Meccano No. 7 Set on offer at Cottees Auctioneers

Cottees Toy & Model Railway sale on 15th June promises to be a treat for Meccano collectors, thanks to a fantastic 1924/25 Meccano No. 7 Set in its original oak chest. This was Meccano’s largest set until 1936/37 and according to John Burch from Cottees, it’s “a rare beast on the auction scene”.

The set is missing a few items, most significantly the original contents of the two and four small red electrical outfit boxes that were included in the set, together with a number of special instruction leaflets. However, largely the set is complete with some additional items and the box is in excellent condition. The box still has its original keys to the top lid and two lower drawers, plus the gold ‘Meccano No. 7’ letter on the outer and inner sides of the top lid are complete.

Alongside this super Meccano example, the sale includes more than 20 Meccano-related lots. Some of the other highlights include an excellent 1933 M280 Lighting Set, a Electrikit Set and many of the contents of a 1938 No. 8 Set, along with a variety of Meccano electric and clockwork motors, plus instruction books. John describes it as “a veritable feast for Meccano collectors”.

If all that doesn’t get your collecting juices going, the auction also has a very interesting collection of pre-war German tinplate, such as a Tipp & Co 915/1 lithographed wireless car, two Kellermann motorcycles with rider and passenger and a rare no. 370 Tourist motorcycle and sidecar. These are all unboxed but are in “exceptional condition” for pre-war tinplate. Finally for diecast collectors, there’s a selection of boxed Dinky models and a large collection of mainly Corgi traction engine and circus models.

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