This L.G.B. G gauge locomotive features <strong>in</strong> Richard W<strong>in</strong>terton’s Antiques and Home Sale on <strong>June</strong> 21. 16 I Used To Have One Of Those! ............................... By Jon Price We certa<strong>in</strong>ly get to a see a wide range of toys and games here at Richard W<strong>in</strong>terton Auctioneers, from people sell<strong>in</strong>g cherished childhood items to room-size model railway layouts built up over many years. Traditionally the <strong>in</strong>terest for collectors was <strong>in</strong> die-cast vehicles, model railways, dolls and teddy bears and these are all still strongly collected, but these days there are large numbers of enthusiastic collectors for all types of toy with Action Man, Star Wars, Film and TV-related, various action or superhero figures, Subbuteo, S<strong>in</strong>dy and her friends, Mamod live steam eng<strong>in</strong>es, Brita<strong>in</strong>s soldiers, Scalextric and all types of t<strong>in</strong>plate and clockwork items be<strong>in</strong>g especially popular. British die-cast vehicles have long been collected with many collectors concentrat<strong>in</strong>g on the so called ‘Golden Age’ of British die-cast which is roughly the period from the end of World War Two until the middle of the 1970s. These years were dom<strong>in</strong>ated by the familiar names of D<strong>in</strong>ky, Corgi, Triang Spot-On and Lesney Matchbox and these are all highly collectable. But there are many other smaller manufacturers from this period some who just existed for a few years <strong>in</strong> the early 1950s and f<strong>in</strong>d<strong>in</strong>g and identify<strong>in</strong>g these can be an <strong>in</strong>terest<strong>in</strong>g area of collect<strong>in</strong>g. Toys based on popular TV and film titles such as the James Bond series are always very popular can be and highly sought after; <strong>in</strong> particular the Star Wars phenomenon shows no signs of slow<strong>in</strong>g down. In general, the earlier Star Wars figures and vehicles that are marked with dates from the late 1970s or early 1980s are of most <strong>in</strong>terest to collectors. The Star Wars phenomenon shows no signs of slow<strong>in</strong>g down. Unbuilt model aircraft kits really do fly at auction too, with large collections reach<strong>in</strong>g for the skies to realise thousands of pounds. Sought-after brands <strong>in</strong>clude Airfix, Matchbox, Italeri and Frog. We are currently start<strong>in</strong>g to catalogue several large collections of tra<strong>in</strong>s and model railways for a special section <strong>in</strong> our Antiques and Home Sale on Monday, <strong>June</strong> 21. These range from 1950s Tri-ang and Hornby Dublo items up to modern G scale tra<strong>in</strong>s for use on garden railways. The toy market is constantly chang<strong>in</strong>g as different generations get to a certa<strong>in</strong> age and decide they want to buy the items they had when children or items that they always wanted but were not allowed or were too expensive at the time. At present Pokémon cards are <strong>in</strong> vogue and there has been an explosion of <strong>in</strong>terest – and consequent <strong>in</strong>crease <strong>in</strong> value! – of the earliest cards and sets over the last couple of years, so if you have certa<strong>in</strong> cards <strong>in</strong> good condition they can be worth a great deal of money. A classic 1960s Corgi James Bond Aston Mart<strong>in</strong> DB5 model complete with ejector seat released to tie <strong>in</strong> with the film Goldf<strong>in</strong>ger. Mamod live steam eng<strong>in</strong>es are popular with collectors. A good one to look out for is a 1st edition Charizard from the orig<strong>in</strong>al or base set No4./102. So if you have any old toys or games <strong>in</strong> the loft or the back of a forgotten cupboard, now would be a good time to get them out and let us have a look at them, you might well be pleasantly surprised by the results. Email enquiries for toys together with a photo of the item directly to jon@richardw<strong>in</strong>terton.co.uk. In-person valuations for toys and collectables as well as jewellery, watches, silver and antiques on Thursdays at The <strong>Lichfield</strong> Auction Centre, Wood End Lane, Fradley Park WS13 8NF can be booked on 01543 251081 or by email<strong>in</strong>g office@richardw<strong>in</strong>terton.co.uk. Richard W<strong>in</strong>terton Auctioneers has <strong>in</strong>troduced new fortnightly onl<strong>in</strong>e Two Day Antiques & Home Sales every other Monday and Tuesday, start<strong>in</strong>g at 9.30am each day. Jewellery, watches, ceramics, toys and collectables feature on Day One with automobilia, household items and furniture on Day Two. View<strong>in</strong>g by appo<strong>in</strong>tment only takes place the preced<strong>in</strong>g Friday – call 01543 251081 to book. Visit www.richardw<strong>in</strong>terton.co.uk/auction-dates to view digital catalogues onl<strong>in</strong>e.
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