A collection of more than 200 Roman, late Roman, British and world coins has sold for just under £30,000 at auction.

The coins were passed down through the generations of a Sussex family for more than a century after being originally bought as an investment.

They were sold by Bellmans Auctioneers in Wisborough Green near Billingshurst with Roman solidi and Islamic gold coins forming a large part of the collection.

Other highlights included a gold £5 Victoria coin, dated 1887 and depicting the Jubilee head and with St George on the reverse.

The sale also included coins from the time of Theodosius I, also known as Theodosius the Great, who was Roman emperor from 379 to 395.

An auction house spokeswoman said the coins were bought by a combination of buyers in the sale room, on the telephone and online, with just two failing to sell.