BOOK shop volunteers were left “absolutely speechless” after a dusty item they spotted in a pile of donations sold for almost £60,000.
The relic, hidden amongst a pile of tat, turned out to be the first complete Bible written in Chinese.
It was handed into an Oxfam bookshop in Chelmsford, Essex.
Eagle-eyed volunteers Chris Tyrrell and Eleanor Atac spotted it and realised it was worth more than a few quid.
They plucked it out and put it up for sale at Bonhams' auction house.
Expert analysis revealed it was a translation by John Lassar and Joshua Marshman, from between 1815 and 1822.
An initial valuation of between £600 and £800 was stamped onto the lot.
However, after two weeks of bidding, the hammer came down at a staggering £56,280.
Staff said they were “absolutely speechless” at the runaway price.
Nick Reeves, manager of the Chelmsford Oxfam bookshop, said: “The Bible was originally found in a pile of donations by some of our brilliant volunteers, Chris Tyrrell and Eleanor Atac, who suspected it could be worth something.
“When it was put up for auction, it was originally valued at a few hundred pounds, so we never imagined it might go for this much.
“We were sat watching the bidding and just seeing it go up and up.
“When it finally ended, I was in complete shock. We were absolutely speechless.
“It's amazing to think that a donation from our shop could help raise that much money Oxfam. It's just wonderful.”
The Chinese Bible was one of 24 books donated to various Oxfam bookshops sold at Bonhams' between March 10 and 20.
More than £105,000 was raised by the haul.
The charity said the money would go towards tackling poverty and inequality around the world.
Other big sellers included a first edition of A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens, which sold for £16,640.
A first edition of Karl Marx's Manifesto of the Communist Party was snapped up for £10,880.
And a signed copy of Roald Dahl's Matilda went for £2,304.
Ian Falkingham, Oxfam's Donated Goods Strategy Lead, said: “We are absolutely blown away by the sales at Bonhams' auction today.
“We are so grateful for all our donations at Oxfam, and the many incredible, rare and unique books we are donated.
“It just goes to show that you never know what you might find in our wonderful shops.
Dr Lorenza Gay of Bonhams said: “For more than twenty years, Bonhams has proudly worked with Oxfam bookshops, and we are thrilled that we've been able to use our expertise and platform once again to deliver brilliant results for the charity.
“The Lassar and Marshman Chinese translation of the Bible was an exceedingly rare item, which we could not trace at auction previously.
“We hoped it would exceed the estimate, but it definitely surprised us with the final price achieved.
“This remarkable outcome is great news for the important work Oxfam does around the world.”
Oxfam books sold at Bonhams'
THESE are some of the other books sold at Bonhams' during the auction:
- A first edition of Charles Dickens’ famous novella A Christmas Carol for £16,640
- A Charles Dickens’ autograph quoting from A Christmas Carol for £12,160
- A 17th Century manuscript prayer book, Prayers of the Lady Pakington for £10,880
- A first English translation of Karl Marx’ Manifesto of the Community Party for £7,040
- A first edition of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice ‘Peacock edition’ from 1894 for £2,560
- A first edition of J.R.R Tolkien’s 3 Volume Lord of The Rings for £2,048
- A signed copy of Roald Dahl’s Matilda from 1989, which sold for £2,304
- A first edition of Kenneth Grahame’s Wind in the Willows for £1,792
