Get your family heirlooms valued - they may be worth a fortune!

Auctioneers Lockdales is holding a valuation day at The Harpur Suite, in Bedford, and the valuers say they never know what extraordinary items will turn up.

People are encouraged to bring the following types of collectables: Coins, stamps, banknotes, clocks, watches, silver, gold, documents, books & maps (pre-1900), medals & militaria also including swords , bayonets and de-activated weapons , cigarette-cards, postcards, pre-1960 sports programmes and tickets and scientific instruments to see what they are worth.

A Lockdales spokesman said: “We have conducted hundreds of valuation days all over the UK, and we often turn up some very rare and interesting items from the public at these events.

“One item in particular, a unique gold coin from the Dark Ages, was brought along to a previous event. The owner was not aware of the value of it and we later sold it on its owners’ behalf at auction for more than £19,000.”

The valuation day is on Thursday, January 21, from 10am to 2pm

Owners will have the option to consign their goods to be sold in a future public auction, or request a cash purchase offer from Lockdales, but valuations will be provided free of charge without any obligation to sell.

For more information, go to www.lockdales.com