Innholdsfortegnelse for September 2022 i Collectors Gazette

The last Trains, Planes & Automobiles auction held down under provided, as usual, an eclectic array of lots. On the model railway front a Eureka HO gauge NSWGR AD60 Class 4-8-4 plus a 4-8-4 Garratt locomotive (No. 6015) in black attracted much interest. Complete with sound, albeit untested, this useful duo was billed as excellent and came in an excellent box. The pair sold for $1,000. Robilt was a Melbourne-based train manufacturer and is probably not too common over here. An O gauge clockwork Victorian Railway Passenger Set was typical of the genre: it contained a 0-4-0 locomotive and tender labelled No. 52, in black, which was accompanied by two four-wheel passenger coaches, together with track, instructions and a product brochure. Also with this lot was a damaged signal. Complete…

CORGI THUNDERBIRD 2 AND 4 Price: £27.99 Scale: FTB Release: out now Repackaged release of Corgi’s wonderful Thunderbirds 2 and 4 combo. Attractive new box displays these great models really well - definitely worth the money! ›› www.corgi.co.uk RJN CLASSIC TRACTORS FORD 2000 DEXTA TRACTOR Price: £300 Scale: 1/16 Release: out now Good-looking, large-scale static display model provided with engine detail, accurately laid out driver’s platform, clevis drawbar and fixed lower link arms. ›› www.rjnclassictractors.co.uk More new releases reviewed at ccofgb.co.uk MINI GT LB WORKS NISSAN GT-R R35 TYPE 2 REAR WING VER 3 Price: £12.95 Scale: 1/64 Release: out now A stunning release by MINI GT of its GT-R R35 casting, wearing this beautiful metallic red LB Works Livery 2.0. Also available in RHD as MGT00345-R. www.clevelandsdiecast.co.uk LEGO ICONS…

The TOYTRAC Farm Model Tractor and Construction Show is back this October for the first time since 2019. It will also be the first time that the show is being staged under the management of Bulldog Fairs. Held at the Frome Agricultural Showground in Somerset, you can expect to find some of the best model tractor dealers from all over the UK and from Europe, as well as a wide-ranging dioramaa competition. With six different classes to enter, and prizes sponsored by Britains, there really is something for everyone to get involved with. More details about the event on Sunday 16th October can be found at www.bulldogfairs.com/toytrac.…

Bullock Toys is one of those names that is known but to a few collectors. If you are into the military sphere, then you may well have come across the company; but if you’re not… Not a huge amount is known about Bullock Toys. The company seems to have focussed on the military side, more precisely that of working guns and cannon, with an occasional foray into other fields, such as farming equipment (a trailer is known, for example). As far as is known, it also produced the odd toy gun, too. Based in Bournemouth, its operations began post-World War Two (in 1948) but it was acquired by MSR around 1951, and thereafter was known by both MSR and Bullock nomenclature. The enterprise’s model cannon were interesting in that they…

Wells-Brimtoy My introduction to Wells-Brimtoy toys dates back many moons to one memorable Friday evening in the 1950s when my father arrived home with a couple of gifts for me and my sister. She got a pair of roller skates and I got a smashing little tinplate trolleybus. It was the result of dad’s first week in a new job working on a Wimpey housing estate, which offered nice bonus payments and overtime. I’ll never forget that lovely red trolleybus bus as long as I live. It came in a proper box and you could see all the people sitting at the windows just like we did on the real things (which incidentally were great vehicles). It had proper tin poles sticking out of the roof and best of all…

Real world travellers might have been suffering on the railways recently but that wasn’t the case at SAS. The highlight of the year so far for Special Auction Services was its two-day Glorious Trains sale, with a hammer price total (including buyer’s premium) reaching £348,000. Day One was mainly confined to the smaller gauges, including N Gauge, Bemo and good quality 00 and HO gauge, including pre-war Hornby Dublo, Tri-ang Hornby Battlespace, a superb collection of kit-built Southern EMUs as well as modern 00 by Hornby, Bachmann, Heljan, Dapol and others. The last section of the day was railwayana, which featured a pair of re-upholstered Pullman Armchairs that sold for £420. Day Two started with the Rivarossi Archive Part Two including N Gauge, HO Gauge and 0 gauge sets, locomotives…

The Auction Centre’s last two sales threw up some unusual collectables. On the diecast front a boxed Corgi Mechanical Vauxhall Velox in red (203M) came with its sales leaflet and was in near mint condition. It sold for £150. A companion piece was the boxed Mechanical Bedford CA Dormobil. The model showed little sign of play wear, also had its leaflet and raised £110. For the ladies (perhaps), a quartet of Palitoy vintage Pippa Dolls in a wardrobe carry case with a selection of clothes was attractive. There were 16 separate items of clothing in the wardrobe in addition to what the dolls were wearing. This female assortment sold for £110. Finally, an example of the ever-popular Triang E Type Jaguar pedal car came under the hammer. This example was…

It was recognised from the outset that value for money, keen competition and good communications would need to be major considerations for the launch of the new range of Corgi diecast models. After a good deal of planning and experience in the manufacturing of toys, it was clear that any product would need to be potentially better -and certainly more desirable - in order to compete successfully with so many other diecast manufacturers. Corgi Toys began to release models in 1956 and the Corgi Model Club was established in the same year. Every member would receive a numbered certificate, a cast Corgi lapel badge and a newsletter, the first of which was sent out in December 1956. The most cost effective method of advertising the club, however, was to place…

There are lots of great things about the York City & District Society of Model Engineers – one being the wide range of members’ particular engineering interests. There are those who have a passion for locomotives of all sizes and gauges; others who are into traction engines or stationary engines and machinery, also clocks and mechanisms, model making and kit building and lots more besides. To be a part of this club, which has been going since 1929, it really doesn’t matter if engineering was your trade or not – so long as the interest and passion for engineering in some form or other is there, you’ll be welcomed with open arms, and a cup of tea! Amongst their 150 members there are doctors, dentists, lorry drivers, technicians, former members…

Wallis & Wallis’ last sale catered for the model vehicle collector, those keen on railwayana and even had items for the slot car fraternity. A Marklin Constructor car was one prominent lot: with bolt together panels in mint green, a beige roof and red seats, here was an unusual survivor. Some damage was noted and some parts had been replaced but it sold for Wrenn still dominates the railway scene, e, with two unboxed BR 4-6-2 tender locomotives making £190. These were a Merchant Navy Class, Lamport & Holt Line and a Coronation Class City of Glasgow, both finished in lined blue livery. Finally, slot car devotees chased the Scalextric 1929 racing Bentley in black. Not mint but pretty much all there, this notable example finished on £130.…

Whilst there were no special prices realised in the recent Vectis sales, nonetheless lots have been selling well across the spectrum, embracing diecasts, dolls and railway items. One lot that aroused plenty of bidders was the Corgi 1103 pre-production colour trial Chubb Pathfinder Airport Crash Truck. This was finished in yellow with a deeper yellow interior, a chrome platform and featured a gold nozzle and hose. The model was never put into production in this colour (the tender is normally red), and it is believed that only six examples were executed. It was knocked down for £1,320. Equally pursued was the Mattel Hot Wheels Redline 6267 Custom AMX selection: this pair included a metallic magenta and a very light metallic magenta example. Their conditions were put at Good Plus and…

CORGI JAMES BOND LOTUS ESPRIT SUBMARINE Price: £35.99 Scale: 1/36 Release: out now Reissue of the superb Esprit sub, complete with all the working parts, of course. Now presented in Corgi’s current type of ‘007’ packaging - very stylish! ›› www.corgi.co.uk KING AND COUNTRY BATTLEFIELD CONFERENCE Price: $129.00 Release: out now Three Panzer commanders gather together to discuss today’s plan-of-action. During the Battle of Normandy it was virtually impossible for any German vehicle to appear on the roads during daylight. As the morning dawn begins to break these three have already moved their tanks into position during the previous hours of darkness… ›› wwww.kingandcountry.com…

There’s an old toy collectors’ joke which goes; “What kind of trains did Bassett-Lowke make?” The answer is; “Allsorts”. Alright, it’s not that funny. You had to be there. So the original Bassett-Lowke company had legendary status as purveyors of model trains, boats, ships and construction sets to the upper and upper middle classes. They had their own shops, including a prestigious emporium in High Holbourn, London. Large houses and deep pockets were the hallmarks of the BL clientele. The ascendance of Bassett-Lowke roughly follows the golden age of the railways. They survived the first war, thrived in the inter-war years and were pummelled by the second one. By the late fifties they were on their uppers, finally closing down in 1965. I blame the Beatles. Such was the charisma…

If you’re planning a holiday in Switzerland, then be sure to visit The Swiss Museum of Games – the Musée de Jeu, that stands on the edge of Lake Geneva, in a double towered 13th century castle, in the old town of La Tour-de-Peilz near Montreux. Not only is this Switzerland’s one and only museum of games but it is believed to be the only museum dedicated solely to games in the whole of the world. Suzanne Sinclair and Clare Grangier, from the museum, explained that the collection of games in this museum numbers more than 10,000 pieces, stretches right across the globe and spans thousands of years, from the ancient Greeks, Romans and Egyptians, to India, China and Africa, right up to 21st century Europe. From the moment you…

Are you one of the lucky ones who did everything right when you started collecting? You did your groundwork, bought the books, sought out the honest and knowledgeable dealers and only bought the best you could afford? Oh, and let’s not forget, only buying what you liked without a single thought given to the investment potential or pension possibilities. Or were you like the rest of us? Giddy with enthusiasm, pumped up with scant knowledge but chomping at the bit to go treasure hunting? Then spending fortunes on common items in poor condition in antique shops that treated these items as something akin to the crown jewels. OK, there may have been a bit too much exposition here but hopefully you get my drift. I can recall some very poor…

Hi folks! Well what a summer it has been so far with record breaking temperatures recorded in the middle of July. I’m old enough to remember that epic summer of 1976 which seemed to go on forever but never achieved those temperatures. The force of the sun looked like being a big problem at the most recent Shepton flea market on the Bath & West Showground but it didn’t stop the show from going on and the crowds still flooded in looking for bargains. I dropped lucky on a few nice buys there, the best of which was a lovely Britans Fordson E27N tractor in near mint condition which was an absolute snip at a tenner. No box with it but who cares, probably the best ten quid I’ve spent…