Lord of the Rings cards expected to fetch thousands

The collection presented in an official The Fellowship of the Ring movie cards collector's storage binder

A complete set of The Lord of the Rings collection and autograph cards is expected to fetch thousands of pounds when it goes under the hammer in Surrey.

Ewbank's Auctions, in Send near Woking, said it believed its collection of The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring memorabilia could reach up to £3,000.

The set comprises all 10 autograph cards, all 162 base set cards, all 10 prismatic foil cards, all checklist cards, The Legend Comes to Life cards parts one and two, both bonus foils cards and three empty booster packs.

The auction currently has pre-sale bids of £1,600 and will begin at 10:00 BST on Friday.

Andrew Ewbank, of Ewbank's Auctions, said: "This is quite unusual in that it's a complete set of The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring Topps cards, so obviously this would've taken quite a feat to collect all these cards from the vendor at the time that they came out."

The autograph cards have been signed by actors including Sir Ian McKellen, Elijah Wood and Sean Bean.

"It's a hugely popular area of collecting, it's kind of modern collectables really and the antiques of the future because a lot of people in their 30s and 40s would've bought these cards when they were children in the 1990s and early 2000s," said Mr Ewbank.

This Friday at Ewbank's is specifically for trading cards and retro video games, where one of the most special items up for grabs is a full graded set of Mars Attacks cards from the 1960s, which were criticised by parents at the time for being too graphic.

They are expected to fetch up to £10,000.

Mr Ewbank said there had been a "change in taste" as traditional antiques seem not to be selling like they once were.

Instead, there has been a surge in popularity among more modern items, with Mr Ewbank saying he has even seen video games from as recently as the 2010s making a good profit.