Rare porcelain could fetch up to £2,000

Manager Charles Hanson said: "The porcelain group was made by the Meissen factory in Germany in around 1760. It would have been manufactured at the very beginning of the reign of our own King George III.

"The figure group is known from historical archives as The Apple Pickers and was designed by modeller Johann Kandler. Kandler is observed as the most important ceramic modeller from the 18th Century. It was made virtually at the start of the history of making porcelain in Europe.

"The Meissen factory in Dresden discovered the Chinese secrets of making porcelain in 1708 when Augustus the Strong, Elector of Saxony owned the factory. In the early 18th century, porcelain was as highly valued as gold.

"The figure group manufactured and fired at 1200 celcius is crafted with two figures collecting apples whilst a young boy in sculptured in a tree. To the rear of the ornament is a young boy eating an apple. It would be fascinating to find out where the ornament has been for the last two centuries."

The auction will take place at The Mackworth Hotel on Ashbourne Road near Derby. Estimated at £1,500 to £2,000 the group is expected to create worldwide interest particularly amongst collectors in Germany.

Mr Hanson added: "We hope national and international clients will compete for the group."

Hansons hold antique valuation days at Kings Bromley Village Hall in Staffordshire fortnightly on a Friday between 2-5pm.