07 January 2014
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Rovex Roller Princess trains sell for thousands at Special Auction Services
Watch our exclusive video of the sale to see the Roller Princesses being sold. ...
Rovex Roller Princess trains sell for thousands at Special Auction Services Images
The eagerly awaited Trains Galore sale at Special Auction Services certainly didn’t fail to disappoint, with almost every section selling well and a total hammer price of more than £240,000. The two-day auction was the largest mixed gauge toy and model train sale in the UK last year.
The highlight from the first day was, of course, the two incredibly rare Rovex ‘Roller’ Princesses from the family of Rovex’s founder Alexander Vanetzian, dating from 1950. Each of the Princesses sold for £1,600. Meanwhile, a copy of Mr Vanetzian’s copy of the accounts for Rovex Plastics Ltd 31st May 1950 to 1951 realised £160 and correspondence between Rovex, Mettoy and Marks and Spencer between 1947 to 1955 made £130 – two great pieces of model rail history.
Speaking about the Princesses, Special Auction Services’ toy and train specialist Bob Leggett told the Gazette: “Both went to people who are passionate about trains, one a Tri-ang/Rovex collector and the other was interested in the historical value of the Princess - it is, after all, the first mass produced plastic injection moulding train and is the predecessor of the Hornby Railways of today.” You can see a video of the Roller Princess models being sold below.
Day two started with Hornby O Gauge where prices for regular items were stable rather than booming, however mint and unusual items sold very well. A Canadian Pacific M Series Streamlined set sold for £900 and Julien Loffet’s collection of Dinky Toys Modelled Miniatures Train Sets and Farmyard Sets sold extremely well with a No 2 Farmyard set achieving £300.
However, the star of the sale was a very rusty but rare Schoenner 4-4-0 SE&CR Locomotive and Tender that, after fierce bidding between the room and a telephone bidder, eventually sold for £8,000. Another rare item was a Gauge 1 Marklin Station from 1910 that sold for £3,600 and the last lot of the day was a 7.5-inch live steam GWR 5800 Class 0-4-2 Tank Locomotive that realised £4,600.
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The highlight from the first day was, of course, the two incredibly rare Rovex ‘Roller’ Princesses from the family of Rovex’s founder Alexander Vanetzian, dating from 1950. Each of the Princesses sold for £1,600. Meanwhile, a copy of Mr Vanetzian’s copy of the accounts for Rovex Plastics Ltd 31st May 1950 to 1951 realised £160 and correspondence between Rovex, Mettoy and Marks and Spencer between 1947 to 1955 made £130 – two great pieces of model rail history.
Speaking about the Princesses, Special Auction Services’ toy and train specialist Bob Leggett told the Gazette: “Both went to people who are passionate about trains, one a Tri-ang/Rovex collector and the other was interested in the historical value of the Princess - it is, after all, the first mass produced plastic injection moulding train and is the predecessor of the Hornby Railways of today.” You can see a video of the Roller Princess models being sold below.
Day two started with Hornby O Gauge where prices for regular items were stable rather than booming, however mint and unusual items sold very well. A Canadian Pacific M Series Streamlined set sold for £900 and Julien Loffet’s collection of Dinky Toys Modelled Miniatures Train Sets and Farmyard Sets sold extremely well with a No 2 Farmyard set achieving £300.
However, the star of the sale was a very rusty but rare Schoenner 4-4-0 SE&CR Locomotive and Tender that, after fierce bidding between the room and a telephone bidder, eventually sold for £8,000. Another rare item was a Gauge 1 Marklin Station from 1910 that sold for £3,600 and the last lot of the day was a 7.5-inch live steam GWR 5800 Class 0-4-2 Tank Locomotive that realised £4,600.
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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