Rare Corgi No 1110 Bedford Type S Tanker Shell Benzeen Tolueen hits Vectis

Vectis hosted several sales in January. That of the 16th threw up some great lots (and great prices…)

Arguably the star lot was Corgi’s No 1110 Bedford Type S Tanker Shell Benzeen Tolueen Xyleen in blue, white and silver, and running on chrome spun hubs. Near mint, this rare promotional issue came with a correct issue presentation box and with a colour folded leaflet. Someone wanted it enough to bid £3,240.

On the Dinky front, a 38d Alvis Open Tourer in grey with brown interior and tonneau was estimated at £70-90 but roared off to realise £900: not a bad start for an early model.  Another Dinky, a 505 Foden (first type) Flat Truck with chains, finished in green with mid-green side flashes and ridged hubs with black treaded tyres and carrying a tow hook, was generally excellent, and came with a good box. Expected to make £300-380, the estimate discounted the heavy haulage enthusiasts on the day, who carried this off to an amazing £1,920.

On to French Dinky, and the 882 Pinder Circus Gift Set: this comprised a Peugeot 404 in red and yellow and came with a caravan in yellow and red, with an off-white roof. Near mint and carrying an upper guideline of £540, this duo appealed to the Big Top collectors present, who pushed the pairing to £1,320.

Corgi did very well at the sale: a 216 Austin A40 Saloon in red with a black roof and flat spun hubs was a non-motorised example that was almost mint. Boxed with a leaflet, this realised £720.

Apart from that, a No228 Volvo P1800 in light salmon pink with lemon interior was another desirable and hard to find model: this was bid all the way to £696, whilst No258, the The Saint’s Volvo P1800 in white (with a red interior) was complete with a figure driver.  Mint, aside from a couple of very minor factory marks, this scarce issue came in an equally mint carded picture box with a collector’s club folded leaflet. Estimated at up to £500, it actually went for over double, finally settling on £1,200. Whether it raised an eyebrow is unrecorded… Yet another car, a Whizzwheels variant, this with a yellow interior and bearing a 258 bonnet decal, was equally attractive - and the hammer finally closed on £720 for that example.

A sea green Jaguar Mark X, with its complement of luggage cases, was another notable entry. Virtually mint and a rare colour, this was boxed and realised way over estimate at £960.

More familiar was the 422 Bedford "Corgi Toys" Delivery Van in yellow and blue and which came with the bonus of a rare club member’s folded leaflet. This certainly delivered the goods, fetching almost five times its estimate of £260.

Finally, let’s not forget the television tie-ins: a No267 Batmobile was a rare issue finished in matt black and fitted with red bat hubs, blue tinted windscreens and with the dynamic duo within. It was all there, and in a great display box - and it screeched off to Gotham City for a cool £1,320.