A rare collection of vintage juke boxes and thousands of records charting the rock 'n' roll years is to go under the auctioneer's hammer.

The collection will be auctioned off today following the untimely death of its North Yorkshire owner Roly Bulmer, who had painstakingly renovated 11 juke boxes to their former glory.

A joiner with York City Council and then the Ministry of Defence, Mr Bulmer had built up a considerable collection of records before retiring ten years ago.

Deciding he needed a hobby, he bought the remains of a juke box and set about renovating it.

"It was an NSM Prestige and when he had finished he started buying some records for it at car boot sales and auctions," said his widow, Delia, 54.

"When that one was full, the answer was simple - buy another wreck and fix it."

In all, the bungalow was home to 11 juke boxes spread around the living room, lounge and bedrooms and all lovingly restored to perfect working order.

"He would buy them for £50, get hold of a manual and do them up," said Mrs Bulmer.

Tragedy struck last month when Mr Bulmer and his wife were walking near their home. He collapsed, dying at the scene from heart failure.

"It was so sudden, there was no inkling anything was wrong. He was only 56, wasn't overweight, didn't smoke and only drank the odd pint. Just unbelievable," said Mrs Bulmer, who said she had decided reluctantly to sell the juke boxes and the record collection.

"They have provided some wonderful memories but if one broke down I wouldn't have a clue how to fix it and they are too heavy for me to move around."

Today, the juke boxes and records will be sold by Tennants at its auction house in Leyburn, North Yorkshire. The juke boxes, bought for as little as £50, are expected to fetch up to £3,000 each.