INSTEAD of cloth there is cast iron, and instead of a hand there are strings, but even without Matthew Corbett there is still no mistaking Sooty.

The variation on the puppet theme dates from the late 1950s and was part of a collection built up by a Middlesbrough toy enthusiast.

Next month, it will go up for auction along with about 5,000 other toys with a television or film connection.

Sooty is expected to fetch between £100 and £150, with other highlights of the Middlesbrough collection including a dalek with a guide price of £150 and a Mickey Mouse fire engine, worth £400 to £500.

But this collection is one of just hundreds from all around the world being put up for sale by Vectis, based at Teesside Industrial Estate, at Thornaby, one of the world's largest toy auctioneers.

Cataloguer Garry Hunt said: "Our name is known throughout the world and we have people to tell us about collections.

"We have toys from Canada, South Africa, and the United States, as well as the UK."

Vectis holds an auction every month, but February's two-day sale of film and TV-related toys is expected to attract particular interest.

Mr Hunt said: "A lot of the interest in TV toys is from people who remember them when they were kids and feel nostalgic.

"It can be people in their thirties who think, if they have spare cash, they will collect things they once played with."

Many of the most valuable toys have never been taken out of their box but older, rarer toys can still fetch a high price at auction.

James Bond toys have become highly sought-after, with next month's sale including a rare Spectre Mercedes car, from the film On Her Majesty's Secret Service, originally sold for £1.99 and now worth between £600 and £800.

Star Wars also produced collectible toys, with plastic figures worth £10 to £500, depending on rarity and condition.

"Darth Vader is very sought-after, even though there were millions produced, because the popularity is still there," said Mr Hunt.

Darth Vader brings his menacing rasp to the auctioneer's room on February 21 and 22, alongside Sooty, Thunderbirds, the Avengers, and even the jeep from Daktari.

More details on the sale, which takes place in Buckingham, are available on the Vectis website - www.vectis.co.uk - or by calling (01642) 750616.