Transports of delight

According to the auction house’s Rupert Chambers, eager bidders were waiting for the doors to open at the June sale, having travelled from many parts of the UK. John Goodwin’s recent specialist auction sale of 550 lots of memorabilia, general toys, model railway and diecast toys was certainly popular... Moreover, the auctioneers were inundated with commission bidders both from home and overseas, with interest even from as far away as Australia.

A rare Austin Motors dealership plaque opened the sale, with local motoring enthusiasts accelerating the bidding to a hammer price of £400. This was a rare find from a local garage. Motoring ephemera sold well generally, and three cycle lamps, including a Powell & Chanmer lamp, made a total of £130.

The sale included a large model railway collection from The Wirral, with several lots being good examples of the last models made by Hornby Dublo. Many had original dealer stamps from Binns Road and Hatton’s, adding provenance to these items. A star lot was a scarce boxed Electric Locomotive E3002, which attracted telephone bidding and several commission bidders. All lost out, however, to a private collector in the room who was eager to secure this rare model.

Several lots of boxed Hornby Dublo wagons, including Traffic Services, Chlorine and Gunpowder wagons in near pristine boxed condition, sold in collectors’ lots, made £280 and £300.

The auctioneers have reported an increase in the second-hand model market recently because of the rising prices in the new model market; despite new technology, with its digital operation, the “old school” model market is still attracting serious interest.

Unusual was a collection of Aurora unmade plastic model kits, dating from the 1960s and placed in a specific lot: these made a commendable £280. There were several other lots of Revell, Airfix, Frog LS and model craft kits, which attracted competitive bidding, whilst some early Lego accessories made £100.

For sci-fi fans, a single boxed Dalek from the original BBC series (circa 1964) sold for £70, whilst a number of Mercator diecast ships sailed away, with the France and Normandie examples making £50.

Tinplate, though, is still very sought after - especially in good collectable condition: a DGRM Penguin and Royal series doll on a bicycle made a creditable £200.
The auctioneers were very pleased to offer a consignment of boxed Corgi and Dinky toys in the sale. Early Corgi boxed models commanded eager bidding, with the Musical Ice Cream van (No.474) making £170; James Bond’s Aston Martin (No.261) reaching £170 and No.242, Parsley’s Car, in almost mint (pun intended) condition fetching £160. Dinky Supertoys are also still selling well, with a blue boxed No.504 Foden Tanker realising £120, and a very nearly mint boxed No.981 BR Horsebox making £180.

The auctioneers are now accepting further lots for their next specialist transport and toy sale in October.