The ‘humblest’ Christmas tree in the world, bought for a pittance, was sold at auction for $4,000, according to CNN.

The 78-centimeter tree with 25 branches, 12 baubles, and six mini-candles was initially valued at just $76–102 at Hansons Auctioneers. However, a global bidding war resulted in a final price well beyond this estimate.

Christmas magic is alive! The humblest Christmas tree in the world has found a new home, and we’re delighted for both the buyer and the seller,’ said Charles Hanson, the owner of Hansons Auctioneers.

The Christmas tree arrived at Dorothy Grant’s home in Leicestershire in the English East Midlands in 1920 when she was 8 years old, and she was ‘wildly excited.’ She adorned it with cotton wool to simulate snow since there were many shortages of decorations after World War I.

Dorothy cherished this tree until her passing at the age of 101 in 2014, after which it was inherited by her 84-year-old daughter, Shirley Hall. ‘Originally bought for a pittance, it sold for thousands, and it’s astonishing. I think it’s the power of nostalgia. Dorothy’s story resonated with people,’ said Hanson.

According to Hanson, a similar Christmas tree purchased in Scotland for the equivalent of 6 pence (8 cents) in 1937 was sold for £150 (190 USD) at a Hansons Auctioneers auction in 2019. Another such tree in the English city of Derby was sold for £420 (533 USD) in 2017. ‘But Dorothy’s tree really surpassed all expectations,’ he said.