In the midst of recession charities like Oxfam would welcome any scraps that come their way. But a local store in Hertford landed a lot more than scraps when editions of the first four Wisden Cricketers’ Almanacks, bound up in a box, were dropped off at the shop.

Left in a 99p pile the staff quickly realised what good fortune had come their way and re-bound the four books- from 1864 to 1867 - before passing them on to auctioneers Bonhams, where they were sold on Tuesday for £8520.

The 1864 edition, which sold back then for a shilling, fetched £3120, the highest of the four editions. Wisden has been published yearly since that first edition and a Bonhams spokesman told reporters: "We're very pleased that the books have sold well and raised a lot of money for such a worthy cause."