A violin that once belonged to one of history’s best known scientists has sold at auction for £860,000.

The 1894 Zunterer violin is believed to have been Einstein’s first and was initially expected to fetch around £300,000 when it went under the hammer at Dominic Winter Auctioneers in South Cerney, Gloucestershire.

A philosophy book that Einstein gifted to a friend also sold for £2,200.

All prices will have an extra 26.4% commission added on top, meaning the final price for the violin will be above £1m.

Auctioneers believe that once the commission is added the sale could be the highest ever for a violin that was not previously owned by a concert violinist or made by Stradivarius - with the previous record being held by an instrument that was likely played on the Titanic.