MARKLIN TINPLATE WARSHIP HMS ‘TERRIBLE’ SELLS FOR RECORD MONEY

SMN report:

An ultra-rare steam-propelled tinplate cruiser became the most expensive single toy ever sold at a UK auction on Friday, April 20, when it shot past the estimate of £40-60,000 GBP to fetch a record £76,000 GBP ($122,500 USD). 

Collection on the block

The ship was a model of HMS Terrible, part of a lifetime collection of toys and trains belonging to the late Ron McCrindell, who died in August 2011, aged 91. Auctioneer Hugo Marsh said of the sale: "As far as we are aware it is the most expensive single toy sold in the UK." It was bought by an anonymous overseas collector, so sadly we can’t report on the excitement of owning this delightful collector’s treasure trove. The 620 mm (24.4 in) long vessel, made in 1905 by Marklin of Germany, was one of 340 toys on sale. The model itself made the headlines 40 years ago, when it featured in a BBC TV show, steaming across the calm waters of Hampstead Ponds, in north London.

The Auctioneer’s description

We quote below in full, as it makes interesting reading, especially the mention of the TV series, and the real ship’s naval operations, though note that in Royal Navy service, HMS Terrible was classed as a ‘protected cruiser’, not a battleship: 

“A rare Marklin spirit-fired steam tinplate 62cm First Series Two-Funnel Battleship HMS Terrible, Cat. Ref. 4091, the hull hand-painted in cream and red, tan deck with simulated planking and tinplate clips for semi-round sailors, cream superstructure decorated with circular and arched-top square portholes and rivet detail, two masts, two torpedo net booms, single screw, forward and aft gun turrets, pairs of port and starboard gun turrets, lower deck and upper decks, raised ship’s wheel, fabric stern flag and pennant, two guns mounted on forward bridge and small gun in crow’s nest, all guns, crow’s nests and funnels painted in bronze, most with rivet detail, two davits, anchor, chain and pneumatically-operated rudder, the steam plant with vaporising burner..."

"...double-acting cylinder, safety-valve and slip-eccentric reverse, on wave-painted four-wheeled stand, circa 1904, G, one davit base repaired, lifeboats missing, one port side gun roof and searchlight replaced; see ‘The Art of the Tin Toy’, Pressland, D, New Cavendish Books, 1976, page 41, for illustration and discussion of this famous toy; for suitable Heyde for Marklin semi-round lead sailors to fit the deck-clips, see Lot 67 in this sale; see also the BBC2 television programme from 1972, ‘Ron McCrindell’s Toys’, in which Ron fires her up and runs her; the prototype was launched in 1895 and was involved in the siege of Ladysmith in South Africa in 1899 and the Boxer Rebellion in China in 1900.”

Free Marklin App for iPhone, iPad

Marklin is still going strong, with an international reputation for the excellence of its model trains in particular. These days, digital control  is the buzzword, and Marklin is a leader in this. There's also a free App available for those of us with iPhones and iPads.

Visit the App Store here for the useful and interesting Marklin App.

Visit Marklin here.

Visit The Saleroom here.

The real ship

The Terrible is shown below at the 1897 naval review to celebrate Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee. The ship was just two years old at this time, and note that Marklin's designers 'lost' a couple of funnels when making the model. The drawings illustrate the Terrible and her sister ship the Powerful. Each vessel was armed with no less than 42 guns of various sizes, plus a quartet of torpedo tubes.

IT’S AUCTION TIME THIS COMING WEEKEND, WITH SOME TASTY SALES TO TEMPT YOU

SMN Report

If you enjoy hunting for a bargain, then auctions can be the way to go - though for rare items, prices can sail through the roof to ‘infinity and beyond’. But nearer terra firma, there are all sorts of interesting items coming up this coming weekend, with guide prices that should suit most buyers’ pockets.

Dinky Toys for sale

For diecast collectors, there are some very handsome articles with Special Auction Services (SAS), including the attractive group of Dinky Toys shown here. Just think, I owned no less than five of these six items when they were new, my pocket money was not a lot, and I looked forward to birthday presents with a 'Dinky' on the box. Sad to say, all those toys of mine bit the dust in some shape or form maaany years ago! But for new owners this time around, the Dinkys pictured, plus a number of other items, have the very reasonable lot estimate of just £70-£90 GBP ($113-145 USD).

Car kits on offer

For kit fans, Astons Auctioneers and Valuers offer these piles of car models at an estimate of £60-80 GBP ($97-130 USD), again quite a bargain lot if they make something around that price. Mind you, it could be more - or less! Both auction houses have many more items on offer, and accept live or internet bids. 

Beautiful Corvette Indy

The Corvette Indy kit at top left would tempt me - the real thing was a swoopy-looking design concept first shown at the Detroit Motor Show in 1986, and was packed with advanced engineering in the form of a Lotus-designed engine, 4-wheel drive, 4-wheel steering, and intelligent active suspension,. There was even a dash-mounted TV screen, fed by a rear-view camera. That last hasn’t proved a total benefit in today’s real world - a Toyota Prius owner I know has crunched into things more than once because he parks by looking at his screen instead of through the windows!

  

Visit SAS via The Saleroom.com here.

Visit Astons here.

More information on the Indy and other interesting cars at Auto Concept reviews here.

Corvette Indy pic courtesy GM.

BLASTS FROM THE PAST - BOOST YOUR SAVINGS WITH COLLECTIBLE DIECASTS

SMN report
There’s little doubt that in these difficult financial times, it pays to have some form of savings scheme beyond a bank account and a pension company. And for model fans that can be a pleasure, combining financial commonsense with a hobby, for unbuilt kits and diecasts represent pretty decent items to have in your portfolio.

Rare Dinky Toys
Of the two, diecasts show the most spectacular prices, with auctions regularly achieving astonishing levels - even in a recession, or perhaps especially in a recession, prices hold firm and there have been bidding wars between individuals and fund managers at some salerooms. Dinky Toys in particular are a high achiever where values are concerned, with models from small production runs being very highly prized. Examples include the Avro Vulcan jet V-bomber, of which only 500 or so were released, or virtually anything from the mid-1930s to 1943, when Dinky production stopped for three years until after the end of World War II.

Dinky prices at auction
There’s no real price peak in sight, as ‘they aren’t making them any more’, and in March 2008 a Type 22 Delivery Van fetched £19,975GBP ($31,080USD) which was a record for a single Dinky Toy, though boxed sets achieve much more. For many present-day collectors, the 1950s and 1960s are a happy hunting ground, for there are more Dinkys available in this period and generally in fair to good condition, too. The brochure cover we show above represents a nostalgic boyhood piece for many collectors, and is reckoned as the company’s golden age, before the onslaught of competition from Corgi Toys, a range that was launched with the catchy phrase: ‘The Ones with Windows’.

Dinky Toys - our take
However, collectible as Dinky Toys are, it’s still best to buy them because you like them. Prices can go down as well as up, so if you enjoy them just as items of miniature model art, then you get pleasure whatever the current value - but if prices are on the up, and your collection also boosts your savings, so much the better!

Have a look at a nice book on Dinky Toy collectibles here.

The pictures show, top to bottom:
1  Dinky brochure from 1954.
2  Lineup of Dinkys from the same period.
3  Record breaking van in the markings of W.E. Boyce.

SUPERB COLLECTIBLES ON SALE THIS SATURDAY AT BREKER AUCTIONS

We’re keen on auctions at SMN, and find that local ones are a good, if unpredictable, source. You can pick up bargains of all sorts at these sorts of places, offering as they often do, house-clearance articles at knockdown prices.

You don’t know what’s there until viewing day of course, but there is often treasure to be unearthed - unbuilt plastic plastic kits, collectible model rail, toy soldiers - you name it, you might find it. Many articles are grouped together in these general auctions, and these can be simply mouthwatering - at the last auction we attended, a box containing ten Airfix kits, a feast of miscellaneous Hornby items and even half a dozen fair-condition Dinky Toys went for just £20.00 GBP ($29.00 USD) - a bargain or what?!

Specialist auctions are a different matter, and here values are carefully monitored, with items more likely to be sold as individual lots. One of the better known of specialist auction houses is the German Breker outfit, and above we show two of Breker’s lots for the upcoming auction on Saturday, May 29. The 555 mm (22 in) long traction engine (top picture) is a far cry from Corgi’s excellent, though rather smaller, 1:50 diecast models. You’ll need a small bag of coal to fuel this live-steam beast, made by Maxwell Hemmens of York, UK.

The racing car shown here is a classic tinplate item, and hugely desirable for lovers of the genre. The SMN Vault contains a bunch of tinplate robots - we’re firmly in the 1960s era with these, though can certainly appreciate the products of earlier times, such as this Gunthermann item from 1905. Even though it is more than a century old, the clockwork motor in the 310 mm (12.25 in) long car is still in working order.

It’ll be interesting to see what these, and other items fetch on Saturday. Breker claims big numbers with earlier sales - for example, the tinplate Tipp & Co speedster of 1936 (above) fetched a wallet-melting $17,200.00 USD (£12,000 GBP).  

Visit Breker to view lots and download pdfs here.

AIRFIX KITS AND DAN DARE GUNS FOR SALE AT AUCTION TOMORROW

SMN reports
Here’s a look at the bargains aplenty department for classic kit collectors. Amongst other items at Astons auction tomorrow is this lot, a group of seven highly collectible Airfix kits in the old plastic bags, plus four 1:87 scale Roco Minitanks, in their original bubble packs.

The current price estimate is just £20-30 GBP ($30-46 USD) which makes them something of a bargain - even at the high end of that range, the items are still highly affordable. Mind you, they will never get built, but that’s the way of the world with collectible kits, their prime purpose lost in the quest for increasing value and perfect mint-and-boxed condition - or in this case, ‘mint-and-bagged’ perfection.

Among non-kit items for sale at Astons are some Dan Dare memorabilia, including the Rocket and Planet Guns shown above. Dan Dare was the UK’s Number One space hero in the 1950s and 1960s, and his appeal to older collectors remains undimmed by time. Dan’s full-colour adventures graced the front two pages of the popular Eagle boys’ comic for many years, and he was the subject of many marketing deals by companies eager to exploit his popularity in the UK and other countries where the comic and strip were syndicated.

Prices for the guns reflect their comparative rarity, with the Planet Gun’s price expected to reach up to £60 GBP ($92 USD), with the elegant and desirable Rocket Gun likely to sell for three times more.

Pictures courtesy The Saleroom.

Visit those Airfix bargains here.

Visit the Dan Dare Planet Gun here.

Visit the Dan Dare Rocket Gun here.

Tinplate rail auction

Talking of model rail, here's an auction for a gorgeous item of retro railiana that's going on right now. It's with Tennants the live auction site, and this Hornby set consists of a O-Gauge Electric E220 loco, the Bramham Moor Special Pullman LNER train Set TS2415. The 20 volt set contains the 4-4-0 locomotive and tender in green and black, two brown and cream Pullman coaches Verona and Loraine, plus track and accessories in a sturdy blue card box.

Also included are extra boxed rolling stock and accessories, including a breakdown van and crane, a meat van, plus a trio of wagons - side tipping, gas cylinder and fibre.

There's more in three extra boxes, including a signal cabin, level crossing, footbridge, junction signal and various lengths of track - there's even a platelayers' hut to add a bit of interest to the trackside.

The whole thing's just terrific for any classic rail lover, and with a guide price of £700-10o0 GBP ($1100-1600 USD), in SMN's opinion it's worth every penny.

Visit Tennants here.

FRENCH DINKY TOYS OFFERED AT VALENTINE’S DAY AUCTION

Be there in person or online at 11 o’clock sharp is the message for the forthcoming DJ Auction on Valentine’s Day, February 14. It’s a tasty-looking sale for anyone interested in French Dinky Toys or H0 scale European model railways.

French Dinky Toys were highly successful, with a production plant being set up by the British parent company as far back as 1929, in the Paris suburb of Bobigny. In the 1950s, the range included models of French vehicles - Citroens, Simcas, Renaults and so on - as well as some US designs that were popular in Europe at the time. Dinky Toy production in France eventually transferred to a Calais plant, but this was closed in 1971.

Today, Dinky Toys of these past decades are highly collectible, which is why this DJ Auction is an interesting one. Star lots include a handsome Citroen 55 Milk Truck, with a guide price of £450-500 GBP ($720-800 USD). It comes with box and milk churn load, 28 crates of a possible 30 total. The Ladder Truck (‘Auto Echelle de Pompiers’) Dinky Supertoy has a set of creamy-white tyres and a working extending ladder. French interest in US cars is displayed by an excellent condition Lincoln Premiere, made when windows were new and exotic diecast items, hence the box text - ‘Avec Glaces’ - with windows.

For aircraft collectors, the four-plane boxed set (‘Coffret Avions’) contains a powerful reminder of French military jets developed in the 1950s, a Mystere IVa fighter and Vautour jet bomber. A Sikorsky helicopter and Viscount turboprop airliner complete the set.

Model trains are also a major draw at the sale, including such classics as the H0 scale Hornby BB electric locomotive with twin power-collection pantographs, guide price £70-90 GBP ($110-145 USD).

The pictures show, top to bottom:
1 Citroen 55 Milk Van.
2 Pompiers Ladder truck.
3 Lincoln Premiere.
4 Four-aircraft boxed set.
5 BB 12.061 electric locomotive.

Visit DJ Auctions here.

More French Dinky Toys are on offer at Gasoline Alley Antiques here.

AUCTION PRICES ON DIECASTS REPRESENT VALUE IN RECESSION

Collectibles seem to be weathering the recession pretty well - while giant companies have fallen to the ground, and pension plans have been laid low, those Mint and Boxed diecasts and kits have, by and large, proved as good as (or better than) money under the mattress.

And auctions remain one of the best ways to achieve fair value come sale time, as by putting items into affinity sales, a sale is guaranteed an audience of like-minded people who know value and rarity when they see it. And online auctions achieve the best of all worlds, with listings freely available and bids easy to make and administer.

Astons (Black Country Auctions) has some valuable diecasts this month, as well as mixed lots offering amazing value. From top to bottom -

Star item: Dinky Toys 505 Foden Flat Truck 1952. Guide price £1200-1600 GBP ($1930-2580 USD).
Good value Airfix trio: 1:12 scale Bentley, 100 Years of Flight, and D-Day 60th Anniversary £30-50 GBP ($50-80 USD).
Attractive looker: Dinky Toys 504 Foden Mobilgas tanker. Guide price £300-500 GBP ($480-800 USD).
Rare robot: 1950s Dux Astroman from Germany. Guide price £100-200 GBP ($160-320 USD).

Visit Astons (Black Country Auctions) online here. You'll need to enter Astons in the search field on the page.

ONLINE AUCTIONS MAKE IT EASY TO BUY AND SELL COLLECTIBLE MODELS

For model collectors, the internet has proved a treasure trove of opportunity. While it’s still a huge pleasure to haunt swapmeets, collector fairs and so on, online auctions offer an extra dimension of mouthwatering collectibles.

Here we feature just two samples from current auctions provided by The Saleroom, which sends a click-thru pot-pourri of sales via email regularly.

The Bing live-steam locomotive is in big Gauge 1 (about 1:32) scale, and is a true antique, dating from somewhere between 1906-1912. It’s hardly cheap, at a guide price of £8-10,000 GBP ($13-16,400 USD), but as the old saying goes, “They’re not making them like that any more”. So it just has to be a top-class investment, as well as a thing of beauty and hugely desirable. On top of all that, it’s still in working order!

Incidentally, the German Bing company was mega when this locomotive was made - in 1905 Bing had the biggest toy factory in the world.

The Corgi Chipperfield Circus diecast collection is easier on the pocket, with a guide price of £400-600 GBP ($655-983 USD) and is also highly desirable, especially as the showcase is included.

You can visit The Saleroom here. Once registered, you can receive heads-up emails on a host of auctions around the world.