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An ancient Shang dynasty wine vessel is being tipped as the top lot at an auction of Asian artefacts in California on Sunday.

The bronze item is expected to sell for up to €3,907.

Similar pieces have sold for up to €3,711 in the past.

The artefact forms part of the auction of the George Ow collection, who died in 2004 following a lifetime of collecting Chinese, Japanese and Korean works.

The auctioneer told the Santa Cruz Sentinel that he expects most of Ow’s collection will be sold to people in China who want a piece of the country’s troubled past.

“The Chinese don’t want Picassos or Rembrandts, what they want is their own heritage,” he said.