A RECORD 300 online bidders from as far afield as Russia, Australia and the Ukraine fought it out for the first sale of the year at Smiths salerooms.

Prices were buoyant with the highest coming at the end of the auction with the sale of an oil painting by St Ives artist Sven Berlin.

The picture, which depicted one of his friends seated in an armchair smoking a cigarette while reading a book, made £1,750 to a collector from the West Country.

The ceramics section also sold well with £1,000 paid by a telephone bidder for a pair of Royal Worcester plaques painted flamingos by the artist G Johnson.

The plaques came from a local farmhouse and were followed by a pair of Chinese blue and white moon flasks which were also sourced from a Newent farmhouse and which made £640, despite a substantial hairline crack to one of them. A Lalique glass bowl made £460.

More than £12,500 was made in the coin section with the top price of £1,200 being paid for a large collection of silver coinage.

Gold coins also sold well with up to £290 paid for single sovereigns. A good collection of fine early coins from Ross on Wye brought in the private collectors who bought items such as a William & Mary 1693 half crown for £160 while the Edwardian mahogany coin cabinet the coins had lived in for the last 30 years made £550.

There was also keen interest in the postcard and ephemera section with several postcard albums making over £100 each.

One album. which included a rare postcard of Monsieur Bleriot's landing at Dover in 1909 after his flight across the Channel, made £170. An album of postcards from Dymock including one of the old station made £200 while an album of postcards from Newent, which also included the station, made £160.

A collection of old football programmes including one from 1935 made £140.

Top price in the stamp section was £400 paid for an album of world stamps from the early 1900s up to 1930.

Smiths next auction is on February 24 and includes a selection of antiques and collectables plus a special section for medals and militaria. For details call 01531 821776.