Nauticalia

The Hoi An treasure is from an unknown shipwreck, estimated to have taken place around 1490 AD. Little is known about the vessel, including her name, so the hoard has been named after the nearby town of Faifo, today known as Hoi An. The discovery was very exciting, because they are of Vietnamese origin. Vietnamese blue and white ceramics are extremely rare, dating from only a few decades around 1430, when the Ming Dynasty banned the export of such items from China. Many of the most skilled artisans fled to Vietnam in defiance, and the country briefly took over as the world's premier source (until the ban was relaxed). These treasures are from that era and are usually exceptionally hard to obtain. The most valued piece from the haul fetched over £40,000!