Charity shop workers have been left speechless after the world’s first Bible written in Chinese sold for more than £56,000 after it was found in a pile of donations.

A pair of eagle-eyed volunteers spotted the book after it was donated to an Oxfam bookshop in Chelmsford, Essex.

But they had no idea how valuable the rare text – which is dated between 1815 and 1822 and is the first complete Bible written in Chinese – actually was. 

The Bible was translated by John Lassar and Joshua Marshman and was originally valued at between £600 and £800. 

However, after two weeks of bidding, it sold for an eye-watering £56,280, which left the Oxfam staff ‘absolutely speechless’.

Astoundingly, other Oxfam shops across the country had also uncovered hidden gems that went under the hammer for tens of thousands. 

The Bible was among 23 other books which went under the hammer at Bonhams’ between March 10 and 20, raising more than £105,000 for the charity. 

A first edition of A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens, was sold for £16,640, while a first edition of Karl Marx’s Manifesto of the Communist Party was snapped up for £10,880. 

Nick Reeves, Oxfam Chelmsford’s bookshop manager, 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.’ 

Ian Falkingham, Oxfam’s Donated Goods Strategy Lead, who specialises in books, 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.

‘The money raised from these books will go towards helping tackle poverty and inequality across the globe, at a time when it is needed most.

‘It just goes to show that you never know what you might find in our wonderful shops. Thank you so much to Bonhams for their auction and to everyone who has ever donated to Oxfam.’

Dr Lorenza Gay, Bonhams Associate Specialist – Books and Manuscripts, added: ‘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.’