A rare find abroad

 

It was my birthday a few days ago and this arrived just in time! It is the very scarce export edition of the #464 Commer Police Van in really very good condition.

The first model was issued in June 1963 and had a device set in the chassis which could be moved so that it made and broke a circuit as the model was pushed along to light a lamp in the roof. This tended only to make the lamp flicker and was not that reliable so in February 1967 a new system was fitted which merely required to be switched on and had a flashing bulb fitted which turned itself on and off once it warmed up.

Somewhat strangely, the casting of the rear section was completely revised and this second edition of #464 has the word POLICE standing out with a border around the text, replacing the simple transfers.

It appears that it was only this second edition that was also available as an export edition in green. (I have not seen any first editions as export models and would be interested to know if any do actually exist. It would have been relatively easy to produce, requiring just a change of finish and a change of text on the transfers.) As it is, our friends abroad do seem to have had to put up with the immovable English word POLICE on the sides and they would have had no choice.

This is a scarce model and not easy to find, although having a friend in Germany made the job a little easier for me. As if it is not scarce enough already, Corgi changed the finish for the frame and lettering at some point and these were produced in either silver or, as illustrated here, white on the model I have acquired. Silver seems to be the more common colour from the few that I have found over the years, this being the first white one.

(I didn't have the rear section properly closed for these photos which is why it seems a little high at the front)

My particular model needs a box and, from what I can gather, the second issue can have either a normal #464 box or an interim one with a sticker or stamp announcing an improved flashing unit. The second edition would have a different instruction leaflet inside and I understand that the export edition will be in several languages too. That's going to be even harder to find! I may have to sell this with just the box first.

Someone paid well over £2000 (including fees)  some years ago for one of these. Admittedly that had the ring and instruction leaflet but it is still a lot of money.

I am happy to have this in my own collection and it will require a good sum to encourage me to part with it. I'm advertising it on my own site for £875. It will be rather more on Ebay and in order to take account of their fees of around 13% that will be around £1000. I'll not advertise there until I get a box, though, so if you do happen to want it quickly and can afford a nice contribution to my birthday account then get in touch.