Two Olympic Games torches found in a charity shop to go under the hammer at Wellingborough-based auctioneer

The torches – one from the Tokyo 2020 Olympics and the other from the 2016 Rio Olympics – were spotted in a charity shop in the North of England, and purchased by an anonymous sports fan for just £150 each.

They will go under the hammer with a host of other sport-centric items during the Leyland Estate-based auctioneer’s Themed Sports Memorabilia Auction from March 3 to March 6, with an estimated combined sale price of around £7,000 to £10,000.

David Convery, head of sporting memorabilia at Graham Budd Auctions in Wellingborough said: “The fact that an item as significant as an Olympic torch could be tucked away in a charity shop is incredible. It’s like finding a needle in a whole field of haystacks.”

“The Tokyo 2020 torch is particularly special, as it represents a moment in time when the world came to a standstill. It’s not just a piece of sporting memorabilia, it’s a reminder of a truly unprecedented period in global history.”

The Tokyo 2020 torch has been valued at an estimated £5,000 to £8,000, and the Rio 2016 torch valued at around £1000 to £1500.

The former’s games was where Wollaston swimmer Maisie Summers-Newton won her first two Paralympic Gold Medals. While the torch was originally intended to journey through cities across Japan before the Games, the Olympic relay was halted and the event was postponed due to the Covid-19 pandemic.