The can of Colonial Beef Dripping accompanied Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay on the historic journey that saw them become the first climbers confirmed to have reached the summit of the world’s highest mountain.

The 70-year-old foodstuff was sold alongside a letter from E M Elliot confirming it had come from the home of Mike Westmacott, a British mountaineer from Torquay and fellow member of the expedition. The lot was purchased at Bearnes Hampton Auctioneers in Exeter.

Westmacott played a vital logistical role on the climb, working with his team of Sherpas to keep the mountain’s camps well supplied. He went on to enjoy a distinguished mountaineering career of his own, serving as president of The Climbers Club between 1978 and 1980, BBC reports.

Brian Goodison-Blanks, head of the maritime, retirement and sporting department at the auction house, described the tin as having a “unique history”, noting that collectors worldwide seek out artefacts from polar and high-altitude expeditions. He marvelled at the practicalities of the original journey, observing that several pallets of such cans would have been lugged between base camps at various altitudes.

The tin itself shows its age, bearing some rusting and patination, with a label that has seen better days. Nevertheless, Goodison-Blanks noted that original condition is always prized by collectors, adding that it is remarkable the tin has endured at all after seven decades.

This is not the first time the Exeter auction house has dealt in curious edibles. Previous lots have included a slice of Queen Victoria’s wedding cake, which fetched £700, and an unusually shaped round egg that sold for £460.