A STUNNED silence fell at an antiques auction in Sandwich when a well-worn book which was expected to reach £30 was sold for £1,650.

Auctioneers and punters alike were astonished when the well-worn book of hand pulled photographic prints of London scenes, by Alvin Langdon Coburn, went under the hammer.

A telephone buyer beat strong bidding in the Drill Hall on the Quay at the Halifax antiques auction.

The artist is probably one of America's foremost photographers. Although the purchase came as a surprise the buyer may have got a quite a bargain.

The prints in a book could have gone to over £3,000 according to a source at the auctioneers and research has shown a similar volume for sale on an internet dealers for £7,500.