Porcelain treasures from the deep go on the auction block

	INTERACTIVE GALLERY

(CNN) -- One-hundred-seventy-eight years ago, the Tek Sing set sail from China for Java, with more than 200 crew members, 1,600 passengers, and a heavy load of cargo on board.

Several weeks into the journey, the oversized junk struck a reef and capsized, throwing most of the passengers overboard in what became one of the world's worst civilian maritime disasters. The South China Sea's dark waters closed over the vessel's victims and its cargo.

Then, in 1999, Australian salvage diver Mike Hatcher discovered a mound of mud about 98 feet (30 meters) below the surface of sea where the junk foundered and died. It was a grave, researchers determined -- the final resting place of the Tek Sing.

Soon, searchers would find a wealth of cargo inside that mound, including watches, cannons, coins, candlesticks and 350,000 pieces of Chinese porcelain -- much of it in remarkably pristine condition.

After a five-country touring exhibition, the porcelain treasures are being sold in a German auction that will be held simultaneously over the Internet. Bids will be accepted through November 25.

Most of the porcelain -- cups, plates, bowls, pots and vases -- is in "impeccable condition," said Serena Tesler, a spokeswoman for the Nagel auction house in Stuttgart, Germany.

"Of the pieces they found, maybe a couple of thousand were in bad condition," she said. "The rest of it was in perfect condition."

Many of the porcelain pieces, which are expected to fetch anywhere from $50 to $5,000 or $6,000 apiece, are blue and white and have identical decorations, meaning they are suitable as a large matching set. Most were made in the 18th and early 19th centuries and were intended for Asian buyers.

After they were discovered, the pieces were cleaned by hand with fresh water to get the sand off. Some still have coral attached to them, which is likely to appeal to some collectors, Tesler said.

"It truly shows, yes, this was in the bottom of the ocean," she said.

Nagel has teamed up with ibidlive.tv to help people bid on the pieces in real time. The auction house also is working with icollector.com, which is taking bids before the auction begins and sending them to the auctioneers as written entries. Bids also can be made in writing or by phone.

See related sites about STYLE

Note: Pages will open in a new browser window

External sites are not endorsed by CNN Interactive.