Kray twins' letters and painting to go under the hammer in the Black County

Items from Ronnie and Reggie Kray, who carried out organised crime in the East End of London during the 1950s and 1960s, will be up for sale at Fieldings Auctioneers in Stourbridge on February 2.

Nicholas Davies, director of Fieldings, said: "We've got 40 odd letters written by Reggie Kray while he was in Parkhurst Prison. They are quite early examples and they are quite in-depth. Reggie even talks about his pet dog which I found surprising.

"The letters are from a woman called Cheryl who wrote the letters to Reggie in prison. They run from January 3 1970 right through to around October that same year and it's basically what he's doing in prison and also going to the gym – that's part of the letter and the other part is probably a bit more interesting is a painting from Ronnie Kray for the same girl.

"We've got a crude painting of what he calls 'The Gypsy' and we've got a letter from Parkhurst Prison from him – three letters in total – and he says 'I've done you a painting – hope you like it'.

"It's all provenance and it's quite nice. It's interesting and she sent him a painting of Al Capone which we also have.

"It's the correspondence between them.

"The vendor, his wife was given this collection by her best friend and Cheryl was the daughter of the best friend.

"In the letter, there's a little bit about Judy Garland coming to one of their nightclubs and little bits."

The items will be split into three lots.

The painting, along with the letters from Ronnie, is estimated to fetch between £1,000 to £1500.

The letters from Reggie are estimated to bring a similar price, with Christmas cards and other pieces bringing an estimated £200 to £300.

Mr Davies added: "It's history and there are collectors of this – whether you agree with what they did or perceived to have done because there's a lot of hype behind it.

"It's quite nice to keep these things alive and in the public eye."