AN ANGLO-SAXON gravestone found at the back of a garage sold for more than £4,000 at auction in Dorchester.

The 1,000-year-old lot sold for £4,300 including the buyer’s premium at a busy day of trading at Duke’s auction house.

A 19th century marine chronometer that was salvaged from a shipwreck on Chesil Beach and then used during the Second World War also fetched a healthy sum, selling for a hammer price of £3,600.

Other impressive sales included a three-inch Moorcroft miniature vase that despite its tiny size went for a big price with a hammer price of £2,400.

A distinctive George II walnut and parcel-gilt wall mirror also surpassed expectations as it went under the hammer for £3,200.

Amy Brenan, from Duke’s, said the sale as a whole had been a success. She said: “We had quite a lot of interest and it was a successful sale.

“It just shows there is confidence again in areas of the marked and where something is in really good condition or unusual it always makes money.”