Collectors of picture postcards in Croydon could be sitting on a small fortune without realising it, an auction house has revealed.

Auctioneers and valuers Warwick and Warwick visited Croydon last Tuesday, December 5, offering collectors free valuations for their postcards, stamps, medals and coins at the Hilton Hotel in Purley Way.

Experts believe residents could have old postcards hidden in their attics, unaware of their potential value.

Far from being worthless, some postcard images could be worth up to £100 each, depending on what the card depicts.

Ian Hunter, a stamp valuer at Warwick and Warwick, said: "It wasn't a particularly busy day but we did see some interesting things. Someone brought in a very nice collection of the Croydon area but unfortunately he wasn't ready to sell just yet.

"Many people do not realise collections of old picture postcards can be quite valuable, especially animated street scenes with trams and early motorcars and industrial views such as coal mines.

"Postcards which record social history are of particular interest; photographic images of events that took place in the Edwardian period or village scenes and industrial agriculture can earn the collector between £10 and £100, depending on what the image is.

"We're not just interested in postcards but also stamps, coins, cigarette cards and medals. Collectors can either sell directly or through auction."

The borough's most famous - and probably the largest - private postcard collection belongs to John Gent who has collected approximately 15,000, with many of his images appearing in his local history books.

Steve Roud, from Croydon Local Studies and Archives Service, said: "Certainly John has the largest private collection in the borough. He's been collecting postcards for about 50 years - since he was a child.

"The good thing about John is that he also researches the publishers of the postcard and uses many of the images in his local history books.

"John is very generous with access to his collection. Very often, if we do not have an image of something he will help us out.

"Postcard collections like John's are of enormous importance from a historical point of view because the images depict things that people were not taking pictures of in those days."

Although Warwick and Warwick will not be hosting another valuation session in Croydon for another year, it welcomes calls from collectors.

Interested collectors can contact Colin Such on 01926 499 031.