It's a golden ticket! Classic Wonka prop up for auction

One of the golden tickets from the film Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory is set to fetch thousands of pounds at auction.

Rather than have to unwrap dozens of chocolate bars in the hope of finding one as Charlie Bucket did, those with plenty of cash to splash will be able to snap it up for £8,000-£12,000.

The 9.5cm by 19cm prop - once the property of Julie Dawn Cole, who played Veruca Salt in the 1971 movie - comes inscribed with a message that reads: "Wonka's Golden Ticket, Greetings to you, the lucky finder of this golden ticket, from Mr Willy Wonka."

Mr Wonka was played by Gene Wilder in the classic film, which was based on the book Charlie & The Chocolate Factory, written by Roald Dahl and first published in 1964.

In the story, Mr Wonka runs a contest for children to visit his world-famous factory by hiding golden tickets in his popular chocolate bars.

Whoever buys the Catherine Southon Auctioneers lot at Farleigh Court Golf Club in Surrey on 17 July will also get their very own faux chocolate bar, which is made of board, coloured paper and a foil wrapper.

The bar and the accompanying ticket were given to Mark Poncia, the late partner of the current owner, by Cole when the pair were dating, and photographs of him and the actress are also included.

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Catherine Southon said: "As a child, Charlie & The Chocolate Factory was one of my favourite books and I loved the character of Veruca Salt in the film, so when the ticket and Wonka Bar was brought in to us on a valuation day, I couldn't believe my eyes - a real dream come true.

"It's an iconic piece of film ephemera whose appeal resonates with the child in all of us."