A piece of cloth containing what could be part of the death mask of Christ has been snapped up for more than £100 on an internet auction site.

Last week we reported how arcade worker Wes Leonard put the 4cm-long piece of material on eBay, with bids starting at £1.

On Friday it was sold to a mystery Sittingbourne buyer for £112 after attracting more than 20 bids and being viewed on the site by 360 people.

Mr Leonard, 52, from Leysdown, said he was surprised to have sold the piece of cloth, preserved in an oval-shaped box which he thinks was made out of copper, and remains sceptical as to whether it was in fact a piece of the ancient shroud.

He said: "I wasn’t expecting that, in fact I didn’t know what to expect. The guy who I sold it to said he thought it would go for a lot more.

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"It was a bit tongue in cheek and I don’t know whether it was actually a piece of the Turin Shroud. I think it is highly unlikely but then again it is possible."

The box, which has a piece of glass at the front and a small piece of cloth held in place on dark red material with a gold thread, was sold at 4.45pm on Friday.

Mr Leonard delivered it to its new owner on Saturday morning.

He said he was so overwhelmed with the interest the item generated he is going to place his next offering, a pair of sandals, up for sale under the heading "From the guy who brought you the Turin Shroud".

He said: "There were absolutely loads of bids for it. I got some strange comments, but mostly from people who were interested. I am not sure what I shall put up next, maybe a pair of sandals."

• The Turin Shroud was discovered in the 14th century and for hundreds of years was believed to be the death mask of Jesus Christ. However, carbon dating in 1988 showed it to be a medieval fake.