A coffee service has gone under the hammer and sold for £12,500, five times the amount it was valued at.

The Meissen coffee service, initially valued at £1,500 to £2,500, was sold at Duke’s Auctioneers in Dorchester.

Will Batt, auctioneer and valuer at Duke’s, said: “This was from the estate of a European collector, currently based in Sussex.

“In this instance we identified the buyers to approach and created an inviting environment to bid, offering comprehensive condition reports for those interested, the ensuing result was well over the top estimate at £12,500.”

The set consisted of a coffee pot, two milk jugs, a sugar bowl and cover, a spoon tray, 10 cups, and eleven saucers and each piece was painted with a named view, reserved on a dark blue background.