AS England's preparations for the European Championships begin in earnest, football fever has swept into a Colchester auctioneers.

Reeman Dansie, on Wyncolls Road, have dozens of nostalgic soccer items across several lots going under the hammer today.

Amongst the items included in the sale are a 1966 official World Cup programme previewing the entirety of the tournament where England gloriously claimed their only ever major international trophy.

There are also classic tickets from the tournament and other high profile games from the past, as well as a whole range of programmes from specific England matches from the late 1950s, leading up to Bobby Moore collecting the Jules Rimet trophy at Wembley.

The U's are also represented in the sale with a number of Colchester United programmes going up for sale from the 1950s and 1960s.

As Roy Hodgson's current England team warmed up for Euro 2016 in France with a 2-1 victory over Turkey on Sunday evening, Reeman Dansie collectables expert Michael Bowles believes the timing could mean the lots make more than the £100 estimated price.

He said: "These are the sort of things something people will have at home and have collected over a number of years.

"Most of them will have been to matches and kept hold of them, "It is very appropriate for the time of the year and it will help to bump up the prices.

"What would have been worth about £100 could go up to between £200 and £300.

"It will almost certainly be a collector who comes in and buys them."

Away from the footballing lots, Reeman Dansie also have two classic motorcycles up for auction on Wednesday.

A 1924 Royal Enfield motorbike has been lovingly restored and is expected to fetch between £4,000 and £6,000 when it goes up for auction while the classic 1952 BSA D1 Bantam motorcycle could see a fan stump up £1,200.