HOW much would you pay for a coffee pot? £10? £20? How about £1,250?

That was how much one enthusiastic bidder paid for a Middle Eastern coffee pot that was only expected to sell for £50.

Auctioneer Philip Allwood from Moore Allen & Innocent in Cirencester said the winning bid was an indication of the eagerness of Middle Eastern collectors to get hold of antiques.

Turkish coffee is considered a commodity of cultural heritage by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, meaning it is the mainspring of the region’s cultural diversity.

The bid was enough to see the coffee pot propelled to number two in the list of top sellers, narrowly beaten only by 1900 rosewood and marquetry inlaid side cabinet by James Shoolbred from around 1900, which sold for £1,400.

In another surprise, a box containing assorted pin badges, cloth badges, pennant flags related to the Girl Guides and Boy Scouts movement sold for £380 – well above the £40 estimate.

The next auction at Moore Allen & Innocent will be held on Friday, May 29.