Auction for toys not used in 1943 (December 2008)

“It is the best collection of lead vehicles and figures which I have seen in 25 years. Overall the condition is amazing with most items having clearly been cared for. Usually, early lead items such as these have had a harsh life being played with, buried in the sand pit and blown up in mock battles, but the vendor was clearly a methodical child who tidied everything away carefully after use so that the majority of items are still contained in their original boxes which is very rare to see today.” Commented Richard Bromell. “There are 100s of lead figures soldiers such as Grenadier, Life, Scots & other Guards, a circus, a farm, a garden, a zoo, cowboys and Indians. There are also military vehicles such as tanks, lorries and even a barrage balloon, in addition there are aeroplanes, naval ships, and trains. The list just goes on and on and the collection is worth thousands of pounds today.”

The models and figures were owned by two brothers, and when the Somerset vendor went away to boarding school in 1943, everything was meticulously packed up – even the soldiers were individually put away in newspaper. Twenty years later, the vendor moved to a new farm when he opened the collection and repacked it again. They then lay dormant again for another thirty eight years when he moved to his current farmhouse in 2000, when he unpacked and repacked the collection yet again. Sadly his younger brother, and co-owner of this collection, passed away earlier this year and the vendor decided at, nearly 80 years old, it was time for someone else to look after and enjoy the collection.

Charterhouse is now accepting entries for this two day December sale with the auction on Thursday 11th devoted to trains and railwayana and with collectors items, clocks and antiques on Friday 12th. This is then followed by their first sale of the New Year, with a major collection of Border Fine Arts being combined with their popular Beswick auction in January, closely followed by classic cars, motorbikes and automobilia at the prestigious Bristol Classic Car Show which attracts tens of thousands of enthusiasts. For further information regarding these sales or to arrange a free home visit, please contact Richard Bromell, Partner, at Charterhouse, The Long Street Salerooms, Sherborne, Dorset DT9 3BS 01935 812277.

Some of the lead figures and models, which have seen little daylight since 1943, are going under the Charterhouse hammer in their massive two day December auction in Sherborne, Dorset.