My First Collection

My collection was formed on the basis of the non willingness to part with my old cars. Sadly their boxes were probably tossed aside upto the age of 10 and placed in the refuse bin (lets face it no child is interested in a box just the contents). During my holidays I would trawl shops looking for old toy stock notable finds included a Dinky Cinderellas Coach (Number 111) from a newsagent in Scotland in the summer of 1985, for the princely sum of £2.00. This was after I had filled my pockets with the free "Britains" toy Catalogue's offered from the display stand at "John Menzies". Later holidays would produce that years catalogue also in 1984 and 1985.
One of my great (and as it would turn out loses) was the old shop stock find in a newsagents storeroom. I was invited by the proprietor when the inevitable "have you got any more like this?" was asked by myself. The toy was a Dinky Torpedo Motor Boat boxed but with damaged window, found on the top shelf (higher than those adult magazines) with a later aged Matchbox Security Truck."Yes" was the response "you may find other stuff up in the storeroom, just go up the stairs" pointing towards the shop corner behind the till point. Upon climbing the stairs I was met with an Aladins cave of early 70's toys that listed the following:

• Marx Lone Ranger Display stand with Tonto boxed horse,Canoe and numerous clothing equipment packs approx. 20 items in all.
  
• Meccano sets of every feasible size numbers one up including the Military set of 1976-78 and Plastic Meccano of similar age.
• Matchbox Seakings numbering about 20 in total at £1.00 each.
• Polistil Large scale Fiat Rallycar and Landrover.
• Sindy Toys of the 70's all mint boxed in numerous forms from caravan to kitchen (with Display stand) not much interest their am affraid from me.
• Dinky Missile Boats, Leopard Tank, Leopard Tank Recovery Vehicle older blister type tray box.
• Dinky Bell Police Helicopter Mint boxed about 6 in total.
• Marx Toys numerous plastic mint boxed vehicles tanks, cars, ships etc.
• Marx toys Plastic Tommy Gun and Cowboy Rifles (all mint on card other than display stand for former)

I quickly inquired even at this early age how much it would cost to purchase all except the "Sindy" of course!! "what do you want it all for was the reply" indeed to look at and sell was my initial thought. " I collect old toys was my answer".

I worked out even in the late 1980's it would set me back £400+ to buy the Meccano sets alone (yes lots of sets about 25 in total).
As I was earning a pittance and a loan was out of the question I was
near a Treasure Chest of old Toys from the early 70's and I couldn't do a damn thing about it. I eventually, after upwards of 40 minutes in that stockroom, falling over Old toys left right and centre emerged with the Dinky Leopard Recovery Vehicle "How much is this please?" was my question "£5" the answer. Suffice to say I didn't have enough and left the shop with my eyes wide open and traumatised generally by the toys I had witnessed.
I returned weeks later to find that the Newsagent proprieters had GUTTED the room as it was going to be the new office. "There are no toys up their now we have had a big clear out" said a bloke who I pressume was the manager/owner.Indeed the were updating the shop and as a skip at the side of the building suggests they got rid of everything. However NO toys were skipped so where did the storeroom stock go?. To this day I dont know, they must have realised by my over enthused youthism as I emerged from the storeroom there was something amiss and thrown the lot out or probably sold it to a third party for a knockdown price. I will never know...

Two similar scenarios happened in that I saw an old Dinky Display case from the 50's-60's (which was being used to hold greetings cards, and other stationary)in another newsagent and some Triang "Captain Scarlett Racing sets" from the mid 60's in an old toy shop both in the 1990's. I should have bought then (but I was a young and skint)but didnt returned weeks later and they were gone. The Dinky display case was the wooden type with 2 shelves and "Dinky Toys" in green lettering that was a little faded (well you would be too if you had sat in the same place for nearly 40 years!!) but still noticable all the same.I had bought a Matchbox "Battlekings" mint boxed Sherman tank in the same place a week earlier for just over £2.00.

The Triang sets in the town centre old toy shop had obviously been found in one of the stock rooms of this multi floored well established but now long gone shop that had once boasted the following individual departments of sports, cycle, baby, model kits and model trains. Indeed the same shop I had been bought a pair of "Adidas Santiago" Football boots in the 1980's that were the envy of all my playground friends and contemporaries alike.
Anyway back to this true story,the three Triang Capt. Scarlett sets were priced at a paltry £7.99 each, the value of each set to a collector I later learned was £350.00 each!!!! never mind. I did have a couple of successes in the same store in finding a huge amount of MOY (Models of Yesteryear)in the 1978 plain green boxes (being sold off for £2.00 each or two for £3.30 and two "Britains" PAK German Field Guns from 1972, mint boxed for £3.20 each sold for £16.00 each on Ebay.

I did have noticable success with a "Britains" old shop cardboard display sign that showed the complete toy soldier range of 1976. This had sold for £220 on ebay attained from a local toy shop where we used to live in Monton, Eccles, Greater Manchester in the summer of that year. Upon viewing the various toy displays I had seen it displayed above the Britains area of the window and promptly decided at that moment to ask if I could have it. Mr. Williamson the well respected shop owner of the good old service school of proprieters sadly all but gone nowadays went a fetched it straight from the window without a second glance (maybe because I had been a regular customer with the Britains Soldiers while accompanying my mum and older brother on local shopping ventures). With him (Mr Williamson) service was of the highest value and he would treat the small child like any adult customer with sincerity and respect.I must have been impressed with him as I remember him like yesterday.

My other great find years later in 2002 was a "Timpo Modern Army Train Set" from 1977 which was missing some components like the Soldiers and the cardboard ruinous station building but was mint and boxed.The actual train it would appear had never been run the light still worked, housed in the front of the plastic housing of the train and the full circle of track was all there also. I paid £3.99 from another charity shop (that I have given lots of donations too in the past)and sold it for £155.00 to a collector in Boston, Mass. USA. (picture of this item under "Britains" poster entry).