http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmp...expensive_dish
The link above tells the tale of the multi-million dollar auction of a family heirloom plate that turned out to be a rare Ming dynasty porcelain piece. The history of this plate has a local link for me.
The story notes that the dish belonged to the Alexander Majors family. Majors made a remarkable fortune as a freight hauler, primarily over the Santa Fe Trail, back in the days of the Westward migration. His home is now a historical site located in Kansas City. As luck would have it, I have played Christmas music several times over the years at their annual holiday event at the Majors home.
It struck me as kind of cool that I had actually walked through the room where that dish must have been at some time in the 19th Century.