A 400 years-old piece of Italian body armour has been sold at auction in Lucerne, Switzerland for a record price.

The armour, dating back to 1580, sold for almost US$773,000, the highest price ever paid for such an item, according to World Radio Switzerland.

It vastly exceeded its estimate of $241,000-289,000 (converted from Swiss Francs, CHF).

The Fischer Gallery, where the auction was held, hasn't revealed if the body armour was sold to a private collector or a museum.