A telephone belonging to Adolf Hitler has been sold for $243,000 at a U.S. auction.

The identity of the North American buyer, who bid over the phone, has not been revealed.

The World War Two relic, which features an engraving of the Nazi leader's name and a swastika symbol, went to auction over the weekend at Alexander Historical Auctions in Chesapeake City, Maryland.

The Siemen's phone was originally found in Hitler's Berlin bunker in 1945 before being gifted to British officer Sir Ralph Rayner by Russian officers shortly after Germany's surrender.

Also included in the lot was a letter of provenance confirming the phone's authenticity and a newspaper article showing the late Brigadier Rayner with the phone.

The letter of provenance indicates that the phone had been professionally personalised, including being painted a deep red.

Bidding for the lot started at $100,000. However, prior to the auction, Alexander Historical Auctions set a final sale estimate of between $200,000 and $300,000.

The auction house described the phone as "Hitler's mobile device of destruction."

A porcelain figure of an Alsatian dog, also owned by Hitler, was sold at the same auction but to a different bidder for $24,300.

