News story of the month: Tins take the biscuit! (17-June-11)

Some novelty tins in the form of road vehicles fetched high prices at the collectors’ sale held by Bamfords of Derby on Saturday 16th April.

The top price achieved was £4,600 for a Crawford’s Biscuits red liveried Sports Coupé with headlights, dry battery and switch, complete with original cardboard packaging (pictured top right).

A 1930s Victory V confectionary tin (pictured below) in the form of a green and black liveried vehicle with a Victory inscribed radiator grille and registration plate, VCL A1, sold for £3,000, while a Chad Valley tinplate biscuit tin, WWI Army Red Cross Ambulance in grey and yellow livery, made £2,100.

A collection of three novelty tins in the form of a gypsy caravan, a travelling circus cage and a steam roller sold for £800. Other items of note in the sale included a good 19th century wooden Noah’s Ark with animals, produced in Germany which sold for £1,100, and a French Roullet & Decamps papier-mâché automaton Boston Terrier dog which went for £850.

This auction story was first published in the July issue of Collectors Gazette. To see which issues of Collectors Gazette are available to buy online, click here.