THREE Bolton Wanderers match programmes dating from 1908 are expected to raise almost £1,500 when they go under the hammer later this month.

The most valuable of the booklets is a copy of the 1926 FA Cup Final programme when Bolton beat Manchester City.

Even with a torn spine and a small section of the cover missing, the pamphlet is expected to sell for around £700 when it is put up for auction at Christie's, London.

An FA Cup programme for the match in which Bolton beat Portsmouth three years later could also raise around £600, despite its covers being detached.

It is expected the auction lots will attract a lot of interest from fans of the Whites as the events hold a special place in their affections - Bolton won both finals.

The oldest of the three, a 1908 programme in "poor condition," may sell for around £150.

This is from a meeting between the Wanderers and Woolwich Arsenal - the name the Gunners were known by in the pre-premiership days.

A spokesman for Christie's said: "These prices may sound steep, but a 1901 Sheffield United versus Spurs FA Cup final programme was sold at Sotheby's, London, for a world record £14,400 last year - even though experts predicted it would only bring in £3,500."

A Christie's spokesman said: "The condition of programmes is usually very important to serious collectors of football - programmes with loose pages, folds and tears, all reducing the value of a programme booklet."