Britains Army Lorry realises £6,200 at auction

After making headlines earlier in the year with a mint Britains plane that had survived the Blitz, Vectis is at it again with another stunning Britains model. This time it was a previously unknown version of set 1334 Army Lorry (Camouflaged).  The model was originally acquired by a munitions supervisor contracted to work at the Britains factory during the 1941/45 period, when it stopped making toys and started making items to help the war effort.

This particular example was made in 1941 and was the first version Standard Issue Army Four-wheeled Tipping Lorry with Square Nose and All Metal Wheels/Tyres, plus driver in peaked cap. However, what made this lorry unique was a randomly applied sprayed camouflage pattern in dark earth/dark green – as used on the camouflaged monoplanes. The driver was finished in a matching dark earth coloured uniform.

It all came in an illustrated yellow label box with printed ‘Army Lorry No. 1334 Camouflaged’ and ‘Camouflaged Army Lorry with Driver’ and feint ‘Sample’ stamp to one end. This previously unknown version of the lorry was estimated at £3,000-6,000 but ended up realising a very impressive £6,200. For comparison the same sale also included another 1334 Army Lorry from 1934 (seen below) but this version was finished in khaki green, rather than the unique camouflage. It only realised £100.

Many of Britains’ models produced around the 1939 to 1941 period are often highly sought after by collectors. This is due to the fact that in the run up to World War II, Britains knew it would be drafted in to create munitions so just started producing as many models as possible in a short space of time. As such, some were only produced for a matter of months or were re-sprays of existing models and never made it into Britains catalogues at the time.

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