20 21st January 2012 toy reports


MINI IN MINIATURE The range of British die-casts is so massive that enthusiasts tend to narrow the field and collect either by factory, period, vehicle type, category – or a combination of these. Nostalgia has a big part to play. The Toys for the Collector sale at


Special Auction Services on October 6-7 included a collection of Minis. There were rarities from a number of different factories. Distinctive for its psychedelic decals,


the Morris Minor Mostest is among the most desirable Corgi issues from the late 1960s. Introduced on the market without management approval, it was removed from the shelves, but not before more than 400 had sold. The example here, minus its box but graded G-VG, took £600. An even better example in a near-


mint ‘Pop Art’ box retaining a folded collectors’ leaflet emerged at Vectis two months later. On December 7 it sold for a mighty £2500. Also pictured here is a Spot-on No.211


Austin Seven in turquoise with red interior that sold in its original box for a surprise £550 (estimate £60-80). This


popular model was made in a number of different colours but boxed examples are scarce: an empty box on its own took £280 at Vectis on October 19. There were more good die-casts


offered by Astons of Dudley on December 10. The most highly prized of these were a group of Corgi gift sets. The version of Corgi Major Toys Gift Set 1, the Carrimore Car Transporter, had two incorrect vehicles (a 305 Triumph TR3 in metallic green and a 302 MGA sports in red), but all were in their original boxes with old-style Corgi logos and the gift box itself was graded VG. It took £750.


TAKING THE BISCUIT Two particularly desirable British biscuit tins were included at Bertoia’s November 11-12 sale in Vineland, New Jersey – and both made multiple-estimate sums. Tins formed as vehicles are top of the collecting tree. A William Crawford & Sons tin formed


Above: Corgi Mini Mostest, £600 at SAS. The 1970s successor to this popular


model was Corgi Toys Gift Set 48, a car transporter with six cars: a Morris Mini Minor, a BMC Mini-Cooper S, a Morris Mini Cooper, a MGC GT, a Sunbeam Imp and the Saint’s Volvo P1800. The box was not the very best but its ‘Mr Retailer please move for display’ card was still intact, enough to see it bring £950. With condition issues to the outer


box (one end flap was detatched but surviving), a good example of the 1965 Rallye Monte-Carlo gift set (number 38 including a BMC Mini-Cooper, Rover 2000 and Citroen DS19) brought £650.


as a rudimentary fire appliance – one of the items featured on the catalogue cover – benefited from crossover bidding from firefighting fans and commanded $6000 (£4500) against hopes of $1000-$1200. Measuring 12in (30cm), this open cab tinplate ladder truck was lithographed in red with yellow and black accents and marked Fire Brigade to each side. Apart from some scrapes and minor corrosion spots, it was in excellent condition. In its normally encountered form, the


Huntley & Palmers perambulator tin is not so difficult to find, but the example here was a more elaborate version and lithographed with a baby and golliwog to the lid. Another favourite (it is only one of


only a small handful known and in near pristine condition) it took $5500 (£3670) against an estimate of $700-$900.


Left: Spot-on No. 211 Austin Seven, £550.


Right: Corgi Major Toys Gift Set 1, £750 at Astons.


Right: another European toy that found favour with bidders at Noel Barrett was this French horse- drawn tin omnibus floor toy emblazoned with “Compagnie Generale Des Omnibus” and a point of departure and


destination sign reading “Gare d l’Est – Montrouge”. Very nicely detailed and carrying 12 painted composition passenger figures, it breezed past its $2500-4500 estimate to settle at $10,000 ($7500).


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attacks a gaily coloured windmill with his lance. This forms an amusing game by counting the number of times, or the different coloured fans of the mill he strikes, each player having chosen his colour beforehand.” Interestingly, this is one of the few toys


that celebrate Cervantes’ famed fictional creation, while the mounted figure of Don Quixote, hollow-cast in lead and


around 2in (5cm) across, can lay a claim to being the earliest ever hollow-cast toy soldier. This one, again in very good condition


(some paint loss to figure and mill blades, box lid missing one apron), outpaced its estimate of $2000-3000 to bring $7500 (£5000). Arnold Rolak, whose boxed Don


Quixote had sold for £4500 over a decade ago, owned 15 of Britains’ 1880 toys (the largest group ever to appear


at auction), but they did not include the Drinking Highlander automaton. A clockwork mechanism causes the figure to pour a dram from a bottle with one hand and drink it with the other. Dressed in tartan with a black velvet jacket, he stands 17in (42cm) high on a wooden base with simulated rocky terrain and shares much the same construction as other Britain’s toys of this date. Considered an excellent example, it too sold at $7500 (£5000).


Above: a bird’s eye view of the Huntley & Palmers pram biscuit tin, $5500 (£3670) at Bertoia.


BUYER’S PREMIUMS


Aston’s, Dudley, 12.5% Bonhams, Knightsbridge, 20% Bertoia, Vineland, New Jersey, 15% Morphy, Denver, Pennsylvania, 15% Noel Barrett, New Hope, Pennsylvania, 15% Special Auction Services, Newbury, 15% Vectis, Thornaby, 17.5% Wallis & Wallis, Lewes, 15%


NB: premiums may not apply or have been set at different levels where prices from sales of previous years are quoted. Exchange rates are those in effect on the day of sale.


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