RARE artwork by the man voted as the “greatest cartoonist of the 20th Century” is to go under the hammer.

Four pieces of original art by iconic Suffolk cartoonist Carl Giles have unusually come up for sale and are expected to be sold for thousands of pounds.

For many decades, Giles’s cartoons were collected by a national newspaper security man at Ipswich Station five days a week and published the following day.

James Sadler, auction manager at Lockdales in Martlesham Heath, said: “This is original artwork from the 1950s and it’s something we haven’t seen before.

“In the 15 years we’ve been in business, pieces of Giles’s work such as this have never come our way previously.

“In the past we haven’t had one piece of Carl Giles artwork and now we’ve got four.”

Giles, who died in 1995, lived and worked in Tuddenham. There is a statue in Giles Corner, Ipswich, in his memory.

A military scene is depicted in one cartoon, another shows a Felixstowe carnival setting, one has a school theme and the fourth has a wet harvest setting.

Three of the pieces have a guide price of �500 to �700 while the other, which is inscribed “To Frank Tibbenham from Giles” and which was published in The Sunday Express in 1950, is estimated to be worth between �800 and �1,200.

Mr Sadler added: “An elderly Suffolk gentleman, who knew Giles personally, has decided to cash in on these four items.

“Giles collectors usually hang on and not much comes on to the market.

“We’ve had a tremendous response since our catalogue went out.

“Some people have come a very long way to view the rare items.”

The four pieces of original artwork will go under the hammer in the art and antiques auction on October 11 at Lockdales Auctioneers in Barrack Square, Martlesham Heath.