HUNDREDS of postcards which give a snapshot of Colchester in the early 20th Century fetched more than seven times their asking price when they were sold off at auction.

The 800-strong collection which features images of old shops in the town centre, as well as some featuring pictures of the town's military contingent was sold for £7,688 when it was sold off by auctioneers Reeman Dansie at their base on Wyncolls Road, Colchester, on Tuesday.

Collectables expert Michael Bowles said he was absolutely delighted with the price of the rare lot, which had an estimate of between £1,000 and £1,500.

He said: "We had a very good sale and frankly they made a fortune.

"The reason the price was so high was because there was lots of local interest from a number of bidders in the Colchester area.

"Everyone here is extremely pleased."

Mr Bowles said he had barely ever seen such a large collection purely of Colchester postcards.

He said:"They are fantastic, and give a real social history of the town.

"The most pleasing thing is they were bought by a collector who aims to keep them in the town, exactly where they belong."