Residents asked to search attics and basements for hidden treasures which have run into millions of £'s

A Bonhams Regional Director, Antony Bennett, says that the northwest of England is producing some of the company's most outstanding items with winning results at auction in London. "The Northwest punches above its weight when it comes to art," he says.

Last year residents of Chester, Manchester, Carlisle, Southport and North Wales, found a steady stream of art works that made strong prices in front of the most discriminating art buyers and collectors in London. Art finds running into millions was locally sourced according to Bonhams specialist in the region.

Antony Bennett comments: "This region has a fantastic wealth of art stored away in private homes and collections, sometimes without the owners' even realizing it. Some of this art treasure trove emerges at our appraisal days, and some is walked into our offices when people want to have new insurance appraisals made. We are constantly surprised by some of the breathtaking works that we source here for sale in the world's top art market. It includes paintings, furniture, silver, Asian art, virtually everything across the art spectrum."

A selection of local finds include:

• A group of images of Chester by Louise J. Rayner (British, 1832-1924) including Eastgate Street, Chester, from east of the Cross looking towards the Eastgate. The Grosvenor Hotel on the right, sold for a total of £95,000 in Chester.

• A collection of Chinese jade and oriental ceramics from Manchester sold in May 2011 for £300,000 in London.

• A collection of ornithological watercolors by Archibald Thorburn (1860-1935), sourced in Southport made £100,000.

• A Chester sourced painting by the Italian artist, Giovanni Costa, sold in London in January for £14,375. The owner had thought that as it was a minor Italian artist it would make a few hundred pounds at most.

• A Bonhams appraisal day find in Buxton, a John Martin (British, 1789-1854) painting Diogenes throwing away his Cup signed and dated J.Martin.1833, made £32,000 to its owners delight. The painting went to London where it was regarded as a discovery and included in an exhibition about the artist.

• A fascinating piece of silver locally sourced from North Wales - a breathtaking spicebox which the Duke of Monmouth gave as a gift to the daughter of the mayor of Chester - is now in Chester Grosvenor Museum, having been bought for £65,000 at Bonhams.

The spicebox was reputedly the gift of James, Duke of Monmouth (1649 - 1685), illegitimate son of Charles II to Henrietta Mainwaring (1682 - 1688), youngest daughter of George Mainwaring (1642 - 1695), Mayor of Chester and MP for Chester in 1689. It was then passed down through the family by descent to Lloyd Mainwaring (1905 - 1991).

On a tour of Worcestershire, Staffordshire and Cheshire, it is believed that the Duke stayed with the mayor at his house on Watergate Street in the City of Chester on the night of the 9th September 1682 and stood godfather to the mayor's newborn daughter, Henrietta, at a service at Chester Cathedral on the afternoon of Sunday 10th September. Two days later, having run in - and won - a horse race at nearby Wallasey, the Duke sent back his winnings - including this spice box - as a gift to his godchild.