A RARE medal awarded to a Harwich lifeboat captain after a mission more than 130 years ago has fetched a whopping £3,400 at auction.

The item was expected to attract bids of between £800 and £1,200 when it went under the hammer last Wednesday.

However it was eventually sold to a bidder in the auction house working on behalf of a private collector for almost treble the best estimate at Morton and Eden auctioneers in London.

The medal once belonged to Captain Nepean after he skippered a lifeboat which rescued a Dutch steamship in horrific weather conditions.

Chris Dixon of Dixon Medals bought the lot on behalf of a private collector who wished to remain anonymous but has a particular interest in lifeboat memorabilia, especially in the south of England.

“When I told him about this lot he described it a ‘must have’,” said Mr Dixon.

Auctioneer James Morton described the award as a brilliant, uncommon piece and he was not surprised that it attracted so much attention.

“The medal is a great rarity especially because it is gold and given out by the Netherlands."