THERE'S a chance to turn back time and relive your childhood at a vintage and antique toy sale in Cockermouth.

Hundreds of toys have been handed into Mitchells, on Station Road, following an appeal in the media. They will be auctioned on Saturday, February 18.

There will be nearly 650 entries for the sale which is being organised by auctioneer Ewan Duff.

"Things were trickling in before Christmas, since then it's gone manic. In the past month we have had about 300 lots of toys come in.

"Our appeal prompted a great response. People have started raiding their attics as they have realised toys are worth something and there's a market for everything.

"Other people were maybe doing a clear out after Christmas.

"We've got some really nice stuff, and a fantastic mix."

One of the oldest toys is also one of Ewan's favourites. It's a Steiff teddy bear which dates from 1910 to 20s and is valued at £400-£600.

"It's not worn and I like the shape of the face, it's really attractive," said Ewan.

"Steiff soft toys have a metal button on their ear, the writing style determines what age it is."

For model boat enthusiasts there is a clinker built radio control open launch with Trojan steam engine, with an estimate of £400-£600.

"I really like it, it's from the mid-20th century and I think it's in working order.

"You can tell it's quality because it looks clean and polished. It's been well kept," said Ewan.

A Dr Who Tardis and model of the Titanic have attracted attention, as has a Star Trek USS Enterprise telephone.

"With toys sales you have different sections, we've got a really good spread," said Ewan.

"There are quite a lot of model kits, lots of lead figurines and die-cast models by Dinky, Corgi and Matchbox. It’s all good quality stuff, some of them are modern but a lot are quite old.

“We’ve got a few train sets from Hornby and Triang as well."

There is a good range of dolls.

“We’ve had some vintage dolls from the 1960s and 70s. They're quite interesting because you don’t get too many of those.”

Some are Sindy and Barbie dolls from 40 or 50 years ago but dolls by manufacturers such as Chad Valley, Reliable and Palitoys are also coming up. Ewan expects them all to sell well.

“There are a lot of collectors for train sets and there are a lot of collectors of Dinky cars," he said.

A catalogue can be viewed online at www.mitchellsantiques.co.uk. A text catalogue is also available from the saleroom. Lots can also be viewed in the saleroom on Friday, February 17 (3pm to 7pm), and Saturday, February 18 (8.30am to 10am). The sale starts at 10am.