A rare 2-volume Bible donated to an Oxfam bookshop in Chelmsford, Essex, sold for £56,280 at auction after volunteers spotted it in a pile of donations.
asserted
volunteers → donate → donations
Dating from 1815 to 1822, the Bible contains a Chinese translation produced by missionaries John Lassar and Joshua Marshman and was printed in Serampore, India.
asserted
Bible → date → Serampore
It had been estimated at £600 to £800 by Bonhams before the auction, but attracted two weeks of online bidding before selling for £56,280 on March 20, 2025.
asserted
It → estimate → March
Oxfam said the proceeds from the sale would support its work tackling poverty and inequality.
asserted
proceeds → say → poverty
Volunteers spotted the Bible before it reached the shelves
The Bible was discovered by Oxfam volunteers Chris Tyrrell and Eleanor Atack at the charity's Chelmsford bookshop.
asserted
Bible → spot → bookshop
They suspected that the unusual volumes could be valuable and kept them from being placed on the shop floor for an ordinary sale.
uncertain
volumes → suspect → sale
The discovery was subsequently referred for specialist assessment, with Bonhams putting an estimate of £600 to £800 on the Bible before the auction.
asserted
Bonhams → refer → auction
The online auction ran for two weeks before closing on March 20, 2025, when the Bible sold for £56,280.
asserted
Bible → run → 56,280
Oxfam's Chelmsford shop manager Nick Reeves said the team had been surprised by how high the bidding climbed.
asserted
bidding → say → ?
The Bible dates back to the early 19th century
The 2-volume work dates from 1815 to 1822 and was translated by John Lassar and Joshua Marshman.
asserted
work → date → Lassar
The translation was produced in Serampore, India, where Marshman was part of the Baptist missionary community that established the Serampore mission and later founded Serampore College.
asserted
that → produce → College
The Bible was published in a series of parts, with the Pentateuch appearing first in 1817.
asserted
Pentateuch → publish → 1817
Bonhams described the completed work as the first complete Bible in Chinese.
asserted
Bonhams → describe → Chinese
Lassar, an Armenian scholar, collaborated with Marshman on the Chinese translation.
asserted
Lassar → collaborate → translation
The work was produced at a time when Serampore had become an important centre for missionary printing and translation in the region.
asserted
Serampore → produce → region
The rare book vastly exceeded its auction estimate
asserted
book → exceed → estimate
Before the sale, Bonhams estimated the Bible at between £600 and £800.
asserted
Bonhams → estimate → 600
The eventual £56,280 price represented a dramatic increase over that valuation.
asserted
price → represent → valuation
The Bible was sold as part of a Bonhams auction featuring rare books donated to Oxfam shops.
asserted
Bible → sell → shops
Oxfam said the Bible was among 23 other books, meaning 24 Oxfam books were represented in the sale altogether.
asserted
books → say → sale
Together, the books raised more than £105,000 for the charity.
asserted
books → raise → charity
Other notable works offered in the auction included books by Charles Dickens, Jane Austen, J.R.R. Tolkien and Roald Dahl.
asserted
works → offer → Dickens
The collection included a first edition of A Christmas Carol, a first edition of Pride and Prejudice, a first edition of The Lord of the Rings and a signed copy of Matilda.
asserted
collection → include → Matilda
Oxfam's rare-book sales turn donations into funds
The Chinese Bible was an unusually valuable discovery, but Oxfam regularly sends particularly rare or collectable donated books to specialist auction houses rather than selling them through its ordinary shops.
asserted
Oxfam → turn → shops
Ian Falkingham, Oxfam's donated goods strategy lead specialising in books, said the charity was grateful for the rare and unusual books donated to its shops.
asserted
charity → donate → shops
For the Chelmsford team, the Bible demonstrated the potential value hidden among ordinary donations.
asserted
Bible → demonstrate → donations
What initially appeared to be an old pair of books in a pile of donated material ultimately became the most valuable item in the auction, generating £56,280 for Oxfam's charitable work.
asserted
appeared → appear → work
The Aporia
