Records fall as steam rises!

With a total sale value of £58,000 (including buyers premium) and with 98% of lots sold, the Collectable Toy and Live Steam Auction at Sheffield Auction Gallery on 27 October was considered a success by auctioneer John Morgan.

Leading the way, and setting a new house record for a model train, was an excellent 5-inch Gauge live steam 2-6-0 Class 2 tender locomotive, in the unusual but correct, British Rail green livery and running number 78004.

Built to the very highest standard from original scaled down British Rail plans it sold for £11,130 (including buyers premium). Talking about this particular item Mr Morgan said: "...quality always sells and finds it's own premium - and this locomotive certainly had an air of quality".
Along similar lines but in need of complete restoration was a 2.5-inch gauge live steam 4-6-2 Princess Elizabeth by Basset Lowke which sold for £2,540 (including buyers premium).  

At the other end of the spectrum, auction houses are always looking for the next trend and one which came to the fore in this sale were some Action Man Action Force items from the 1980s. Three lots of boxed vehicles and loose figures (with a pre-sale estimate of under £100)sold for an impressive £810. These particular figures were brought out in part as a response to the success of Star Wars action figures. Whatever did happen to those?
Sheffield Auction Gallery’s next Specialist Collectable Toys & Live Steam Auction is on 16 December and entries are invited. Further details can be found at www.sheffieldauctiongallery.com