In the film, Tom Hanks plays a FedEx employee who is stuck on a deserted island as the lone survivor of a plane crash. The ball, which his character names Wilson, is depicted as his only friend.

The ball was originally made to look dirty, and spent a lot of time in the water during filming, according to Prop Store, the auction house that sold it.

Hanks was given an Oscar nomination for best actor in the Robert Zemeckis film but lost lost out to Russell Crowe for his role in the film Gladiator.

During the film, Hanks talks to Wilson as a way to keep his sanity while struggling to survive.

The ball is described by the auction house as "heavily distressed with paint applied to create a worn, dirtied appearance".

The sale comes as Prop House sells over 1,100 pieces of other movie memorabilia, including the outfit worn by Will Ferrell in the 2003 film Elf.

The Elf suit sold for $235,000 (£175,000) - almost 10 times the anticipated sale price.