A lock of blonde hair that experts believe came from Lieutenant Colonel George Armstrong Custer, the flamboyant officer who perished at the Battle of Little Bighorn in 1876, was sold at auction Saturday for $12,500 (£9,300).

It came from the collection of a man who spent decades amassing artefacts related to the battle in what is now Montana between federal troops led by Custer and Lakota Sioux and Cheyenne warriors, said Heritage Auctions which put it under the hammer.

After leading troops into battle, they were quickly overwhelmed in what became known as Custer's Last Stand.

Glen Swanson, a 78-year-old retired filmmaker, said he has spent about 40 years amassing the items and put them up for auction.

The collection included 162 items, among them a rifle that the auction house said was used during the battle and other weapons.It also featured photographs and American Indian art.

Steve Lansdale, spokesman for Heritage Auctions, said the selling price for the hair was more than six times the pre-auction estimate of $2,000.

According to the description provided by the auction house, Custer is believed to have provided the lock of hair to his wife Elizabeth after Custer's camp was overrun at the 1864 Civil War Battle of Trevilian Station in Virginia.

She had written him asking that following his next trip to the barber, Custer should save the hair and send it to her.