Innholdsfortegnelse for April 2025 i Collectors Gazette

Cullens of Surrey hosted one of its toy sales in February and several good Dinky diecast models went under the hammer for modest prices. An excellent boxed Foden 14 ton Mobilgas tanker realised £70, this with the paper label box type; while a grey and red 14 ton tanker with the same reference number peaked at £32. Even better value was the Shell Chemicals AEC tanker: again mint, and with box, it was a snip at £26. In the smaller scale, a partially sealed quartet of Impy Lone*Star Flyers, all Jaguar Mk X, along with four Peugeot cars raised £130; while a pack of six Impy Tractor Shovels sold for £50. Half a dozen lots of 1980s Action Man Action Force figures, all unopened and in blisters, attracted many bids:…

Almost 1,000 lots were consigned to the last Wessex auction and, as is usually the case, model railway collectables comprised the bulk of the toys going under the hammer. Quite where all this track and sundry rolling stock actually goes is beyond me… Multiple lots of boxed Graham Farish N gauge didn’t hang around, with most making over £100. In particular, one lot comprising 38 items (32 Graham Farish, four Hornby Minitrix, one Atlas and one Rivarossi) sold for £170 – something of a bargain, with other 30 item plus lots achieving more. HO gauge also did well, with Bachmann and Hornby much in evidence. However, best of the lots was the Swiss-made boxed Fulgurex O gauge Ce 6/8" 14253 Crocodile electric locomotive in drab brown; in excellent condition, this…

About three years ago I was given a box full of 5/H Tri-ang Super 4 track with a transformer and dual power controller. Being worthless, I was told, compared with a modern track. I was not charged but put some money in the charity box of the friendly Rushden Toy Shop. Modern Hornby track has a shallower profile, Super 4 track was a progression from the original Tri-ang Standard and Series 3 track which had rails mounted on a plastic base representing ballast. The absence of this base from Super 4 track, along with other improvements, improved the appearance and geometry, making it the best available at the time in 1969. I have a large greenhouse, 14ft x 8ft, with space at one end to accommodate a layout and as…

Many of us have fond childhood memories of our favourite sweets and chocolates- and children today love sweets just the same way as they did in bygone days. No matter how old you are the chances are you’ll still love those sweet treats now and again whether it’s a simple caramel wafer, Crunchie, Kit-Kat, or a nice big bag of sherbert lemons. We can still treat ourselves to some all-time favourites that have stood the test of time like sweet shop evergreens such as white mice, Rainbow Drops, Sherbert Fountains and tangy Flying Saucers to name just a few. But what about those lost delights that have disappeared forever such as Pincushions, Black Bullets, Jap Nuggets, clove balls, crystalized pears and aniseed bon-bons. We can also lament the extinction of…

The E Type Jaguar must be one of the most iconic cars of all-time. Associated with celebrities from all walks of life throughout the 1960’s, it has to be the car of the decade. My very first recollection of the E Type Jaguar is the 1962 Matchbox model, No MB 32. In fact it was the first E Type that I owned – the first of many. It was released in bright metallic red, and as usual with most Matchbox models, there are a variety of versions, depending on black or grey tyres and a clear or green screen. There are no opening features on this toy, it didn’t need any, you were just lucky to have one at all. The Ramsay’s British Diecast Catalogue now lists the values for…

Just occasionally we get a glimpse of how far away even the relatively recent past can seem. Last week I bumped into someone who used to frequent the same model shops as myself back in the early 1980s. This small shop on the outskirts of town was an absolute Mecca for vintage diecast fans. It’s hard to believe this now as the postman hands me yet another parcel via eBay. For collectors it really was something to have a shop selling vintage diecasts in your own hometown. Finding vintage models then could be hard going. Very rarely a friend would hand over a well-worn, tireless specimen and it would be gratefully received. Occasionally one would stumble on old diecasts in antique shops, only to be regaled by the owners as…

One for our Obsolete Oz? This early Avon tyres enamel sign made big money. Model railways, diecasts, motoring memorabilia and signage accounted for many of the loots at the last John Goodwin sale. Amongst the latter were signs for tea, biscuits, poultry feed, oil, petrol, paraffin and soap (an unlikely named Witch Soap sign realised £120), while a good enamel example advertising Avon Tyres swept the board at £480. One true curio was the examination piece produced by Peter Blades of Tesla car fame. At 116cm long, it represented a Renault Concept Car. A true one-off, and with provenance, it sold for £450. There were some bargains, though. An original Rubik’s Cube in its container made £15; a VIP figure-of-eight race track, with box, sold for £40; and an empty…

CORGI MODEL CLUB OLDSMOBILE SUPER 88 Scale: 1/49 Price: £33.99 Ref: 235 This attractive standard saloon version of Corgi’s classic casting was introduced into the range in 1962. The interior from the staff car has been used in this version. ›› www.corgimodelclub.com BRITAINS DAVID BROWN 1410 4WD TRACTOR Scale: 1/32 Price: €£27.99 Ref: 43393 Britains’ updated tractor has traction wheels on front axle, front axle driveshaft detail and its latest strengthen two-point rear linkage. ›› www.britainsfarmtoys.co.uk KAIDO HOUSE MINI GT DATSUN 510 STREET RACING V3 INDONESIA EXCLUSIVE Scale: 1/64 Price: £79.99 Ref: KHMG152 Limited release of the Datsun 510 street racer, released exclusively at the 2024 Indonesia Diecast Expo. Diecast body/chassis, alloy wheels and opening bonnet. ›› www.modelstore.co.uk MINI GT NISSAN FAIRLADY Z PANDEM – SEIRAN BLUE  Price: £13.99 Ref:…

Perhaps the most wondrous event of this year lay in the field of medicine, when Elizabeth Jordan Carr, the first American test-tube baby, was born in Norfolk, Virginia. On a global canvas, this year was significant, for The International Year of the Disabled got underway. Allied to that endeavour was another, with the news that a British team, led by Ranulph Fiennes, had become the fastest to cross Antarctica, reaching the Scott base after 75 days, having covered some 2,500 miles. Tragedy was never far from the headlines, though. The AIDS epidemic was said to have officially started this year, when the US Centre for Disease Control reported that five homosexual men had contracted pneumonia in Los Angeles. Across the continents, a passenger train travelling between Mansi and Saharsa in…

Following on from the first half of 1965 (issue 209, March 2015), the second half of the year harvested a nice line up of Corgi figures, going from golfing and beach couples to James Bond and from chimpanzees to rhinos. CHRYSLER IMPERIAL NO.246 • August 1965, 629,000 After the Ghia L with the 6.4 litre Chrysler engine (No.241) the time apparently had come to issue a real Chrysler. Keeping with the American fashion, Corgi made it a convertible, with a couple happily driving to the local golf club, wearing the sporty golf shirts and trousers. How do I know they are going to play golf? Look at “the surprise in the boot”, announced on the box, and we find a very nicely detailed golf trolley, including a golf bag and…

We have already covered a great many Corgi castings that were used a number of times but in different ways. The designers and model developers were always keen to improve the product, and increase market sales. We have seen that it is not unusual for a casting to be used five or six times over, creating a different vehicle on each occasion. Changes were made and models transformed with the addition of transfers or stickers, a change of colour scheme, or even the inclusion of plastic figures. As we continue to cover many of the most obvious re-used castings in the Corgi range, the number of variations for each model becomes ever smaller. So, in order to continue our focus on re-usable castings, we need to consider pairs or clusters…

Hi folks! Well, here we are heading rapidly towards spring at last and I’m beginning to get excited about the reopening of all the big boot fairs again. Although, with the current state of my aching old knees, they will definitely be slowing me down this year! Throughout the winter months I’ve based most of my treasure hunting on fleamarkets and antique centres so it will be great to get out there on the grass again trawling through all those stalls where you never know what you might find. Mind you, those early morning starts will also be a big test as I am quite partial to having a long lie in bed these days! One of my luckiest finds over the past few months was an old cardboard sign…

Following on from the success of his previous three releases, all commissioned from Corgi, Tony Buller has revealed final pre-production sample shots of the next release in his series of cars from The Professionals TV show - Bodie’s Capri Mk2 3.0 Ghia in Arizona Gold. Originally intended to coincide with the programme’s 50th anniversary in 2027, Corgi has persuaded Tony to do this one sooner. Tony is a massive fan of the show and runs a company called Professionalmania Ltd. This latest release will be a limited edition of 1,000 models of the famous car, complete with the correct registration number (PNO 580R) and a replica GB sticker on the boot lid. He is taking pre-orders now, but a good quantity of the 1,000 is already spoken for, so get…

It’s well known that large institutions do not have a happy history when it comes to rolling out major IT projects. Soaring costs, poor specifications and unsuitable systems seem to plague them all, from the NHS to the Post Office. So, it makes a nice change when something goes right. A good example is the BBC news website. It seems like it’s been there since we first got the internet. From the get go, it has been fast, efficient, uncluttered and reliable. As would befit the flagship of one of the world’s premier news organisations. It’s easy to take things for granted when they just work. But have you ever wondered how they managed to get it right first time, when the internet was new and nobody knew where it…

Were you one of the lucky children who had an Austin Junior 40 pedal car back in the 1950s and 1960s? If so, you might still be enjoying the nostalgia of those wonderful little vehicles and perhaps are still the proud owner of one. Around 32,000 Austin Junior 40s were built between 1949 and 1971 and an unknown quantity of Pathfinder pedal cars were also manufactured. The Austin Junior 40 was based on the 1948 A40 Devon and Dorset; while the Austin Pathfinder Special was based on the O.H.V. Austin 7 Racer. As for the ‘J’, Sir Leonard Lord, Executive Chairman of The British Motor Corporation in Longbridge at the time, whose idea it was to build ‘junior’ versions of the full-sized car, regarded the ‘J’ to stand for ‘Joy’…

A boxed limited edition Corgi Heavy Haulage Atkinson Venturer 2 Axle Low Loader in Wynns Heavy Haulage livery # CC12506. The model appears mint with certificate and accessories in a very good box. Sold for £35, British Toy Auctions, February. A boxed limited edition Corgi Heavy Haulage set with Diamond T Ballast x2, 24 Wheel Girder Trailer with Boiler Load and Scammell Highwayman Ballast # 31009. The models appear mint with certificate and 2 x bags of accessories still sealed. The box is very good. Sold for £40, British Toy Auctions, February. A boxed limited edition Corgi Heavy Haulage set, Scammell Contractor x 2 with Girder Trailer, Bogies & Sheeted Load in Eddie Stobart livery # CC12305. The models appear untouched and are presumed mint with the certificate and accessories in a very…