EVER wondered how much that family heirloom is worth?

You could find out this Friday, 8 September, when a team of specialists from one of the country’s top regional fine art auction houses visits a charity valuation event in Machynlleth.

The team, from Halls in Shrewsbury, is on a mission to discover treasures while supporting the upkeep of St Peter’s Church, Machynlleth.

James Forster, head of Halls’ pictures department, Maryanne Lineker-Mobberley, head of the silver and jewellery department, and Alexander Clement, Asian art specialist, will be available at the church from 10am to 2pm.

A charge of £2 per item valued will be made and all the proceeds will go towards the church, which recently had a major facelift costing nearly £500,000.

“It’s time to dust off the family treasures and dig out forgotten items from the attic and store cupboard because the owners might unwittingly be sitting on a small fortune,” said Miss Lineker-Mobberley.

“This is an ideal opportunity for people, who might not know the true value of an item, to receive a professional valuation.

“It’s always exciting for us as valuers to attend these charity valuation events because we never know what we are going to see on the day and the Machynlleth area has been a happy hunting ground for Halls in the past.”

See this week’s south editions for the full story, in shops and online tomorrow