The two lots, including an officer's cap adorned with a swastika that went for £1,200 and Nazi weapons, which were sold for £1,400, were auctioned at the first sale at JP Humbert's new showroom in Towcester.

The war-time collection found among an extensive military hoard attracted phone bidders from America and Japan on day one of the two-day sale but was eventually sold to a UK bidder for a private collection.

Jonathan Humbert, of JP Humbert Auctioneers, said: "It was double what we were expecting. It's quite a niche market and it's not everyone's cup of tea.

"The people who buy such items will buy into that blackest period of humanity and that can give people a bit of a thrill to have a real item that was there in the '30s or '40s."

As well as the German items, the hammer also fell on what is believed to be a 14th century prayer book of the same origin as the Ethiopian relic sold for £32,000.

The bigger version of the prayer book, written in the now-defunct language of Amharic, sold for £16,000 to a UK bidder.

Around 250 people packed into the new premises in Silverstone Business Park for the official opening of the new auction rooms after the auctioneers left its site in Burcote Road, Towcester.

Mr Humbert said: "We were really pleased after months of preparation. It's not until the hammer falls that it's a proper auction house and we had 250 there for the opening party."

The sale continued last night with fine art, furniture, clocks and antiques. More information is available at www.jphum bertauctioneers.com