Rare Dinky Toys collection sells for £30,000 at Halls (October 2008)

A collection of rare Dinky Toys vehicles discovered by a Shrewsbury fine art auction house sold for £30,000 recently after attracting international interest from collectors and dealers.

The collection, sold in 160 lots, contributed to Halls’ record £64,000 auction of toys and collectables at a packed Welsh Bridge saleroom in Shrewsbury. Stewart Orr, Halls’ toys expert, described the collection as the best he had ever seen due to the perfect condition of all the models, which were collected by a Cheshire man some 20 years ago.

‘The collector stopped collecting Dinky Toys simply because they became too expensive, but he bought models that were in perfect condition,’ explained Mr Orr. ‘Many of the models when new were sold without boxes and so it is rare to find them in such immaculate condition. It was an exceptional collection because the survival rate of these Dinky Toys, which were not boxed pre-war, is very low. Although the value of all old toys continues to hold up well in the difficult economic climate, those in exceptional condition fetch exceptional prices.’

Some of the top Dinky Toys prices in the collection were £2,400 for a pre-war delivery van in orange advertising ‘Ensign Lucas Films’ and ‘Ensign Camera’ and £1,600 for a ‘Corn Products’ Leyland Octopus tanker, one of only 500 models made to promote ‘Sweeteners for Industry’ in 1964.

Another rare model from a limited edition of 500 was a mini van for Joseph Mason Paints who supplied Dinky Toys with paint. The model, which came complete with its original box and leaflet, sold for £520. A boxed Dinky Super Toys Guy Van in the livery of ‘Lyons Swiss Rolls’ sold for £950 and a pre-war Dinky Toy ‘Oxo’ van made £640.