Innholdsfortegnelse for August 2025 i Collectors Gazette

Vectis continues to process what seems to be a never-ending flow of collectables. In its latest auction, highlights included a Charlie Bears Isabelle Collection Symphony Panda Bear, with cream, pale blue, mauve and blonde mohair: he raised £686; while a Charlie Bears Wookey stopped on £637. Exactly the same money bought the Corgi Toys 336 James Bond Toyota 2000 GT, taken from the film You Only Live Twice: mint, with all paperwork and the missiles still on their sprue, it was an excellent example. Space fared rather better, though, with a Palitoy Star Wars vintage Stormtrooper ESB 45A in a clear bubble on an unpunched (albeit creased) card back making £1,102. Heavy plant anyone? A YCC Models, 1/50 scale, LTM 1800 Mobile Crane "Liebherr" was virtually mint and was boxed:…

CONRAD AVANT 650 WHEEL LOADER Scale: 1/35 Price: €74 Ref: 2447/02 Updated Avant wheel loader, now decorated as the 650. Comes with both bucket and pallet forks, with articulating steering and a telescopic boom. www.conrad-modelle.de OXFORD DIECAST BOND BUG - WHITE Scale: 1/76 Price: £9.95 Ref: 76BUG002 Classed as a microcar this wedge-shaped three wheeler, with its characteristic frog-eye headlights, only lasted in production until 1974 - simply delightful! www.oxforddiecast.co.uk CLASSIC CARLECTABLES FORD XA FALCON GT RPO83 (SUMMER GOLD) Scale: 1/18 Price: AU$279 Ref: 18822 With a raft of opening features and intense attention to detail presented, this model justifies the price point and your decision to include it in your collection.  www.classiccarlectables.com.au LEGO ICONS SHELBY COBRA 427 S/C Price: £139.99 Ref: 10357 Scale: 10357 Shift your creativity up a gear…

A head of the global release of Apple Original Films' F1 The Movie, Hot Wheels® has announced a limited edition diecast car inspired by the fictional Apex Grand Prix (APXGP) team, driven by the film’s character Sonny Hayes, played by Brad Pitt. The 1/64 scale model channels the high-octane energy and cutting-edge design of the APXGP team’s Formula 1 car, bringing movie magic and motorsport realism together in true Hot Wheels fashion. Following last year’s multi-year licensing partnership announcement with Formula 1 and two subsequent sold-out collaborative product pre-order launches, this release provides automotive enthusiasts, racing fans, pop culture devotees and movie lovers a way to take a little piece of F1 The Movie home with them. True to the race car driven by the character Sonny Hayes in the…

Fifty years ago an event took place in Shildon which has become legendary. The Rail 150 Grand Steam Cavalcade, held on 31st August 1975, was a landmark celebration of the 150th anniversary of Britain’s pioneering Stockton & Darlington Railway which opened in 1825. Around 35 locomotives, representing steam’s golden era, were gathered. Steam had ceased on British Rail only seven years earlier in 1968, and notably, many of the engines travelled to Shildon under their own power. No low loaders by road. No diesel backup. The newly built replica of Locomotion No.1 led the cavalcade. An estimated 250,000 visitors attended over the week, drawn to the spectacle of so many steam giants in one place. Seated platforms were erected, though some visitors wisely chose trackside vantage points to avoid glare…

In this final episode we again meet a great variety of figures, most of them animals. Hopping kangaroos, performing poodles, charging bulls, hairy Saint Bernards and a rock band on the roof… NO.302 HILLMAN HUNTER “LONDON TO SYDNEY MARATHON WINNER” • July 1969, 151,000 + 1969 sales This rally marathon was an idea of Sir Max Aitken, at the time owner of the Daily Express and his editorial executives Jocelyn Stevens and Tommy Sopwith. They were looking for an opportunity to boost English morale that had been hit by the devaluation of the Pound. Former racing driver Jack Sears and his team plotted a 7000-mile course that passed through 11 countries in 11 days from London to Sydney, including a passage by boat from Bombay to Fremantle. The Marathon started…

Meet the Coventry Model Railway Club, who this year celebrate their 70th anniversary. While a significant milestone, the club evolved from the Coventry Model Engineering Club founded before World War II. In the early 1950s, emerging from the model engineers were a small group of model railway enthusiasts who wanted to form their own club. Needing a place for their layout, they rented a hay loft above a stable. Access was up a vertical ladder which came out under the layout! Early pioneers of this club included a man named Ron Ellis, who it seemed, worked tirelessly, doing anything and everything for the club. After a time, another benefactor came along. This was Mr Roland Bennett, Managing Director of local machine tool firm, Webster and Bennett. He became the club’s…

Who doesn’t remember ‘comic day’ at school as a child? I was lucky enoughtobeinalovely second-hand book shop recently and perched up on a chair in the corner was a pile of old comics. They had all nicely mellowed and yellowed just like the ones the teaching assistant would bring out on a rainy day at school when it was too wet for us in infants to venture out into the playground. Comic day in our household was Thursday. This was because my father worked Saturdays, so he had two half days off during the week, Tuesday and Thursday respectively. If I remember rightly my comic journey started off with a TV-based comic featuring the Herbs and Andy Pandy. Then I moved on to the Dandy, then Whizzer ‘n’ Chips. Now…

Something for everyone was the theme at the last John Goodwin toy and collectables sale. Tinplate signs were much in evidence, with a Bovril example achieving £250 and a Butler Purple Paraffin example (great moniker!) selling for £150. Just £65, though, bought a vertical green, red and white Lipton’s Tea enamel sign. Odd tinplate included the battery-operated Space Patrol Tank (T-5), foreign made (presumably Hong Kong), to which was attached a small jet plane on a long wire. This boxed example made £20. A surprising lot was the pair of Action Man empty boxes: one would have contained the Adventurer (with realistic hair and beard!), while the other used to hold an Action Soldier example. In good condition, they raised £140. On the diecast side, a Corgi RAF Land Rover…

British Toy Auctions’ last sale included some very useful dolls’ house furniture. The collection boasted a vegetable stall and many other pieces besides, with a bakery and cake theme. Glass effect fronted shop display pieces helped, and there were dressers, as well as a wicker basket with French bread sticks and cakes. Quite a desirable (and comprehensive) selection, the lot achieved £120. The Monster High (Mattel) lot comprised five Monster High Heath Burns & Abbey Bominable lab partner sets. Unopened and near mint with minor storage wear, this odd selection also raised £120. There was also a Lego Technic collection that embraced set 8064, System 6551 and some other empty boxes. The Castle (6080) box was empty but came with a box of loose Lego parts adjudged fair to good…

Many years ago, I donated my childhood box of model vehicles to a friend’s seven-year old twin boys. It was a lucky dip of diecast brand names including Corgi, Dinky, Lesney, Matchbox and Meccano, as well as upstart rivals such as Hot Wheels and Lone Star. The boys are now at university and the box happily returned. To my surprise all the toy cars ranging from a 1970s Rolls-Royce, multiple-coloured Citroens, a canary yellow Lotus Europa and various British and Italian sports cars, were lovingly wrapped in tissue paper after having been carefully played with by the twins. As a 10-year-old obsessed with the world of toy vehicles, part of the fun collecting toy cars was imagining what kind of vehicle would be cool to drive as an adult. For…

If you ask a child of the ‘80s to recall the toys they remember best, they’ll probably describe plastic figures, luminously coloured and superhumanly physiqued, insanely hyped up by their own cartoon series and overambitious TV adverts. They’ll recall saving months of pocket money and minutely scrutinising the Argos catalogue in hopeful anticipation of bumper birthday and Christmas hauls. And although those ‘80s toys were, occasionally, disappointing (blame those TV ads for getting unrealistic hopes up), it was a time of incredible advancement and innovation in the industry: Transformers, Polly Pocket, the Speak & Spell and many more broke new ground and acquired legions of fans in the process. As long as your parents could afford them, that is; fantastic toys often boasted equally fantastic price tags. But it wasn’t…

Hi folks! The past few weeks have been a busy time for buying and I’ve managed to add some nice bits and pieces to my ever-expanding collections. “Once a collector, always a collector” as they say and although we so often think to ourselves “that’s enough now, I don’t need to expand the collections any further”, especially at my time of life, along comes another buying opportunity simply too good to miss. One such recent buying opportunity was a lovely primrose yellow Matchbox Vauxhall Victor (No.45a). The best thing about it was the ticket price of £60 which had to be a bargain considering the condition it was in. It was as clean as a whistle with a lovely crisp box too - just the way I like them. The…

Morphy’s last sale raised over US$2.6m-but it was an exceptional showcase of some very highly regarded tinplate, notably from German company Marklin. Highlight was the Ferris Wheel dating from 1904, one of three or four known to exist. In exquisite shape, with all its gondolas intact, it sold for US$156,000. A circa 1902-1904 Marklin clockwork paddle wheel boat named “Boston”, was in excellent condition aside from a replaced mast, incorrect flag and a few burn spots to the hull: this achieved US$79,950. A sizeable 29 inch Marklin clockwork ocean liner, the “Amerika”, was a first-series production example that came with its original stand, mast and lifeboats. Complete with original wooden box, it made US$60,000. One of several references to be found in David Pressland’s specialist book was the 1909 Marklin…

After over four decades at Wallis & Wallis, Glenn Butler has presided over his final Toys and Models sale, marking the end of an era for the auction house. The business, which has been in the Butler family since 1971, has been a cornerstone of the Lewes community and a trusted name for collectors across the UK. This farewell sale follows months of careful planning to ensure continuity and uphold the high standards that customers have come to expect. Glenn’s dedication to detail and service has been central to the success of Wallis & Wallis, handling countless treasured collections with professionalism and care. While the future direction of the business is yet to be announced, supporters are encouraged to stay updated via the company’s newsletter and Facebook page. Glenn shared…

Were you around in this year? If so, then you’ll recall that there was an important US Presidential election - as well as a tragedy in Armenia, where tens of thousands of people died because of a severe earthquake. In the UK, in June, gay rights activists invaded the BBC television studios during the six o’ clock BBC News bulletin. On the global scene, the USSR, the United States, Pakistan and Afghanistan signed the Afghanistan Treaty, effectively ending an ongoing conflict; and the US also introduced a smoking ban on domestic flights of two hours or less. This followed on from a report by the US Surgeon General, C Everett Koop, who declared that nicotine was addictive in ways similar to both heroin and cocaine. There were also stirrings of…

We’ve reviewed them… now you can buy them directly from us! Simply complete and return the form below… Aviation 72 1/72 Westland Gazelle XX450 Royal Marines Ref: AV7224014 Our Price: £45.00 Britains 1/32 Ford TW35 with dual rear wheels Ref: BF43394 Our Price: £37.00 Solido 1/18 Autobianchi A112 Mk.5 Abarth Green 1980 Ref: SOL1803806 Our Price: £55.00 Corgi Thunderbirds F.A.B. Collection - Thunderbird 2 & 4 Ref: CC00804 Our Price: £39.99 Aviation 72 1/72 Westland Gazelle HT.3 XZ936 Empire Test Pilots School Ref: AV7224017 Our Price: £45.00 Aviation 72 1/72 Saab J35J Draken Splinter Scheme Ref: AV7241008 Our Price: £65.00 ALL MODELS COME WITH FREE POSTAGE AND PACKAGING!…

My love affair with Airfix began in the late 1950s cutting my teeth on a few bi-plane kits purchased with my hard earned paper round money from the local newsagents shop. They hung from a revolving display stand in clear polythene bags topped with eye-catching header cards. It was the stylish line drawings of the planes by artist Charles Oates thatt really caught the eye of kids in those days. Once opened out at home the header cards revealed the full assembly instructions and the pungent smell of the clear plastic glue was not always appreciated by parents. Great care had to be taken with it as just a small blob would instantly strip the varnish off the dining table! The glue also went stringy if you didn’t fit the…

By the time the Morris 1100 was manufactured and consequently released as a toy, most model cars had a reasonable degree of sophistication. For example, all those featured were produced with windows and interiors, and some also had opening features. The Morris 1100, which was released in August 1962, was the much anticipated follow-up to the Mini. It was clearly aimed at the mid-range market, in order to compete with popular and established cars, such as those produced by Volkswagen. It was advertised as a ruggedly built machine, with a price tag below £700. It was fitted with the BMC A-series four-cylinder engine, enlarged to 1098 cc, and was mounted transversely, driving the front wheels through a four-speed gearbox. Eventually, this mid-range car would provide the initiative and drive, and…

French Dinky Toys 32AB Panhard Articulated Truck and Trailer “SNCF”, blue including metal tilt and convex hubs, silver trim and metal tow hook. Condition is generally excellent in good plus box. Sold for £90, Vectis Auctions, June. Dinky Toys Military 642 “RAF” Pressure Refueller, greyish-blue body and supertoy hubs, tow hook. Condition is good to good plus in good plus to excellent box. Sold for £70, Vectis Auctions, June. Dinky Toys Military 660 Mighty Antar Tank Transporter, green including supertoy hubs with figure driver. Condition is generally excellent (tyres need cleaning) in good to good plus later issue box. Sold for £50, Vectis Auctions, June. Dinky Toys 49 Petrol Pumps & Oil Bin Set, pumps finished green, blue, red, brown and yellow bin. Condition is fair to good plus in good to good…