18th Century Jewish Haggadah manuscript found in garage
- 8 October 2013
- From the section Manchester
An 18th Century Jewish manuscript found in a garage during a house clearance is expected to fetch a six-figure sum.
The rare Haggadah, a text used by Jews on the first nights of Passover, is thought to date back to 1726.
The handwritten text, painted on goat skin, was spotted in a cardboard soup box at a Bury home. The Jewish couple who lived there had recently died.
It is listed at between £100,000 and £150,000, but auctioneers say it could sell for much more.
Experts believe it ended up in the UK after it was smuggled out of Belgium by a family during World War II.
Bill Forrest, from Adam Partridge Auctioneers, said he spotted a "thin, fairly modest-looking manuscript" in the box.
He said: "I picked it up and started to leaf through it and started to realise that actually it was quite a significant piece.
"This family became split up and various sides of the family were not talking to each other. Decades then ensued and these things get lost."
Rabbi Yehuda Brodie, of Manchester Beth Din, said: "I think one of the fascinations of Haggadah art is that the illustrations are very often not necessarily depicting what a Jew in Egypt would have looked like, but what a local Jew would have looked like.
"Therefore you would get Haggadah art which shows westernised Jews in the illustrations."
He added: "I very much hope it finds a good home - certainly better than a soup box in a garage."
The item will be auctioned at the end of November.