It was expected to sell for just £30-£40, but a bidding war pushed its final price up to an astonishing £63,000.

Parties in China competed fiercely for the Chinese lacquer box, bidding online in Keys Auctioneers and Valuers' monthly Antiques and collectables sale in Aylsham.

It means the object, just 25cm in diameter, sold for 1,800 times its median asking price.

Tim Blyth, Keys' managing director, said: “The market for Chinese items in particular is very strong at the moment, but you still have to know how to attract the right buyers to achieve these kind of incredible hammer prices.

"We are particularly pleased for the vendor, who is selling their collection to help fund care costs; this result will ensure they are financially secure.”

The lacquer box is decorated with Chinese symbols and a large, sinuous dragon.

The sale is the latest in a series of high prices paid by overseas bidders for lots going under the hammer at Keys.

Earlier this year an Indian buyer paid £3,000 - nearly a thousand times the pre-sale estimate - for a watercolour by Norwich Art Circle member Violet Clutterbuck, titled The Golden Temple at Amritsar.

And a late Ming altar vase sold in July for £16,200.

Keys was one of the first auction houses in the UK to develop its own live online bidding platform, which has enabled it to appeal to buyers all around the world.

Mr Blyth added: “We spent two years developing our KeysLive online bidding platform which went live just as the pandemic hit."

“That, combined with our expertise at digital marketing, is helping us to find enthusiastic buyers around the world who are prepared to spend big to secure items for their collections."

Keys is currently accepting items for its final Fine Sale of the year, which takes place at the end of November.

Lots already consigned for the sale include some early 18th Century Kangxi dishes, which are also expected to attract attention from far eastern bidders.

Earlier this month, a signed painting by folk music legend Bob Dylan sold at Keys for £2,000 - its pre-sale estimate was £1,200 to £1,500.