TREASURES that were once admired by visitors to Dudley Museum are expected to fetch thousands of pounds when they go under the hammer.

Just under 100 pieces of Asian and Oriental art, bought by the trust of the late Dudley MP Brooke Robinson, will be sold at at an auction house in Stourbridge this weekend.

Nick Davies, director at Fieldings Auctioneers, said he was excited for the bidding to begin as there had already been "a lot of interest" in the items.

He added: "There are all sorts of bits and pieces, including some lovely Japenese inros, Chinese bowls and a very nice alter piece."

The latter, described by Mr Davies as an "unusual item" is expected to attract considerable interest from bidders and could fetch up to £20,000.

Many pieces up for grabs to the highest bidder were on display at the town's museum and art gallery until it closed last year.

Colin Knipe, a trustee of the Brooke Robinson Museum, said when the museum shut its doors, the trust took the opportunity to reassess the collection.

He said: “We are disposing of some items that were not part of Brooke Robinson’s personal collection.

"Some will be valuable and some are probably worth very little but we hope it will raise some thousands."

He said cash from the sales would be used to acquire items that are more relevant to the district and the career of the former MP and county coroner an improve the display, which is planned for the town centre in the future.

Mr Knipe added: “With the co-operation of the council, we aim to create a more imaginative and interesting gallery which should tell the story of a remarkable Dudley citizen.”

Councillor Ian Kettle, Dudley's cabinet member for planning and economic development, added: “The council’s museum service is not involved in the sale and will not benefit financially in any way from their disposal.

“We are working with the trustees to put Brooke Robinson’s core collection back on display in the town centre sometime in the new year.”

The auction will take place at Fieldings Auctioneers, Mill Race Lane, Stourbridge, from 10am on Saturday.