Innholdsfortegnelse for April 2022 i Collectors Gazette

NEWS AUCTION REVIEW On manoeuvres at Excalibur Excalibur’s last auction featured several lots of army vehicles but there was a strong Britains lead soldier contingent as well as a good selection of older Dinky trade boxed sets. These latter included six civilian motorcyclists (£220); six pre-war Light Tanks (£250) and six RAC Motorcycle Patrol Combination models (£350). On the military front, a Corgi Major Gift Set No.4 comprising a Bloodhound Guided Missile with Ramp, Trolley and Land Rover made £120; a tidy Dinky No.697 25 Pounder Field Gun Set in a yellow picture box raised £48; and a 10 ton Army Truck, together with a 677 Armoured Command Vehicle, was knocked down for £55. A pair of Dinky 651 Centurion Tanks, one in a blue/white striped box and the other…

NEW RELEASES THIS MONTH MAISTO 2020 FORD MUSTANG SHELBY GT500 Price: £14.99 Scale: 1/24 Release: out now An amazingly good value release of the mighty Shelby Mustang, featuring opening doors and a superb, bright paint finish. www.oneforfun.com CORGI SE5A ALBERT BALL VC Price: £59.99 Scale: 1/48 Release: out now Replicating a short-lived, flamboyant livery, the latest release of Corgi’s exquisite SE5a will certainly be a colourful addition to your squadron. www.ccofgb.co.uk BRITAINS JOHN DEERE 4020 TRACTOR Price: £29.99 Scale: 1/32 Release: out now Britains has reissued its UK-specced John Deere 4020 tractor with dual rear wheels. It has dual drawbars and a plastic rear linkage. www.britainsfarmtoys.co.uk IXO 1996 FORD ESCORT RS COSWORTH Price: £69.99 Scale: 1/18 Release: out now Just like its smaller sibling, above right, this is a strikingly…

IN-DEPTH What was the year? Can you recall the events and toys of this year? Asks Alwyn Brice… There was much happening around the world this year. It saw the Camp David peace treaty signed between Israel and Egypt, while a coup in the Central African Republic resulted in David Dacko overthrowing Emperor Bokassa I. More optimistically, the US and the USSR signed the Salt 2 treaty, limiting their respective countries’ nuclear weapons. However, the People’s Republic of China performed a nuclear test in September this year, a sign of the country’s atomic progress. Still on the global canvas, St John Paul II was leading the Catholic church and Mother Theresa was awarded the Nobel Peace prize this year. Nearer to home, the IRA continued its internecine activities and Airey…

UNUSUAL DIECAST - PART 2 Lost but not forgotten Alwyn Brice continues to ransack the depths of his cupboard to unearth some more cobwebbed curios. If you read the first instalment of this series (Collectors Gazette, March issue), you’ll know that I got somewhat bogged down with the letter K in terms of forgotten diecasts. Well, there are no such worries with this issue’s input, though; and we are kicking off by crossing the border. WELSH RAREBIT It is tempting to think that British toy makers were all confined to London and the south in the years succeeding the second world war. While it’s true that many were, equally, others were manufacturing outside the metropolis. Wales might sound an unlikely spot for toy output but you may recall that Thomas Toys…

AT THE MOVIES IN-DEPTH Famous Faces: DR WHO AND THE DALEKS Remembering collectables that found fame through the silver screen. Ever since Terry Nation’s Daleks first appeared in the Doctor Who TV series back in 1963, and sentenced generations of kids to dive behind the sofa, the world’s most famous metal-clad menaces were hugely popular with fans and collectors alike. Over the years the onscreen Daleks have evolved several times over, from the superb, original creations of the 1960s, to the not so superb ‘hump-back’ modern versions of today. Like their TV cousins, the toys that were spawned by Dalek-mania have undergone several transformations of their own over the years, with some of the best examples being produced during the 1960s and 1970s (believed by many to be the ‘Golden Age’ of…

IN-DEPTH Toy Stories The sound of the underground. By Ed Karswell. A collector friend and I were reminiscing recently about when we started collecting vintage toys. It’s sometimes easy to forget how new this hobby was some forty odd years ago. It’s also a sobering thought that many of the ‘vintage’ models we are collecting were only first around 30 years old. My interest in old diecast started around 1980 and at that time there was very little media presence surrounding toy collecting. The number of books on the subject were few and toy fairs were mythical events that always seemed to be held outside my orbit. All was not lost however as there was a newly opened shop in town selling second-hand railways and diecast. My interest wasn’t a thing…

TREASURE HUNTING IN-DEPTH Obsolete OZ Our monthly gaze into the weird but wonderful world of collector/dealer Obsolete Oz. Buying and selling since the 1970s, Oz has developed a great knack for unearthing some amazing finds from flea markets, antique fairs, car boot sales, rubbish skips and even the local tip. Hi folks! There’s an air of optimism sweeping through the trade as we head towards spring, despite many of us being battered by various storms recently. I’ve booked a few shows and penned in some significant buying expeditions now that venues are beginning to open up again. Let’s hope there are no more Covid setbacks and we can begin to enjoy the new ‘normal’. ‘Normal’ was not a word you could have applied to the years when Lesney was battling for…

NEWS AUCTION REVIEW Motorbike mayhem at Milestone In contrast to Excalibur’s auction, Milestone’s recent event was very much geared towards motorcycles: in all, 130 lots were given over to two-wheeled transport. The top lot of both the motorcycle section and the sale overall had to be a Marx prototype Speedboy 4, complete with a soldier driver and rear accoutrements, including a branded ammunition box and a movable spring-loaded cannon for shooting projectiles. In near perfect condition, it raced off to a new owner for US$16,800 against an estimate of US$6,000-9,000. A Marx wind-up Indian Motorcycle with Sidecar in all original, as new condition reached US$9,840 whilst a rare 5½ inch long I.Y. Metal Toys (from Japan), the number 3 Race Motor Cycle, came with its original box bearing a striking multicolour…

HOBBY NEWS Oxford Diecast future releases Nobody likes announcing delays, but in recent conversations with a few collectors, Oxford Diecast says it became apparent that it may be preferable for this information to be more public. During the Covid Pandemic period, Oxford has experienced some quite significant delays on items. The company has made the decision to not announce any future development and release a new catalogue until May 2022 to allow time to catch up. Below are the items confirmed for imminent arrival. There are still plenty of new releases to follow later in the year, with more information available in the May 2022 catalogue. In addition to recent delays, Oxford has taken the difficult decision, due to many factors, to take a pause on a few items, so…

RAILWAY COLLECTABLES The transport of delight Mark Nolan outlines how the railways virtually invented PR and looks at what’s available in model form. It’s cheaper to phone your friends after six and at weekends.” “A Mars a day helps you work, rest and play.” “We’re getting there.” For the benefit of younger readers, not all of those old advertising slogans are true. You can now phone your friends any time you like, and for free. Except you don’t, because you prefer to text, and phoning without warning is either rude or a dire emergency. When I were a lad, calls were charged by the minute. You never knew what the bill would be until it hit the doormat, and long distance calls were more expensive than local, presumably because the…

YOUR COLLECTION PRICE GUIDE ebuys From collectables of the future to old favourites, eBay always manages to produce some amazing finds… and even more amazing prices! Item: Palitoy Star Wars Slave 1 Vehicle, 1983 Condition: mint in sealed box, never opened and graded 85% Sold for: £3300 (35 bids) Item: Dinky 24e Super Streamlined Saloon, ‘sump’ version, 1934 Condition: excellent for its age, some tarnishing to paint and scuff marks Sold for: £820 (19 bids) Item: LEGO Creator Expert 10185 Green Grocer Condition: brand new and in mint condition, in sealed box Sold for: £1000 (8 bids) Item: Horikawa Japan Mr Patrol Robot, Astronaut version Condition: walks with flashing lights, excellent and in fully working order Sold for: £620 (19 bids) Item: Kenner Star Wars Darth Vader 12 Back figure Condition: some…

YOUR LETTERS Thank you Brian I have an incomplete collection of the 514 Dinky Toy Guy trucks which comprise five of the six available liveries of the 514 series, one of those I do have is the Slumberland model which was purchased along with its original box. The model can be described as near mint - being in very good condition and whilst having been played with the previous owner has clearly played with it quite carefully. The original owner has however written his name on the box twice and also ‘doodled’ on the top part of the label and on the ends, however in some ways this is quite nice that the owner was so pleased with the toy that he should identify so clearly in three places his name…

HOBBY NEWS New from Search Impex Search Impex, has announced the release of a 1/50 scale Volvo FH Globetrotter XL (6x2) tractor unit with 3 axle, skirted, curtain trailer, customised in the livery of long-established Scottish operator Drummond Distribution. Established in 1927 and starting out making local coal deliveries, Drummond Distribution has successfully evolved to become one of Scotland’s longest established and most reliable pallet and parcel delivery companies. The Volvo FH, on which the model will be based, is one of the latest additions to a mixed fleet of around 80 vehicles (mostly Volvo & DAF) and which also includes rigid trucks and vans, and more than 50 curtain trailers. Drummond Distribution trucks, in their smart predominantly green, red & white livery, will be a familiar sight to collectors…

POCKET MONEY FUN Up, up and away The sky is the limit, with Gerald Edwards. One of the most under-rated toys of all time must be the humble glider. Everyone must have flown one at some point in time, even if it was just a hand-made paper one from your school jotter book. Gliders go back a long way and may even have influenced the real flying machines. Our story starts a little later, just after World War One. In that war, aircraft played an increasingly important role. This was the catalyst for a post-War boom in toy planes, with gliders being a part of that, many having rubber band powered propellers. They were easy to make and inexpensive, allowing everyone to take even a small part in the new era…

KNOW YOUR HOBBY 10 minute TOY EXPERT! Models of Yesteryear Last year witnessed, amongst many other things, the 65th anniversary of the birth of the hugely popular, and widely collected, Matchbox ‘Models of Yesteryear’ range of diecast vehicles. It all began back in 1956 with the release of a little 80-1 scale Allchin 7 N.H.P. Traction Engine finished in a smart red and green livery. By this time Lesney had abandoned all future development of its large-scale models and was doing extremely well with the miniature Matchbox range, which by 1956 numbered 28 different models. The Allchin rolled off the Lesney production line with a pleasing amount of detail and gold trim and straight rear wheel treads which were later changed to diagonal. Selling for 2/3d, its production run lasted seven years…

YOUR COLLECTION PRICE GUIDE PRICE GUIDE This month we review the latest toy sales at Vectis, Excalibur Auctions, C&T Auctioneers and Lacy, Scott and Knight.…

OUT & ABOUT COLLECTIONS Fit as a flea! Alwyn Brice trawls the UK’s biggest fleamarket in search of bargains. Let’s face it: the swapmeet is struggling. Covid has been the reason and where once every weekend yielded a host of venues, times have changed and few are currently being staged. But the fleamarket and Saturday bootfair have come into their own – and Malvern’s fleamarket attracts hundreds of traders and thousands of browsers. Held outside in the main, the January event was cold (as usual) but bright, and keeping on the move helped matters. You need good walking shoes and a sturdy constitution, for to see everything requires a degree of fitness. There are no toy dealers here but rather stallholders with an array of offerings, everything from the kitchen sink…