A chauffeur who was given a sketch by contemporary artist Damien Hurst as a thank you for an enjoyable journey, has sold at auction for a massive £4,500, 15 times more than the estimate price placed on the item.

The unnamed chauffeur expected to sell the biro sketch from an autograph book for between £250 and £500 however when the Hurst original went under the hammer, a bidding war broke out with the sketch selling for a final price of £4,500.

It’s understood that the renowned artist quickly sketched an outline of a sharp in about 30 seconds while sitting in the back of a car. The sketch depicts a shark, which is likely to be a reference to Hurst’s most famous work, “The Physical Impossibility of death in the mind of someone living” which was a tiger shark immersed in formaldehyde.

The Damien Hurst sketch with the biro drawn image of a shark features an original signature from the artist and also a brief message which reads “A great drive xxx” stretching across two pages on a pink page as part of the chauffeur’s autograph book. The artist presented the driver with the off-the-cuff sketch after the chauffeur drove him to a TV studios in London several years ago.     

The sketch was eventually bought by an anonymous British collector following the auction which took place over last weekend.