Staff at an Essex charity shop were left "in complete shock" after an item fished from a donation pile fetched tens of thousands of pounds at auction. Volunteers at Oxfam's Chelmsford bookshop thought a Chinese version of the Bible could be worth a few hundred pounds when they spotted it in a stack of newly donated hardbacks. They had no idea that the rare artefact was in fact the first complete version of the Bible to be printed in Chinese, and dated back to between 1815 and 1822.

After initially being valued at between £600 and £800, the book was sold for £56,280 after two weeks of bidding at Bonhams auction house in Chester. "We were sat watching the bidding and just seeing it go up and up," charity shop manager Nick Reeves said. "When it finally ended, I was in complete shock. We were absolutely speechless."

Mr Reeves, who said the translated Bible had been uncovered by staff members Chris Tyrrell and Eleanor Atack, added: "It's amazing to think that a donation from our shop could help to raise that much money [for] Oxfam. It's just wonderful."

Dr Lorenza Gay, associate specialist at Bonhams for books and manuscripts, said the artefact, which was translated by John Lassar and Joshua Marshman, was "an exceedingly rare item" that the auctioneers had not been able to trace in any previous bidding.

"We hoped it would exceed the estimate, but it definitely surprised us with the final price achieved," she added. "This remarkable outcome is great news for the important work Oxfam does around the world."

A total of £105,000 was raised for Oxfam through auctioning off donated books this week, with 23 other texts including a first edication of Charles Dicken's A Christmas Carol, which sold for £16,640, and a first English translation of Karl Marx's Manifesto for the Communist Party, which sold for £7,040.

"We are so grateful for all our donations at Oxfam, and the many incredible, rare and unique books [we receive]," Ian Falkingham, the charity's donated goods strategy lead, said. 

"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."