A TEAM of three experts from a leading fine art auction house is coming to Kidderminster next Thursday to hold an Antiques Roadshow-style valuation day.

Halls Fine Art, which has offices in Kidderminster and Shrewsbury, is staging the event at Kidderminster Town Hall to raise money for Operation Covert.

Wyre Forest residents are being urged to take along their family heirlooms and treasured items to be valued from 10am until 3pm.

There will be a charge of £1.50 for each item valued and all proceeds will go to our appeal.

The event is also being staged as part of the town hall's 150th anniversary celebrations.

The Halls Fine Art team will include director, Jeremy Lamond, a ceramics, furniture, silver and toys expert, William Lacey, a paintings and books specialist and Christina Trevanion, whose specialities are jewellery and collectable ceramics.

If readers have items that are too big to bring along on the day, they can simply show photographs to the experts or a home visit can be arranged after the event at no extra charge.

Among valuable items discovered by Halls Fine Art in the Kidderminster area in recent times was a rare mug believed to have been inspired by exiled Scots' leader, Bonnie Prince Charlie, which sold for £26,500 at auction.

Inscribed in cobalt blue sgraffito on the salt-glazed stoneware mug was the date 1753 and the initials IF on each side, flanked by Scotsmen wearing kilts and tam-o-shanters.

Other discoveries included a watercolour of a Welsh landscape by 19th century British artist David Cox (1783-1859) that sold for £12,500 and a collection of eight 1920s and 1930s Ruskin glazed vases made more than £5,000.

More recently, a George Jones majolica sardine dish sold for £450 and a Heubach Koppelsdorf doll sold for £320.

For more information about the roadshow event, contact Halls Fine Art on 01743 231212.