Art and gold hoard found in Yorkshire could fetch up to £50,000

The items were found at a large Victorian house in the Harehills area of Leeds and belonged to a recently deceased Indian lady who had been collecting since at least the 1960s.

The hoard has been described as a “wonderful find” by Leeds auctioneer Gary Don who will sell around 200 lots on behalf of the woman’s family on Tuesday October 7.

“When you come across something like this it is a privilege. It is a wonderful find. She was a very well-to-do lady and an avid collector who could obviously recognise quality.”

Many of the coins were hidden away in a large holdall and come from as far away as Iran, South Africa and Panama. There are Victorian and Queen Elizabeth sovereigns, a 1kg silver bar as well as diamond rings, ladies’ watches and bracelets.

The hoard also included valuable works of art including signed, limited editions by Salvador Dali, LS Lowry, Barbara Hepworth, John Piper, Elizabeth Frink, Laura Knight and Bernard Leach.

Around 50 pictures are being auctioned.

One screenprint, entitled Fragment Number 2 (1965) by Bridget Riley, could bring in as much as £6,000.

The sale in Leeds is expected to attract interest from buyers across the world, particularly the Far East and the United States.

Also coming under the hammer is a diary from 1772-73 believed to have been written by a Yorkshire textile trader. It was found in a builder’s yard in Chapel Allerton, Leeds but the author is not known.

It contains the writer’s thoughts on all manner of subjects, from religion to drinking.

One entry reads: “4 of the drunkenest towns in England...Bradford, Halifax, Huddersfield and Rochdale are 4 verry great towns of trade in ye worsted.”