Full set of Cottingley Fairies up for auction

Auctioneer James Laverack says the images of the Cottingley Fairies are "very rare"

A complete set of world-famous Cottingley Fairies photographs, including one the creator maintained was real, will go under the hammer later.

The five images were taken between 1917 and 1920 by 16-year-old Elsie Wright and her nine-year-old cousin, Frances Griffiths, in the village of Cottingley, near Bingley in Yorkshire.

The hoax fooled many including Sherlock Holmes author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, who was so convinced of their authenticity that he published them in a national magazine in 1920.

James Laverack, from John Taylors Auction House in Louth, Lincolnshire, said the lot could fetch about £3,000.

Despite admitting they faked the fairy photographs, the girls maintained this image was genuine

Despite admitting four of the images were faked in 1983, Frances always maintained the final photograph was genuine.

Mr Laverack said: "There has been some speculation that fifth photo might have been due to a double exposure on the same negative.

"That's why she might not have been aware of the second exposure occurred, and that's why she believed that it was a genuine photo of fairies.

"Or maybe fairies do exist," he joked.

The girls later admitted they used coloured paper cut-outs and hatpins to stage their scenes, near the stream at the end of Elsie's garden.

Frances Griffiths enchanted the world when she was pictured with what appeared to be a band of fairies

The collection was sent to the auction house in Louth by a family from Devon, who realised what the images were after seeing them featured on the BBC Antiques Roadshow.

In July, two prints of the fairy photographs fetched £2,600 when they were auctioned off.

Mr Laverack added: "Nobody knows how many were produced, they occasionally come up at auction but they are very rare, as most have been destroyed."

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