WEB EXCLUSIVE: Extra pictures from Reading Vintage

This is an excerpt of the Reading Vintage swapmeet first published in Collectors Gazette's April issue. To see which issues of Collectors Gazette are available to buy, click here.

Reading last year was, as usual, well-attended, and the Cliff Maddock/ John Wilcocks combination seemed to work well. However, Tony Oakes is set to take over the twice-a-year event and has promised that he won’t be tinkering with its successful format.

On the Sunday in question, Ken Holmes had one of the best toys that I’d seen in a long while: a Marx tinplate warship that came complete with plane and helicopters that could be launched and even its original, albeit tatty, box. Quite a striking toy, it was in great condition and was marked up at £125 or thereabouts.

Near the entrance was a really unusual item on Cliff’s stall: a pottery condiments dish, sectioned off and bearing the legend GNR Refreshment Department. A blast from the past without doubt, Cliff reckoned it was pre-1908, and although, sadly, damaged a little, it was probably worth haggling over around £30 if you were a collector of Great Northern Railway memorabilia. Nearby was another real railway icon for sale: the East Dulwich totem was resplendent in apple green and only had a small amount of damage around its location points. Its seller was hoping for just under £300.

Talking of racing, when did you last see an Airfix Motor Racing car kit with its engine and other accessories, all ready for assembly? There can’t be many of these left today, but on one stand I spotted two: a Sunbeam Rapier and a Lotus Cortina. Incredible to think that in those days you got the bagged kit and then glued it all together and added the mechanicals to go slot racing. The seller had priced each at £100.

Organiser: Tony Oakes
Next event: 23rd October