A rare 17th century safebox owned by an Okehampton couple has sold at auction for £1,900.

The couple, who prefer to remain anonymous, kept the safe box in their coal shed under a carpet, not knowing the worth of the family heirloom in their possession.

Whilst clearing out some items in their house, the couple rang Dartmoor Auctions in Sticklepath to see if any of the items were suitable for auction.

Ann Thorpe, auctioneer at Dartmoor Auctions said: “My colleague Diana Tigwell went out to see this lovely couple in Okehampton who had some really interesting things. Eventually the lady with the items told Diana about a metal trunk she had in the shed. We get items like this all the time so Diana didn't think much of it, she gave the lady an estimate of £30 and followed her down the garden to see the trunk.

“The lady took Diana through the chicken coop and into a garden shed where the trunk was kept under a piece of carpet. She had kept the heirloom in the shed outside because her grandchildren kept tripping over it.

“When the safebox was uncovered and examined, Diana realised it was something extraordinary. It was a rare 17th century Armada chest believed to have been made in Nuremberg, Germany. We were absolutely thrilled to find this magnificent artefact.”

The strongbox has an integrated locking system and would have been used to store valuable items such as gold or silver.

It is made out of sheet iron with an intricate locking mechanism of eight locks that all turn at the same time when a key is inserted.

It has a false lock on the front to deter thieves.

When the chest was first discovered, the owner had misplaced the key so the chest was estimated to sell for around £600.

But after thorough searching, the owner located the old key in the property to reveal the details inside.

The strongbox went to auction on Saturday (August 2) much to the anticipation of the bidders who gathered.

Ann continued: “The auction was really exciting. We had a lot of people come along who had never been to auction before because the chest created such a buzz. The room was all hustle and bustle until the bidding started and everyone went really silent, it’s like they were transfixed by it.”

After a few minutes of intense bidding, the strongbox sold for £1,900.

“It was a real privilege to sell it. You don’t come across objects like that everyday.

“Diana rang the couple straight after it sold and had to say the price twice because they did not believe the strongbox sold for so much.”