A PIECE of needlework crafted nearly 300 years ago caused a stir in a Darlington auction house when it vastly exceeded its price estimate of £40 to £80 and sold for £1,200.

The framed needlework sampler, made by Rebeckah Ansell in 1725, was presented at Thomas Watson’s Antiques and Collectables Sale this month and was fiercely contested on both the telephone and online, before being finally knocked down to a telephone bidder.

“The early date of the sampler was undoubtedly a contributory factor to this extraordinary result but the piece was also in excellent condition,” said David Elstob, auctioneer and valuer at Thomas Watson.

“Samplers of this age are usually very faded but the colours in this case were particularly vibrant and the design was beautifully executed, portraying a range of letters and pictorial illustrations.”

Samplers have historically been produced as a demonstration of needlework skill and techniques, mainly embroidery or cross-stitch.

They often included the alphabet, figures, motifs and decorative borders and sometimes – like the Darlington example – carried the name of the person who embroidered it and date.