12 December 2013
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Nell Hilditch, saleroom manager and auctioneer, with the CIJ tinplate car.
97% of items sold as the Dudley-based auctioneer breaks its own record for international sellers. ...
Arne toy Museum sale breaks records at Aston's Images
Cast your mind back and you may remember we’ve been closely following the progress of the Arne Toy Museum sale at Aston’s Toy Auctions. Earlier in the year we were lucky enough to visit the Dorset attraction for one last time before it closed its doors forever and staff from Aston’s stripped the entire contents from the interior (even the shelving units!). We were also treated to a behind-the-scenes look at all the hard work that goes into sorting an auction of this size.
The museum was an Aladdin’s Cave of collectables with treats from Hornby, Lehmann, Britains, Corgi and lots more. There were hundreds of items to catalogue for the Aston’s staff and it was one of the biggest ventures the Dudley saleroom has undertaken.
After the auction, Chris Aston told us: “It was the most enjoyable auction day I’ve had since we started the business – and what a great start to our tenth year of auctions! We, and the vendor, were really pleased with the attendance in the room as well as the hundreds of people bidding online. I think we broke our own record for number of international bidders.
“It was a lot of hard work but definitely worth it and we’d be happy dealing similar size collections or larger in the future if the opportunity arises.”
So, what were some of the highest grossing items? Well, ahead of the auction there was a great deal of buzz about a CIJ (France) Alfa Romeo P2 Racing from the 1920s. One of the first 1,000 to be produced, this large scale pressed steel racing car in red, with racing number ‘2’ to the front grille, sides and rear, along with a clover leaf motif too. Already estimated at a wallet-shocking £5,000, the bidders weren’t deterred, pushing the hammer price to £5,200.
Meanwhile, an attractive Lehmann No. 185 Coco Climbing Toy certainly climbed up the table of results. The tinplate mechanical toy consisted of a tinplate coconut tree with brown base and leaves to top. A coconut could be hung on a moveable red hook beneath the palm crown to allow a character called Coco to climb up the tree and once the coconut was on his head, he would climb back down. Estimated at £400 to £600, Coco kept climbing to £1,150.
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The museum was an Aladdin’s Cave of collectables with treats from Hornby, Lehmann, Britains, Corgi and lots more. There were hundreds of items to catalogue for the Aston’s staff and it was one of the biggest ventures the Dudley saleroom has undertaken.
After the auction, Chris Aston told us: “It was the most enjoyable auction day I’ve had since we started the business – and what a great start to our tenth year of auctions! We, and the vendor, were really pleased with the attendance in the room as well as the hundreds of people bidding online. I think we broke our own record for number of international bidders.
“It was a lot of hard work but definitely worth it and we’d be happy dealing similar size collections or larger in the future if the opportunity arises.”
So, what were some of the highest grossing items? Well, ahead of the auction there was a great deal of buzz about a CIJ (France) Alfa Romeo P2 Racing from the 1920s. One of the first 1,000 to be produced, this large scale pressed steel racing car in red, with racing number ‘2’ to the front grille, sides and rear, along with a clover leaf motif too. Already estimated at a wallet-shocking £5,000, the bidders weren’t deterred, pushing the hammer price to £5,200.
Meanwhile, an attractive Lehmann No. 185 Coco Climbing Toy certainly climbed up the table of results. The tinplate mechanical toy consisted of a tinplate coconut tree with brown base and leaves to top. A coconut could be hung on a moveable red hook beneath the palm crown to allow a character called Coco to climb up the tree and once the coconut was on his head, he would climb back down. Estimated at £400 to £600, Coco kept climbing to £1,150.
Remember, to get the latest collecting news delivered direct to your inbox every two weeks, sign up for our e-newsletter.
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