Corgi Toys @ 60: Triumph Herald, gold plating and an ERF they'd forgotten about.

 

November 1961 saw lots of gold- (or silver-) plating going on to Corgi models. Well, I suppose it had been going on for some time but this was when we got to see the models if we were lucky. I say that because the Golden Guinea Gift Set 20, which I always thought should have been more aptly Gift Set 21, was produced in very small numbers. Corgi quote 23000 which is fewer than the almost impossible to find 351S RAF Land Rover!

Either they've made a mistake in the numbers or people are not very fond of them as I have found quite a good number for sale and usually at very reasonable prices. The coating can look unattractive if it has started to come off and there is often some corrosion or reaction going on on the mazak surface too but if you can find an edition of the Bentley, in particular, then this is a fine model indeed, worthy of a place in any collection - and possibly a profitable investment if the numbers do prove to be accurate!

The three models chosen for the Golden Guinea treatment are an odd selection. The Bentley seems a natural enough addition and really suits this treatment but the Ford and Chevrolet are strange partners. The Ford is more or less as the 234 model issued and gets a gold-plated base too into the bargain, a pleasure denied to the Bentley and Chevrolet. The Chevrolet, however, is the scarcer edition with a red interior.

I can only assume that each having an opening boot or engine compartment is the common feature that brought them together in some marketing person's mind. They are sold in a dark teal coloured flat window box which is very hard to find now and I have not yet found anyone who makes a passable reproduction.

They were not on sale for long and I believe most went to Marks & Spencer rather than the local toy store.

Launched in November 1961, and, again, not available in the local toy store, were five models comprising the Trophy Models range, produced for Marks & Spencer. The five were 150 Vanwall F1, 152 BRM F1, 300 Austin Healey, 301 Triumph TR2 and 302 MGA.

All five are really quite hard to find now and command high prices. They are the Corgi models simply gold or silver-plated with a new Trophy Model baseplate and each has the cast spoke-effect wheels that had been designed for the Aston Martin DB4 and appeared on later Vanwalls and BRMs but never the three sports cars.

For most of us collectors in November 1961, however, the excitement at the local store would be the arrival of a quite delightful Triumph Herald 1500 Coupé. The new feature on this model was the fully opening bonnet, something for which the real model was well-known and the little black piece of plastic to represent an oil filter (although in scale nearer the size of an air filter!)

This very attractive model has firm suspension that will have survived to this day, I'm sure, on your models, and the bonnet opened and closes very neatly.

The very earliest editions had quite strange-looking smooth little wheels but they were free spinning. This would be only the second model to have free-spinning wheels on first release and the first to have this size in that form. Most models that you'll encounter will have the shaped variety.

There are also two types of base and hinge for the bonnet.

Finally, November saw the arrival of 456 the ERF 44G Dropside Lorry. Some three years or so after the 457 Platform model, this seems something of an afterthought by Corgi and you almost wonder whether someone had forgotten to issue it in 1958. The same truck did actually appear in March 1960 with a trailer in a Gift Set and will pop up again in blue and white in another Gift Set next year. This is, however, its sole appearance in a 456 box. One of the last models to be issued with fixed smooth wheels on first issue in the box, this is quite scarce, most having the shaped variety. However, as it is impossible now to be sure whether the model your buying did actually come in the box as opposed to someone swapping it with an earlier Gift Set component, I am at a loss to know how anyone can really justify the high prices some attach to this smooth wheel version.

With the Bentley Continental and other cars with suspension and nice features now on the shelves, this must have looked rather sad with its empty interior and solid stance not to mention the very dated cab design.

The Great Book of Corgi (and some dealers who rely upon it) talks about a 56 model Plough being issued this month in 1961 too. It is described as the same as the earlier edition but with plated shears. That would be nice but I have never seen one and suspect that it may have been something Marcel may have thought about but, as far as I can tell, the shears stayed yellow and plastic on the 56 model and did not get any replacement with plated ones until December 1964 when the rather simpler type of Plough is issued as 61 in blue. If anyone knows otherwise, do get in touch.

Corgi Toys @ 60: Aston Martin arrival and Gift Set 11

It's March and the local toy shop gets an Aston Martin to put on the shelves! #218 was the Aston Martin DB4 and this would be the very first Corgi to have something that opened, with its opening bonnet to reveal a detailed silver painted engine.

It was available in a creamy yellow and various shades of red. I have seen quite a range from brick red to a quite dark red shade but most hover around the brightish red shown here.

The red model will have lemon yellow plastic seats and the yellow one red seats. The early issues have fixed, smooth wheels and many have had a 'wire wheel' sticker attached which makes me wonder whether a set of stickers may not have been included in the box with these at the outset. They are quite different to the 'white wall' trims that were issued in accessory packs and often applied to Thunderbirds, Renaults and Fiats in particular (being the models available that most suited them at the time).

Later the Aston would get fixed shaped wheels (which, as I have written elsewhere, seem quite scarce), then an unattractive cast wheel attempting to resemble wire wheels and finally free-spinning shaped wheels. The bonnet would also change from having an open, quite large vent to a less substantial and closed one. This change is at around the time of the introduction of free-spinning wheels although you may encounter cross-over variations.

The engine element, initially a separate casting also later gets changed to become part of the main body casting and the bonnet hinge mechanism changes at the same time. I don't know when this change occurs but I believe it is fairly evenly distributed amongst the open vent type.

A Competition edition will appear a couple of years later with jewelled headlamps and a new colour scheme (and again two types of bonnet!). As we all know, this casting would also later be used again for the James Bond issues (despite that being a DB5!)

The Aston Martin was a hugely popular model, even before the gold one appears. The number of variations, however, mean that some quite scarce editions can be found at modest prices.

The other items arriving at the shop this month was the ERF Dropside Lorry with a platform trailer and two loads - the planks and cement bags issued in February. (I have revised my text on this!)

Gift Set 11 was allocated to this set which is always in yellow and blue, with an early style towbar on the trailer and smooth wheels on both at the outset. An accessory Pack C was included too.

This is, in fact, the first appearance of the #456 ERF Dropside Lorry, which does not appear individually until November 1961. So it is likely that, if it has smooth wheels it has come from this set and not an individual boxed item. 

One source refers to the number 1079 for this set which may have been a reference number in the little red book issued with The Great Book of Corgi - that's where the source copied most of his site information from but I haven't been able to check yet. The same site also says that the trailer should be silver with blue mudguards but as far as I can tell all the sets issued had matching blue load areas and yellow chassis.

Corgi Toys @ 60: The Rocket Age and a Cement Tipper

An odd selection hit the shelves of your local toy shop in September 1959. The Rocket Age Gift Set 6, an ERF Cement Tipper and one of very few Corgi models without wheels, the Decca Airfield Radar Scanner was issued on its own in a box.

I have written at some length about the impressive Rocket Age set so go back and read this article for more information about that. I shall repeat my effort at recreating the wonderful image on the box, though.

The individually boxed radar scanner really did not amass much by way of sales and is now quite sought after in its original packaging simply because there never were many around.

The third item this month was the last outing for an ERF truck, now with a tipping cement section at the back.

Early editions had metal caps on the cement section, replaced by red plastic for the majority of production. It lasted a while, through to 1964, and gets fixed shaped wheels for later editions. I'm not aware of any examples with free spinning wheels although they would have been fitted to other models in the later stages of its production.

Apart from the revised editions of the Bedford C vans, this will be the last new model issued without an interior.

Corgi Toys @ 60: Riley revisited and a tipper truck

June 1958 sees the Riley get a new lease of life with a coat of black paint and some furniture on the roof as a smart-looking Police car, catalogue number 209. Only very rarely would you ever have actually seen one of these for real, even if you were regularly engaged in bank robbing or whatever. The usual car would have been the Wolseley version but this was close enough. I understand that Gloucester Constabulary did have some- here are two, courtesy of Gloucester Police Achives.

(This has been updated as the previous images from Gloucester Police Archives were of their later 2.6 version!)

Perhaps with this extension of use, the 205 Riley saloon did not qualify for a two-tone upgrade in 1959 like the other members of the initial launch group. 

A rare find is the 209 with shaped wheels as this model didn't last much past 1960, just a few being made in 1961 which is when I presume the shaped type started to be used. Similarly, you will not see many of the other two-tone models with shaped wheels either as these also expired during 1961.

If you're looking to buy one of these then do check that it has all the bits it should have. The smooth wheel edition is still comparatively common and inexpensive so it is worth waiting for one which has an original bell and siren either side of the centre section which should have navy blue Police stickers with white text. The original aerial was a pleasant short and thin affair. How I wish someone would make these as most of the replacement aerials I have found have been not very pleasant, about as thick as a scale piece of drainpipe and all the wrong colour plastic.

The other model vying for the young collector's attention sixty years ago was an ERF Dumper Truck, model number 458. With its nicely made 'hydraulic' struts you could fill this with dirt and see it all tip out somewhere else by lifting the rear section. It was still too early for a handle.

This lasted for years and, indeed, you would be forgiven for thinking it never changed at all but Corgi did eventually retire the old ERF and put the same rear section on a Bedford TK cab and chassis instead and that would be in late 1966 as 494. There will, therefore be bags of examples with both smooth wheels and fixed shaped wheels and you can pick up a really nice example for just a few pounds as they're so common. What is worth looking out for is the late edition when they finally found some longer axles and put free spinning wheels on. There are not so many of these around and most collectors will have missed this one.

 It'll still be cheap until dealers read this.

I have to say that neither the model nor the real thing were the most attractive of designs! I couldn't quickly find a photograph of one with just two axles but the cab's the same dreadful mess of lines and curves.

Corgi Toys @ 60: ERF Lorries

Less than a year after they issue the Commer lorry with a platform rear along comes an ERF version.

This lasted well into the mid-1960s but I am only aware of the light blue cab and dark blue platform colour scheme for this model. There were at least two schemes for the Commer but just the one for the ERF over those 7 or 8 years.

There will be a change to shaped wheels roughly half-way through production and both types are common. I have not had a chance to study these in depth, however, and believe that there will be several small differences in the casting to look out for which I shall have to document another day.

The second March lorry was described as a 'van' but I have to say I would have called it a lorry had I seen one at the time. Similar to the Commer Wall's Refrigerator 'Van' from 1956, this is a cab, chassis and large box affair with rear door lines in the casting.

Again, I am still looking for a good one of these for my own catalogue and have not looked at any models closely. I believe that they are all the same colours but suspect there may be some casting differences. Perhaps not so many in this one as it was withdrawn from production in 1960 after just a year or so. I should imagine, therefore, that all these will have smooth wheels.

The advertising is by paper stickers which tend to wear although I have been impressed at how wel the colours have survived over 60 years on most that I see. If they have passed the point of no return, as it were, then some replacements do seem a good match, although they will look odd on a slightly worn model.

A Break for Commercials

458 ERF Earth Dumper

453 Commer 5 Ton Refrigerated Van

Adding to one of the groups that I had been ignoring, two more commercial vehicles from the old days arrived last week. One was the ERF Earth Dumper, a long-running model that lasted from 1958 to 1966. This example is one of the earliest with its fixed smooth wheels and it does look pretty dated. It is in good condition, many of these got a lot of use moving real earth or other stuff that left them chipped and generally messed up. The rear section lifts and stays up on the ancient supports, not bad after nearly 60 years.

The other is one of the first batch issues in 1956, a Commer Refrigerated van, although that's one big van. With lovely fresh transfers for Wall's Ice Cream on the sides and really clean cream paintwork and a darker blue cab, this is quite a good find. It is always satisfying to find some of these very early items in good condition and I am slowly filling the blanks.

The main item still outstanding is the ERF Moorhouses Jam lorry which looks similar to this one. There are a few around but it's a matter of finding a good one. There are also some Karrier Shops that have passed me by and I still can't get excited about. I sort of hope they'll just appear one day. The blue Karrier Bantam I shall have to get, and there's a Bedford Tipper truck that replaced the ERF shown here. They're very common but no doubt there'll be some variations to confuse me. I also see the Ford Thames Ice Cream trucks at very high prices so they'll be a while appearing here I fear.

An old lorry, a mini and The Avengers restored

May's additions to the collection ended with an odd mixture but each is quite interesting.

First is this nice red Austin Seven, an early version with the fixed flat wheels and holes in the base. Somehow the steering wheel has become detached from the facia. I may be able to get at it through the wheel arch and the hole where it needs to be pulled back into but I may leave it for someone else if it sells before I get round to that!

The Renault 16 first appeared like this, designated Gift Set 13 with a camera, cameraman and there would also have been a cyclist and bike in the box. This version has the quite rare red decals on the headboard and is in excellent condition.

I had only one or two commercial models in my own collection and it has only been the Bedford CA vans that I've been adding recently. After completing most of the farm models, the next step is to start getting hold of the various lorries and other types of van that were issued. It looks like there were just a few main types, one being the good old ERF lorry that was there almost from day one. This is the flat bed type #457 and only appeared in this colour combination, a quite nice combination of light and mid blue. 

I had almost run out of The Avengers models and along comes this restored set. the box is pretty faded but it is, at least, sturdy and looks reasonably good in the photos or on display. The cars themselves have been really well done and it is really difficult to tell that the Bentley isn't original. The green version with red wheels, despite not being a version that Steed drove, is popular and was one of the less common combinations available in the original sets. This is, therefore, something that might appeal to those who don't appreciate my other combinations .

I do not have a hope of getting an original set when just the cardboard protection piece sells like this!!