2019 arrivals

Very early GS2 with a box and inner tray which displays the pony separately. Later editions had no holes for the pony, which was wrapped in card in the trailer. As seems appropriate, I have used a similarly rare and early trailer without a handle at the top of the ramp. It's not going to be cheap.

58 The Beast carrier with calves and the green mesh on top (although that's not shown here)

151 Scarce edition of the Lotus XI Le Mans in red with original screen

200 Ford Consul in mushroom brown. I though it was a cream one when I saw it advertised! I now have two of these to sell.

202M I also have two of these mid green Morris Cowleys with working motors

203M Vauxhall Velox with working motor

208 Nice Jaguar 2.4 with super original early box

208M Jaguar 2.4 with working motor

209 Riley Pathfinder Police Car lovely but missing the bell.

213 Jaguar 2.4 Fire Chief's Car - excellent and complete but missing a transfer

214 Ford Thunderbird (I bought this hoping it might have had shaped wheels).

231 Triumph Herald - very clean examples in each colour

234 Bentley Continental - superb examples in each of the main colours and one with a lovely original box too.

238 Jaguar Mk X in a really stunning deep cerise shade. I have two of these, equally good, one with an original box.

246 Chrysler Imperial with original box. All very good. I bought this for the golf caddy - the one sold with it is a replacement.

252 Rover 2000 in maroon with an odd wheel!

252 Rover 2000 in maroon with an original box.

318 Lotus Elan S2 - very scarce with cast wheels

323 Citroen DS19 Monte Carlo Edition with an original aerial!

384 The last 1:43 Corgi car. From 1977 a VW 1200 Rally Edition - only available for a short period.

508 Commer Holiday Bus with original luggage cover (but no cases)

These are all quite recent additions, listed in catalogue order. Please enquire for availability and price as there has been quite a bit of interest in some of these.

Corgi Toys @ 60: Two tone and Bloodhound missiles

It would be the case that early 1959 issues were destined to have short lives. All those issued in January and these, issued in February, were withdrawn in less than two years. 

Firstly, the Powers That Be decided that interest in their original launch models could be revived and sales extended a little further if they were given a new 'two-tone' look. Whereas the original issues can be found in a range of colours, these six appeared in just these colours. 

You'll see that some of the paint schemes are more accurate than others!

February 1959 also saw changes to the Bedford CA model, the later single screen casting being used now with its revised front end and minor changes elsewhere, as well as a ribbed roof. The first issued model to get this mark II treatment was the 404 Dormobile. It can be found with a 50-50 scheme as well as a blue body and yellow roof. Each of those variations is scarce and good examples usually cost a fortune.

The Riley is conspicuous by its absence and would have been a lovely model in two-tone. I guess that the red 205, which lasted longer than most of these original issues, was selling well enough. The Standard Vanguard III had, of course, already got the two-tone treatment.

The other issue this month is a reappearance of the splendidly detailed and quite impressive Bloodhound missile, mounted on a khaki trolley. Some nice engineering clasps the missile nose and can be used to raise it whilst maintaining its horizontal aspect. Both items were included in Gift Set 4 and will be in Gift Set 6 later in the year, as well as being issued individually some time later.

It is an odd combination when towed by the RAF Land Rover, with which it is coupled in each Gift Set. The missile seems always to be white and the detachable side elements yellow. I have seen the rocket ends in red or just silver and the vanes or wings can be white but seems usually to be yellow.

A Morris with tinted windows. Cowley, not Mini Minor!

Visiting a collector friend in Derbyshire today, I was reminded of a grey Morris Cowley that he had that I had noticed a few months ago. I had remembered that it had quite remarkably blue windows. He has let me have it to display and maybe someone out there can tell us a bit more about these early tinted windows.

A good number of these 1956 models have now passed before my camera lens but none have had such distinctly tinted windows. Indeed, many of the perspex units seem to have become very occluded, quite difficult to see through in some cases where the perspex also looks very thick compared to some others. Then there are many with crystal clear windows that seem to have survived and remain as good as they might have been when new. I am guessing that cleaning with the wrong liquid or cloth has caused the trouble with the former types - or maybe there was a type of perspex that simply has aged badly. This tinted type, though, is new to me and I can't quickly find any references to it elsewhere.

I looked again at my own Morris Cowley and there is a faint bluish hue to that one but that is really not something i would have noticed or commented upon. The other one is quite distinctly different. On the basis that this must be somewhat scarcer than the clear type I am asking a bit more for this one but really don't have much idea of its value. Suggestions or background information appreciated if anyone knows.

I have plenty of later examples of tints in the Whizzwheels Morris Mini Minor #204 but they are from a couple of decades later!

A Morris Cowley and cars heading South, East and West last week.

In the Ebay photograph all I could make out was a white shape for this model which was billed as a Morris Cowley and not a lot more. I took a chance and got it and have been relieved to find that it is actually a very decent 202M in the less common very pale green colour.

The motor works well and it is all nicely original with just a chip here and there but I don't mind that.

What I was looking for, though, was a 202 without the M. It's been a while now and I still haven't found one that I like at a reasonable price. Strangely, I've seen plenty of 202M examples (and now have two myself to sell!) but precious few of what I had expected to be the easier to find version. I have had a two-tone later edition but not the single colour one. That is the last 'normal' Corgi car that I need (other than the Pop Art Mini). The rest are colour or other variations. With the cars more or less complete, I am now moving on to the farm and commercial sections (and maybe Chipperfields as you'll see below).

Someone in deepest Gloucestershire bought my black repainted Austin Cambridge 201M this week. It was one of my better efforts so I was quite sad to see it go but I need the income to pay for the others that I am still looking for.

Also heading West to the same county is a very delapidated James Bond Aston Martin. It looks a lot happier there than in the box of jumble my postman brought me in the week. The box was his own, not a delivery! It contained half a dozen Corgis, a few Dinky Toys and lots of Matchbox as well as a couple of Budgie lorries. I said I would see what I could do to sell them for him and was quite surprised at how quickly some have gone, bearing in mind how poor a condition they were in. The Aston had no suspension and a cracked rear screen. The paintwork was rough, not just chipped but almost corroded in places. The gadgets did all work with a little persuasion, though, and I suppose it might not look too bad in a cabinet somewhere in the shade. Really, though, it needs to be taken apart and restored which, perhaps, is what the buyer will do. I think he's a blacksmith so he may have some of the tools!

Another one was the Chevrolet Impala Dog Grooming affair which I am delighted to have ticked off my list without having to spend a lot buying one. I knew I had to get one but I wasn't too keen and they are not cheap if they're in reasonable condition. This one had no dogs but it did have the nice sign on the front and most of the paintwork had survived well. The suspension was noticeably active! It was snatched up by a regular customer in Italy, though, within a day. He also bought a pristine Lotus XI Le Mans in silver. That's another model that does absolutely nothing for me and I am quite glad both have gone now.

Also in the box were a couple of Land Rovers that I knew a friendly collector in Germany would love to have so I packed them up and sent them East.

The Circus Parade vehicle clown is missing his glove and, of course, the monkey or chimp has escaped but apart from a bit of paint rubbed off here and there the model's sound. The Dinky Mersey Tunnel Police is an old but not uncommon item but, again, this was in decent condition and I know they have both gone to a good home. The postman will be more than pleased with whatever they have fetched as he wasn't expecting much anyway.

Something I would like to do is to roam around the country's sales, chat with house clearance people and even try to get people who want to sell things to come to me first. It's expensive to travel around but I do believe I would find some interesting items and be able to get them at a reasonable figure before they get onto Ebay where everyone is fighting over the better items and the prices inflate. I have done well through Ebay but I do believe I could do better if I could get items from other sources. I also feel people selling collections would get a better price if I could show all their items in a better light and promote them in a range of places. Some photos of models on Ebay are pretty poor or, if they're good, the model is looking rather tired and would really benefit from a simple clean or a tyre here and there.

I am thinking about seeking a little funding to enable me to give some travel a try. I really am sure there are plenty of toys sitting in boxes in people's lofts and as those people die off their relatives bundle them off to some sale or maybe just let a clearance person take them. I'd like to be the first to rummage through those old boxes!

At another extreme, one colleague is about to put all his stunning Chipperfields items on the market. Now these are examples of items I could not really improve upon - they are almost as new, boxed and many hardly ever removed from the boxes, with all the little extra pieces of packing and related pieces which usually get lost. I shall be helping him decide what to sell them for individually and I am pretty confident that they will all go quickly. I am hoping I will be able to feature them on my site and, of course, they'll get a post or two here. In return for helping him all I want is the chance to add some good photographs of actual items to my catalogue. It will save me a huge amount of money as some of the set contents are really expensive and I have never been a fan of the Circus stuff anyway. I have been putting off buying any and they're low on my wanted list. So that could be a stroke of luck. Unless a neighbour buys them all before I get a chance to advise him!

At least he won't be using the expensive auction services where he would lose best part of a quarter of what he sells them for. And if it were not the best of auction days, even the best houses can't magic a higher price than what the bidders are prepared that day to spend. More news about this collection soon, I hope.