Bidding may have started slowly when retired blacksmith Roy Hanson's 50-year collection of motoring memorabilia went under the hammer - but it soon picked up and netted him more than £20,000.

Roy Hanson, 62, saw his collection of motor vehical memorabilia go under the auctioneer's hammer at the Northcourt Centre. Roy takes a last look at the old AA phone box

The first three lots - a 1965 Ford Zodiac, a 1954 Wolseley and a Mercedes estate car - attracted no bids at all.

Then from the back of Abingdon's packed Northcourt Centre a private collector from Minehead, who declined to give his name, paid out just under £10,000 for a unique AA motor-cycle truck, a full AA inspector's uniform and an AA telephone box.

After that the bidding picked up and Yorkshire auctioneers Loveridge got through the 220 lots in just under two and-a-half hours.

One of the more unusual items was a settee made from the back end of a Morris Oxford Series 1 Farina with leather from racing driver David Coulthard's motorhome, which sold for £1,350.

Other items included a set of American traffic lights, a parking meter, a juke box, globes and symbols from petrol firms, and many books, maps, model cars, and technical manuals - plus a bottle of Bols liqueur with a clockwork ballerina on the top.

For the auctioneers, Claire Furnell said: "We had an incredibly successful sale and Mr Hanson was left smiling at the prices.

"There were more than 70 registered bidders, and as many people again in the hall looking through the lots and watching the action.

"It made a considerable amount of money and we sold over 90 per cent of the lots on offer. It was a very successful day."

Mr Hanson, of Whitelock Road, Abingdon, said: "The collection had grown enormously over the years and it provided me and my wife Marilyn with a great deal of fun.

"But it had grown too big for us to look after so we decided to call it a day, sell it and make a bob or two."