A rare first edition of The Dandy comic is expected to fetch thousands of pounds when it goes up for auction in Nottinghamshire.

The comic was published by DC Thomson of Dundee on 4 December, 1937 and is one of only about dozen left, said Martin Hamer, who runs Hamer Auctions.

It features Korky the Cat on the front page and has the first ever tale of Desperate Dan on the inside pages.

A first edition of The Dandy's sister comic The Beano recently sold at auction for a record �7,500.

Hidden away

The Dandy is being sold by Hamer Auctions in Worksop, Nottinghamshire, on Sunday following the death of the owner.

The owner had collected first edition magazines and in the middle of a pile of them in a trunk the comic was found, said Mr Hamer.

"There are people who are trying to put together complete runs of the Dandy until the 1960s.

"A Beano recently sold for �7,000. We don't have that sort of expectation."

When it was sold in 1937 the comic would have cost children just tuppence.

"We are pretty confident we will get over �2,000," said Mr Hamer.