We are one of Britain's foremost public auctioneers of Toys and Model Railways. Our six sales each year contain ranges of miscellaneous toys, die-cast models from British and foreign manufacturers, model soldiers and model railways.

Public auctions of GB and world coins and banknotes, medals and militaria, toys and die-cast models and model railways are held six times a year. The dates of our 2010 sales are as follows: April 14th, June 16th, August 11th, October 13th, December 8th.

Our next general public auction of Toys will be held at the Court House, Warwick, on Wednesday 14th April, starting at 11 am. The online catalogue will be available approximately 3 weeks before the sale. To view the online catalogue, once it is uploaded and place bids on items in the sale click here. To download a catalogue (without illustrations) click here.

The sales take place at the Court House, Jury Street, Warwick, in the ballroom, which is on the first floor. The building has a lift. The entrance to the building is in Castle Street and the nearest car park is in New Street. The nearest railway station is Warwick Town and the nearest major international airport is Birmingham. For directions please visit our How to Find Us page.

Public viewing for all of our auctions is held at our own premises, the sales being too large to transport to the auction venue. Account settlement and lot allocation takes place progressively at our premises whilst the auction continues, so as soon as the section which interests you has been knocked down, you can pay and collect your lots without waiting for the end of the sale.

Public viewing for this sale is available at our offices on the following dates:

• Friday 9th April, 09.00 – 17.00
• Monday 12th April, 09.00 – 17.00
• Tuesday 13th April, 09.00 - 17.00
• Wednesday 14th April, 08.00 onwards

There is no need to attend an auction in person, as commission bids can be placed in advance of the sale via our online facility, or by telephone, mail, fax or e-mail. For further details please visit our Online Catalogue.

If you would like to receive a free sample printed catalogue, or alternatively to apply for a catalogue subscription, please complete our catalogue enquiry form. However please remember that the printed catalogue contains far fewer illustrations of lots than the online catalogue.

Contemplating Selling?

Are you thinking of selling your entire collection or part of it? Would you like us to value it and give you advise on how best to market it? Visit our Marketing Your Collection page.

French Dinky Toys find British Buyers

The February 2010 auction contained several lots of French Dinky Toys which were offered individually and which all sold well.

• A Berline 403 Peugeot, no. 24B, with light grey body, nearly mint, in nearly excellent box, estimated at £60, realised £92.
• An Autocar Chausson, no. 29F, with blue and cream body, nearly excellent, in good box, estimated at £60, realised £92.
• A Sud Aviation Vautour S.N.C.A.S.O., no. 60 B, excellent plus, in good plus box, estimated at £50, realised £46.

British Dinky Toys also fared well. Achieving good prices were the following:

• Triumph TR2 Sports, no. 111, with turquoise body, red interior and hubs, nearly excellent, in good box, estimated at £100, realised £109.
• Ford Zephyr Saloon, no. 162, with two tone blue body and grey hubs, excellent, in excellent box, estimated at £60, realised £98.
• Royal Mail Van, no. 260, nearly excellent, in good box, estimated at £60, realised £63.

Amongst the Dinky Supertoys, the best price of £494 was realised by a Foden 14 Ton Tanker, no. 504, second cab, with red cab, chassis and hubs, fawn tank and grey tyres, nearly mint, in excellent box.

Several Corgi Toys were also offered individually and amongst them were the following:

• Commer Constructor Gift Set, no. 24, with 2 chassis units, 4 changeable bodies, milkman, milk bottles and seat, generally excellent, in excellent plus box, estimated at £70, realised £92.

• Hillman Imp, no. 251, with bronze body and white stripe and interior, excellent plus, in excellent box, estimated £40, realised £149.
• Batmobile, no. 267, with black body and gold cast wheels and red bat logo, both figures, pulsating exhaust, excellent plus, in excellent pictorial box with diorama, estimated at £180, realised £276.

Good Prices for Model Steam Engines

Several different makes of model steam engines were on offer in our December 2009 auction and they were well received by the bidders. The best realisation was the £1,725 paid for the Maxwell Hemmens 1 ½ inch scale Merlin French agricultural portable steam engine, no.792, 2 feet long, in working condition, mint, with a 1985 boiler test certificate to 125 psi. and a wooden and metal carrying case.

A Markie Tony Pearce designed, scenic showman’s steam engine, 1 inch scale working model, “Quo Vardis”, mint, with 1986 boiler test certificate to 100 psi and wooden and metal carrying case realised £1,207.

A very heavy and well built Wilesco boiler and beam engine, 68 cm tall, with 1992 boiler test certificate to 120 psi, estimated at £700, realised £1,121.

In the model railways section there was a good representation of Hornby Dublo.

Hornby Dublo G.W.R. N2 O-6-2 T 6699 pre-war clockwork loco, no. DL7, with key, in working order, good, with 10 pieces often plate track, estimated £300, realised £368.

Hornby Dublo B.R. 46247 “City of Liverpool” Duchess Class 4-6-2 steam loco and tender, no. 3226, loco good, tender fair, without box, estimated £150, realised £138.

Hornby Dublo breakdown crane (2 rail) set no. 4620 with 3 riding trucks and 4 jacks, generally good plus, in excellent box, estimated £100, realised £103.

Keen Buyers for Hornby Dublo

A number of Hornby Dublo collections, locos and rolling stock were on offer in our October 14th 2009 auction and they proved popular with the bidders.

• Hornby Dublo G.W.R. Class N2 0-6-0T tank engine, 6699, in green, no. EDL7, good plus (Ramsay L3), estimated £170, realised £150.
• Hornby Dublo B.R. Class A4 4-6-2 loco, 60016 “Silver King”, in green, with tender, no. EDL11, good with very light corrosion, in nearly excellent boxes (Ramsay L7), estimated £50, realised £80.
• Hornby Dublo EDP set no. 1, with L.N.E.R 4-6-2 loco “Sir Nigel Gresley” and tender, 2 carriages, track and controller, generally good and better, in fair box, estimated £70, realised £86.

Dinky Toys also achieved good prices. The following results were typical:

• Austin Devon Saloon, no. 152, blue upper body and hubs, yellow lower body, nearly good, in nearly good box, estimated £40, realised £80;
• Nash Rambler, no. 173, turquoise bodyand cerise flash, excellent, in excellent plus box, estimated £36, realised £50;
• Atlantean City Bus “BP is the Key”, no. 293, smooth roof, excellent, in nearly excellent box, estimated £30, realised £48;

• Guy Van “Lyons Swiss Rolls”, no. 514, excellent/excellent plus, in excellent box, estimated £750, realised £920;
• Foden 14 Ton Tanker “Mobilgas”, no. 941, good plus, in nearly excellent box, estimated £150, realised £150;
• Racehorse Transport, no. 979, nearly good, in fair plus/nearly good box, estimated £50, realised £80.

Good Range of Corgi Die-Cast in August Sale

The August 2009 auction contained a detailed listing of Corgi die-cast toys, all boxed, which sold very well.

Chipperfield’s Circus gift set no. 12, crane truck and circus cage, with instructions, mint, in near mint box, estimated £250, realised £230.

Volkswagen 1200 East African Rally, no. 256, with rhinoceros, mint, in near mint box, estimated £200, realised £184.

Batmobile, no. 267, gloss black, mint, in excellent box, diorama with Batman and Robin pictures cut out, pulsating exhaust flame, instructions with envelope, 6 yellow rockets and Batman logo on hubs, estimated at £180, realised £276.

Chipperfield’s poodle truck, with Mary Chipperfield and 4 white and 2 black poodles, with dome over dogs, mint, in near mint box, estimated £250, realised £264.

Citroen Safari Alpine Rescue, no. 153, mint, in excellent box, estimated £150, realised £161.

A good listing of Dinky Toys saw a much better than anticipated result for the BBC TV Roving Eye Vehicle, no. 968, with cameraman and aerial, excellent, in excellent box, with internal packing, which was estimated at £50 and which realised £126.

Action Man Boxed Figures sell well.

The June 2009 auction contained a significant range of Palitoy Action Man figures, all in good condition and in their original boxes. Many realisations exceeded estimates.

• Action Man Talking Commander, no. 34051, with brown, flock hair, gripping hands, 17/21st Lancers cap, pull ID tag for talking commands, pistol and holster, nearly mint, in good “Now with Gripping Hands” box , complete with instructions, equipment manual, officer’s rank stickers and reward card, estimated £200, realised £368.
• Action Man Adventurer, no. 34053, with blond, flock hair and beard, gripping hands, blue jumper and blue trousers, mint, in excellent box, complete with instructions, equipment manual, dressing thimble and reward card, estimated £150, realised £207.
• Action Man Tom Stone, no. 34070, with black, flock hair and beard, gripping hands, HK MP5 and green beret, mint, in excellent plus box, complete with equipment poster and reward card, estimated £120, realised £207.
• Action Man Tom Stone, no. 34070, with black, flock hair, gripping hands, HK MP5 and green beret, mint, in nearly mint box, complete with instructions, equipment manual, dressing thimble and reward card, estimated £120, realised £207.

• Action Man Cowboy, no. 34076, with moving blue eagle eyes, gripping hands, 2 pistols and holsters, mint, in good plus box, complete with instructions, equipment manual and reward card, estimated £150, realised £299.

Good Range of Corgi popular with Buyers

The Warwick and Warwick sale held on April 8th 2009 contained a good range of popular Corgi die-cast models. The following results were obtained.

Chipperfield’s Circus set no.23, second issue, nearly mint in near excellent box, estimated £280, realised £368.

Carriemore Car Transporter set no. 28, transporter excellent, cars nearly mint, in nearly good outer box, with all internal packing and excellent individual car boxes, estimated at £400, realised £414.

Tarzan gift set no. 36, mint, in unopened plastic tray, in good plus window box, with 3D picture panorama, estimated at £200, realised £230.

The Avengers gift set no. 40, nearly mint, in nearly mint picture box, with internal pictorial stand and internal packing, estimated at £350, realised £483.

The Saint’s Volvo P1800 no. 258, with black Saint logo, about excellent, in good picture box, estimated £100, realised £138.

Batmobile no. 267, in scarce matt black, with unopened envelope of secret instructions, sticker, 12 yellow rockets on sprue, separate features leaflet, mint, in nearly excellent picture box, with internal pictorial stand, estimated at £340, realised £661.

Dinky Supertoy Presentation Set makes £414

Dinky Fire Service set, no. 957, containing fire engine (955), turntable fie escape (956) and fire chief’s car (257), good to nearly excellent, in good box, realised £414 in the February 2009 sale.

A Dinky Guy van “Ever Ready Batteries for Life”, no. 918, with 2nd type cab, nearly mint, in nearly excellent box, sold for £287.

In the model railways section, a Hornby Dublo, a B.R. Rebuilt West Country Class green 4-6-2 loco, no. 34005 “Barnstaple” and tender, no. 2235, excellent plus, in excellent box, estimated at £100, sold for £207.

A Hornby Dublo B.R. two tone green Deltic Diesel, D9012 “Crepello”, no. 2234, mint, in near excellent box, appeared never to have been used. It was estimated at £100 and realised £150.

Die Cast Buses and Coaches Popular

Of the die cast models on offer as individual lots in the December 10th 2008 auction, the scarcest was the Corgi Australian Export Issue Routemaster bus no. 468, in New South Wales livery, “Naturally Corgi Toys”, in excellent condition, in near excellent window box, which realised £242.

Amongst the Dinky toys, a Luxury Coach, no. 281, with cream body, with red flashes and hubs, excellent, in fair card box, estimated at £40, realised £63, which was the same figure realised by a Dinky B.O.A.C Coach, no. 283, with black tyres, excellent, in good plus card box.

Dinky Foden Flat Truck no. 503 makes £276

A Dinky Supertoy, a Foden flat truck, with tailboard, no. 503, with first type cab, in red and black, in good condition, in its original box, realised £276 in the August 13th auction and a Guy flat truck, no. 512, in maroon and black, good plus, in original box, made £150. A Bedford articulated lorry, no. 521, in red and black, with black hubs, good, in original box, realised £126 and a tank transporter, no. 660, excellent, in original box, £69.

Hornby was well represented in the model railways section and a Dublo tank goods train set, no. EDG7, containing Southern N2 0-6-2T, 2594, 3 goods wagons, controller and track, about excellent condition, in fair plus box, realised £356.

Britains Royal Artillery gun team, no. 39, containing a 6 horse-drawn gun limber, with 3 mounted riders, 2 detachable seated gunners and howitzer, very fine and better, was estimated at £150 and realised £184.

Miscellaneous Die Cast Collection goes for more than Three Times Estimate

The June 18th 2008 auction contained many mixed accumulations. However there was one lot in particular that excited a large number of room bidders. That was a lot of 90 unboxed die cast models, in mixed condition, many earlier, from manufacturers such as Dinky, Corgi, Solido, Tekno and Matchbox. Estimated at £430, the hammer eventually dropped at a staggering £1,437.

Amongst the single items on offer, Dinky fared very well.

Austin covered wagon, no. 413, red body, light grey tinplate tilt, grey hubs, excellent, in good plus box, with correct colour spot, estimated £120, realised £253.
Guy flat truck, 1st cab, no. 512, dark blue cab/chassis/wings, red flatbed, mid blue grooved hubs, excellent, in good box, estimated £120, realised £161.

Guy van “Weetabix”, no. 514, good plus, in near excellent box, estimated £850, realised £789.

Corgi Toys Popular

A number of classic Corgi toys, in good condition, were offered in the Warwick and Warwick April 9th 2008 auction and achieved good results.

Corgi no. 267, Batmobile, black, with red interior, bat logo on doors and hubs, offered with both figures, pulsating exhaust flame, envelope with instructions, Batman badge and 9 yellow missiles on sprue, about mint, in excellent card picture box with pictorial inner stand. Estimate £150. Realisation £241.

Corgi no. 261, James Bond Aston Martin DB5 from “Goldfinger”, gold, with red interior, wire wheels and bandit figure, all mechanisms functioning well, about mint, in excellent plus picture box, complete with envelope bearing special instructions and spare bandit figure. Estimate £220. Realisation £207.

Corgi no. 497, Man From U.N.C.L.E. Oldsmobile “Thrush Buster”, metallic blue, cast spotlights, bonnet sticker, gun sound, excellent plus in excellent plus card picture box with pictorial inner stand and Waverley Ring.

The best die cast Dinky Toy on offer was no.100, Thunderbirds Lady Penelope’s FAB1, pink including roof slides, chrome cast hubs, Lady Penelope and Parker figures, loose missile and 3 harpoons, about mint (forward missile mechanism not working), in about excellent card picture box with pictorial inner stand. Estimate £140. Realisation £172.

Amongst the model railways on offer, the best price of £380 was achieved by a complete Hornby-Dublo operating system, consisting of boxed components, including 4-6-2 locomotive EDL2, LMS 6231 “Duchess of Atholl” and tender, tinplate carriages (2) and goods wagons (3), mainly good plus, track, 2 transformers and instructions.

HO Gauge Model Train Accumulations prove Popular

The February 13th auction contained vast accumulations of mainly continental HO gauge model trains, which proved very poplar with the trade. Lot 1289 in the miscellaneous section contained 32 locos, 90 carriages and 42 goods wagons. It was estimated at a conservative £100, as none of the original boxes were present. Bidding eventually stopped at £1,064. Even more remarkable was a large accumulation of HO accessories, including 400+ Preiser / Merten packets of figures and animals, track, etc. It filled 3 boxes and was estimated at £20. The final realisation was a staggering £1,064.

A Bemo accumulation of 5 electric locos and 60 small goods wagons, in boxes, sold for £891 against a £130 estimate and 5 Fulgurex diesel/electric locos, with boxes, made £949 against an estimate of £90.

Individual steam locos by Trix yielded good results:

L.M.S. 4-6-2 Coronation loco and tender, with 3 coaches, boxed, estimate £600, realisation £834.

The die cast models section of the sale also contained extensive accumulations of HO continental road vehicles in their original boxes. Lot 1460 was typical, containing 596 items. Estimated at £150, it realised £891.