Lot 47 Never Left the Room

≈ 4 min

Tonight's preview at Calloway & Prest showcases the Harrington Collection, a trove of Victorian curiosities going under the hammer tomorrow. At 9:12 PM, senior cataloguer Delia Marsh discovers that Lot 47 — a signed Fabergé-style enamel egg valued at £38,000 — has been swapped for a hand-painted resin replica so convincing it fooled the display lighting. The real egg is gone, but no one has left the building since the doors were sealed for the private preview at 7:00 PM.

Subject

Calloway & Prest Auction House

A mid-sized London auction house with a reputation for rigorous provenance checks. The swap is a professional embarrassment as much as a financial loss; the preview guest list is forty names, but only four had unescorted access to the Harrington display alcove.

The suspects

Reginald Prest — Co-owner and auctioneer
Flora Inch — Freelance provenance researcher
Marcus Obi — Shipping and logistics coordinator
Delia Marsh — Senior cataloguer

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This case first aired on July 14, 2026. A fresh detective runs every morning — same rules, five minutes, one solution.

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