Innholdsfortegnelse for June 2024 i Collectors Gazette

Almost 900 lots went under the hammer at the last Wessex Auction Rooms sale, with railway-related items taking up a sizeable 238 lots. Amongst the treasure trove were some Lionel O gauge Thomas the Tank Engine sets in unopened boxes: prices of these ranged from £90-130. Other Lionel O gauge included a G-18046 Warash Railroad 4-6-4 Hudson Steam Locomotive plus a boxed Lionel O gauge 6-18730 Halloween General engine and tender (£150); and a 6-8100 Norfolk and Western Streamlined diecast 4-8-4 steam locomotive and tender, together with a Great Northern 4-8-4 steam locomotive and tender, which also realised £150. A stand-out lot in the bigger scale of 3.5 inch was the lovely live steam 0-4-0 locomotive in apple green livery: unmarked, and well built, this gem sold for £600. On…

One of the stars of the last Vectis auction had to be the Dinky Toys pre-war 24 Series Gift Set 8: this gem comprised a cream-coloured Ambulance, dark blue Limousine and a Town Car in bare metal finish, along with a Vogue in maroon, a Super Streamlined Car with a mid-green body and a Coupe in brown. Aside from these were a Four-Seater Car in blue and a Two-Seater Car finished in green. Conditions of this rare lot varied and most exhibited signs of metal fatigue and/or blow holes. All were contained in a last issue lift-off lidded box, a rare find in itself, and the ensemble raised £3,920. Another delight was the Shackleton David Brown Trackmaster 30, a tractor fitted with a clockwork motor and finished in red with…

It’s hard to imagine that Batman is an impressive 85-years-old. Despite his age, the octogenarian is still chasing around Gotham trying to catch criminals or zipping around in his Batmobile when really, he should be tucked up in bed with a delicious hot chocolate. The Caped Crusader first appeared in Detective Comics #27 in May 1939 as part of the story: The Case of the Chemical Syndicate. Although the distinctive cape and cowl were present in his first appearance, other recognisable Bat-elements, like the utility belt, batarang and the Batplane were all introduced throughout the course of 1939. By the end of that year creators Bob Kane and Bill Finger explained Batman’s origins and depicted the death of young Bruce Wayne’s parents at the hands of a nefarious mugger. A…

Item: Corgi Starsky & Hutch C1376 Condition: Little and Large twin set - both cars are mint, outer box is excellent Sold for: £921.07 (38 bids) Item: Bandai Tamagotchi Electronic Pet Condition: excellent 2018 model with latest features and technology Sold for: £122.99 (23 bids) Item: Britains Farm Powerfarm Set Condition: models excellent contained in a good original box; with shop outer sleeve Sold for: £740 (31 bids) Item: Tomland Bionic Woman figure from Six Million Dollar Man Condition: excellent for age and rarity, some discolouration to trousers Sold for: £1650 (30 bids) Item: Moskvitch 4 Door Saloon Condition: good but with some bubbling to paint finish, Russian made Sold for: £810 (17 bids) Item: Caenaho Moskvitch Lada Niva 4x4 Condition: excellent with no signs of damage and wear, with original…

The National 2 ½” Gauge Association’s motto is: Keeping the spirit of the past alive and looking to the future. For anyone not familiar with 2 ½” gauge railways, these are large locomotives and stock which can be run on Scenic Gauge 3 lines as well as 2 ½ inch gauge. It’s a popular size to work with as they are large enough to incorporate a great deal of fine detail plus they are robust enough to do passenger haulage. The full and detailed history of how these models came about is available on the National 2 ½ inch Gauge’s website, but briefly these model trains date from about the turn of the 20th century. History shows that around 1900 a set of track gauge standards was formulated and tracks…

TARMAC WORKS RENAULT 5 MAXI TURBO RALLYE DU PAYS Price: £25.99 Scale: 1/64 Ref: T64-TL061-86RDV01 Tarmac Works add another livery to their wonderful R5 Maxi Turbo rally casting. The accuracy of form and tampo print is simply first class. » www.tarmacworks.com CORGI VANGUARDS FORD TRANSIT CUSTOM TRAIL, RACE RED Price: £37.99 Scale: 1/43 Ref: VA15102 Nice changes from the standard Transit with the grille and wheels, air dam and side skirts. A great addition to any collection of commercials. » www.corgi.co.uk BBURAGO FORMULA 1 FERRARI SF-23 CHARLES LECLERC, 2023 SEASON Price: £10 Scale: 1/43 Ref: B18-36836L Aimed (perhaps) at the pocket money market, this Ferrari arrives with a carded display stand and outer box. Superb detail and finish still make it a great model. » www.oneforfun.com UNIVERSAL HOBBIES VALTRA S416 TRACTOR…

The voice of progress; “We don’t need these clunky old trams any more. We’ve got buses and taxis which are more efficient. Rip them out.” Err… “We don’t need these railways any more. We’ve got lorries, cars and coaches which are more efficient. Rip them out.” Err… “We don’t need these copper phone lines any more. We’ve got mobile and fibre optic which is more efficient. Rip them out.” So, having lived through the disappearance and reinstatement of trams and closed rail lines, wouldn’t it be funny if we ended up with special copper phone lines being reinstated at great expense? Well if vinyl records can make a comeback, anything can. Meanwhile our railways are being streamlined, with the removal of unnecessary sidings, loops and crossings. Yes it saves money…

In 1885, aged just 20, John William Sutcliffe began trading as a sheet metal worker and tinsmith, whilst also carrying out repairs to industrial equipment. There was plenty of work about in those days in and around Leeds where industry was thriving. Initially sharing a workshop with a relative, who traded as a joiner, in 1903 John Sutcliffe managed to acquire his own premises located behind the family home on Town Street, Horsforth. This workshop became known as Atlas House. Small metal items made by hand at Atlas House included photographic equipment and oil cans and it was not until 1920 that Sutcliffe Pressings first began making toy boats initially just as a sideline. A year earlier in 1919, Frederic Adolphus Lappin had invented and patented the ‘Flash Boiler’ water…

It may be hard to fathom for some, but this June marks the 40th anniversary of Joe Dante’s Gremlins. Released in 1984, and the third highest grossing film of that year, the iconic horror-meets-Christmas family film saw a wholesome small town overrun by deadly, mischievous, reptilian-like monsters on Christmas Eve. The success of the film quickly spawned a cult following across the globe, and with it a whole line of collectable toys and memorabilia - and some pretty hardcore collectors. We sat down with aspiring collector of Gremlins memorabilia and social media content creator, Sophie Thornton, to celebrate the anniversary. Originally pitched as an R-Rated horror, it was Steven Spielberg who stepped in and pushed for the project to be more ‘family-friendly’, resulting in the finished project we still enjoy…

Dinky Toys 25X Commer Breakdown Lorry, dark grey, blue back and jib, silver trim, reds rigid hubs. Good bright example in a good orange lift lid box with orange and white label. Sold for £60, Vectis Auctions, April. Dinky Toys 25X Commer Breakdown Lorry, mid grey, violet blue back and jib, silver trim, reds rigid hubs. Good bright example in a good to good plus orange lift lid box with orange and white label. Sold for £60, Vectis Auctions, April. Dinky Toys 25X Commer Breakdown Lorry, tan body and chassis, mid-green back and jib, silver trim, red rigid hubs. Good plus to excellent lovely bright example in a good orange lift lid box with orange and white label. Sold for £45, Vectis Auctions, April. Dinky Toys 117 Four Berth Caravan, yellow including opening…

Did you know it’s been 25 years since one of the best (and most underused) Star Wars villains graced our screens? Darth Maul was introduced in Star Wars: The Phantom Menace - the first of the prequel trilogy - and went on to become a fan favourite. Now LEGO is celebrating the Sith Lord with a set based on Darth Maul’s Infiltrator spaceship. Inspired by the craft the Sith Lord uses while tracking Qui-Gon Jinn to Tatooine, Darth Maul’s Infiltrator comes with 640 pieces, including Minifigures of Anakin Skywalker, Qui-Gon-Jinn, Darth Maul and an exclusive 25th anniversary Saw Gerrera. Darth Maul’s Interceptor is available to order from the LEGO website (www.lego.com) and is expected to start shipping early May 2024. It costs £59.99.…

Unsold shop stock is seemingly quite sought after these days – and a factory shrink-wrapped trade pack of six Corgi David Brown 1412 tractors proved the point at the last BTA sale. Appearing untouched, they sold for £200, plus premium. Also at BTA was a Corgi Gift Set 16, the boxed Ecurie Ecosse racing car transporter with three cars. The dark blue transporter featured yellow side lettering with a light brown interior with bench vice intact, and was in very good condition. The BRM F1 car, Lotus Mk 11 and Vanwall cars all showed some signs of playwear but came with their respective boxes. The hammer price of £220 reflected the overall condition of the set. From the Bachmann Collectors Club, two limited edition OO gauge models, namely a Class…

» Get inspired with the latest auction, toyfairs and event news » Handy tips and price guides » The latest releases from all the major manufacturers in the industry including Corgi, Oxford Diecast, Matchbox, Hornby, Airfix and LEGO Scan the QR code today or go to https://ccofgb.uk/CGSummer2024 Just £3.99 per month saving 20%…

Come with me, dear reader, and let’s wander back to a more gentle time. A time when AI involved scribbling cheat notes on bits of paper in preparation for the end of term history exam. When mobile communications meant shouting at your mates as you cycled (bareheaded) along the King’s Highway. And an era when digital photography was the result of a misplaced thumb over the lens of your Kodak Brownie. Yes, I’m going back a bit. I’m revisiting the period before plastic usurped everything in sight and when toxic, painted lead figures carried no health warnings. If you survived all that, then you’ve done well. FROM LEAD TO WOOD Those little lead figures were standard fare in the decades leading up to World War Two: purveyors like Skybirds and…

Dioramas can vary greatly in size depending on your available space and budget, and can range from adding a few simple touches to a full blown layout with lighting and scenery. There have also been many partwork series released in recent years that come complete with a miniature diorama and at surprisingly affordable prices For the second part of my focus on cars there are yet more examples of service station and garage ideas but I’ll also explore some other modelling arenas for inspiration. Card kits continue to be an excellent source of great value ideas, whilst also providing several hours of enjoyment during their construction. Although I have to confess there has been the occasional slip up along the way with some of these as I rediscover some of…

Most of the manufacturers of toys during the 1960s made good use of the castings that they had prepared. The cost of tooling had to be recuperated from the sales of the finished product. Dinky Toys were the masters of this particular tactic, producing vast quantities of a model from the same casting but in different colours and with different logos. Corgi Toys also made the best possible use of the casting that they had prepared but went to greater lengths to provide a very different toy. Subtle changes such as the vehicle use and the colour scheme could totally change the appearance of the toy. In the same way, additional features such as suspension, jewelled headlights, an aerial or stickers and transfers, could also result in a more desirable…

I noticed recently that the organisers of the NEC toy fair in Birmingham reported that tables for a forthcoming event had sold out. This was heart-warming news given all the tales of doom around the decline of toy fairs in the UK in the past few years. The decline was only to be expected really with changing tastes and internet auctions etc. There was a time when a perspective stall holder would have their stock vetted for some of the more prestigious events. It was a badge of honour to get in and reassuring too. Those were heady days when the best events really could demand and get the best stock. I’ve noticed that there are also more niche events now too, such as Action Man, Comic Con and Matchbox…