed sale. Neither the ABC’s October 2025 report nor a September 2026 article revisiting the repeat broadcast confirms an auction or sale.
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| Figure | What it meant |
|---|---|
| £3,000–£5,000 | Lee Young’s object-only presale estimate, reported by The Guardian in 2023—not a sale price. |
| £100,000 | A possible open-market auction price Young said he would not be surprised to see. This was his speculation, not a formal estimate or realized price. |
| Above $100,000 | The reserve the finders said they had set in 2023, as reported by Storyful. A reserve is a threshold for a sale, not evidence that one took place. |
The reports do not establish the Buddha’s current auction or custody status. The 2023 appraisal should not be treated as a current market valuation.
Could it have arrived with a 1421 Chinese voyage?
The finders have floated a connection to a Ming treasure fleet sent out in 1421, but the Buddha does not prove that Chinese explorers reached Australia then. The Guardian reported no documented evidence that the fleet reached Australia and noted that most historians consider a Ming-period Chinese visit unlikely. University of Sydney visiting professor Jocelyn Chey cautioned that “it doesn’t mean because it’s 500 years old, that it came here 500 years ago.” An object’s age is not the date it arrived at its eventual findspot.
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Historian and curator Paul Macgregor suggested two alternatives: the figure may have arrived with Chinese pearlers or fishermen in the 1870s, or it may have been planted as a hoax. MacLeod’s reported examination weighs against forgery, but it does not by itself resolve the figure’s route to Shark Bay.
What the local pearling history adds
ABC’s 2025 report describes Shark Bay as a centre of Western Australia’s pearling industry, with Chinese people involved in the trade. It cites Western Australian Museum figures saying Chinese operators controlled seven of 68 vessels in the bay. It also reports an 1886 pearl-fishery census as listing 60 Europeans, 102 Chinese and 68 Malays; those components add up to 230, although the report gives the total population as 200. The discrepancy should not be silently reconciled. This context makes a later arrival a possibility, not a proven explanation for the Buddha.
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Why are the finders calling for its return to China?
In October 2025, Deschamps and Thomson called on Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to help arrange the Buddha’s diplomatic return to China, describing it as a gesture of peace and recognition. They also wanted Shark Bay’s contribution to pearling acknowledged. This was their proposal, not a confirmed government decision or completed transfer, according to ABC News.
The Guardian reported in 2023 that the finders regarded themselves as custodians rather than owners and had then been unable to find a suitable local venue to display the figure. That earlier account does not establish who holds it now.
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- 【Bring restful chi energy into your life】-This handmade meditation Buddha statue will add peace to your environment and enhance your zen decorations for home. Lovely gold decor for bedroom, living room or desk
- 【NURTURE YOUR SOUL】-Our Buddha Statue display figurine can help you gravitate towards enlightenment. Having this statue as home decor makes it easier to find your center, meditate deeply, and enrich your spiritual side.
- 【A Welcome Addition 】- to house or office, promoting peace & tranquility. Harmonious Budha decoration statue for restaurants and hotels. Display at eye level for good luck Feng Shui. Meditation decor。
- 【Great Gif】The Buddha Statue bring you good luck and wealth, and enhance the power of the person or the surrounding environment. Whether it's a birthday gift, Valentine's Day gift, Mother's Day gift, housewarming gift, Christmas gift or anniversary gift, it's a perfect gift for your family, friends and colleagues. This is an absolutely beautiful, and meaningful gift for anyone.
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