A BIDDING frenzy broke out as a collection of vintage arcade games from Clacton Pier went under the hammer.

Bidders broke the bank to get their hands on the lots, with some selling for as much as ten times more than expected.

Colchester auctioneers Reeman Dansie hit the jackpot as a billards game fetched an astonishing £4,500 to an overseas bidder. The guide price had been £200.

AMagic City dancing figure sold for £620, while a Chamber of Horrors machine made £800. Both had had guide prices of between £60 and £100.

Many of the collectibles dated back to the Twenties and Thirties, but even a Seventies Space Invaders video game sold for £190.

A replica 1901 Oldsmobile car sold for £800 – four times the estimate – while a Thirties horse-racing game hit £1,200.

Auctioneer Michael Bowles said: “The highlight was the billiards machine which made £4,500. I think it went to a buyer in the US.

“One chap who bought the bigger games was keen to stop them going overseas. He’s planning to restore them to their original condition for his own arcade.”

Mr Bowles said it was the first time in 20 years such a large collection of arcade games had come under the hammer.