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Post by GBOAC002 on Jul 14, 2022 11:03:55 GMT -5
I second that! Do you ever get the "Very impressive but what should I do with this lot when you die?" from the 'person in charge of domestic matters...' My response is usually just call in a well known English Auction House which specialises in 1:43 diecast!
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Post by WallOfCars on Jul 14, 2022 11:22:36 GMT -5
In the sheer volume it is almost easy to overlook the quality. That's where macro & close-ups tell the rest...
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Post by 105epaul on Jul 14, 2022 11:48:33 GMT -5
Absolutely splendid displays, I wish that I had as much room! That said I do have too much stuff but I'm single so there's nobody to stop me. I noted the Corgi Scammell triple deck transporter, I recently acquired a very nice boxed one and a unboxed double deck version. They are quite difficult to find in good condition. Looking forward to more photos.
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Post by oldirish33 on Jul 14, 2022 11:51:43 GMT -5
I second that! Do you ever get the "Very impressive but what should I do with this lot when you die?" from the 'person in charge of domestic matters...' My response is usually just call in a well known English Auction House which specialises in 1:43 diecast! Yes, which is the primary reason I am trying to rationalize (downsizing) my collection. I have reached the point in my life where your question weighs on me at times and disposal of a collection is a problem everyone at some point has to think about. I have also reached the point where I have owned this things for awhile and my time as their caretaker is coming to a close. It has become much easier to let things go, particularly where I do not have a strong emotional attachment to them. I don't want the collection to be a tremendous burden on my wife or kids if/when something happens to me. Fortunately, my son is an avid automotive and model enthusiast, so he knows he can have what he may want and would assist in liquidating the rest. Still, that leaves a great deal for me to sort out in the meantime to lessen that load. Unfortunately, there is no auction house here to call that specializes in this like a Vectis. I have left notes and details on the pieces I feel have significant value so they don't get shuffled off to the charity donation box. Money, while nice to have, isn't a prime motivator for me and I never looked at this as a retirement fund option. I have found that I have taken great delight in giving things to new caretakers that will appreciate them and that was a new, unexpected part of collecting I didn't anticipate.
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Post by oldirish33 on Jul 14, 2022 12:05:50 GMT -5
Absolutely splendid displays, I wish that I had as much room! That said I do have too much stuff but I'm single so there's nobody to stop me. I noted the Corgi Scammell triple deck transporter, I recently acquired a very nice boxed one and a unboxed double deck version. They are quite difficult to find in good condition. Looking forward to more photos. Thanks Paul! That transporter is one I had as a kid, but it came to me at a point where I didn't play with toy cars and trucks as much anymore, so it has minimal play wear. The Dinky transporters are replacements for ones that were owned in my youth (Bedford) and didn't survive, or ones I wanted but never received (red transporter and trailer). Both came from a small antique shop near Victoria, BC Canada we visited on our honeymoon, so they all have sentimental value. I at one time had a large collection of Dinky, Corgi, Solido and Politoys 500 series models, most mint in box, which I sold off. My rational at the time (about 1984) was that collectors were paying good money for them and I was more attracted to contemporary diecast and its greater degree of realism. I now find myself looking at those old Dinkys and Corgis like what I had and you acquired with greater nostalgia. So far, I have managed to exercise restraint in buying even the Atlas reproductions.
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Post by WallOfCars on Jul 14, 2022 12:49:20 GMT -5
I enjoy the 'collectors' talk here just as much as the collection being discussed!
Jerry, are you a lifelong resident of the PNW? I've longed to visit your area and beyond - there is strong allure for a native of the sun-baked South! Sorry to go off topic...
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Post by GBOAC002 on Jul 14, 2022 14:59:34 GMT -5
After selling off my Dinky/Corgi collection (except for my XK120) in 1963 it would be nine years and the discovery of Model Time in Croydon and spotting Solido, Politoys and Mebetoys in their window which set me off down the Continental diecast path. A maroon Solido Maserati 3.5. a yellow Solido Lamborghini Miura and a Polityoys blue Lamborghini 350GT would form the new cornerstone on my current diverse collection. Boxes got discarded.... and by 1983 Swapmeets would be a source of Italian, French, German and Japanese makes. Everyone else was sending prices of Dinky/Corgi skywards but continental makes would remain cheap for much, much longer. Plus they would be available from Italy in more colours and cars within a set range like 350GT/Miura/Jarama/ Islero/ Espada etc,. since the Big Two (Dinky/Corgi) went out of business and maintain detail and more precise moulding.
I was working in London by 1983 and recall walking into St Martins Accessories, at lunchtime scooting straight past flashy wheel trims and Maserati Airhorns on the ground floor and ascending the stairs of the mezzanine and discovering Pauls Model Art and some Schuco cars! Wow! Round the corner in St Martin's Court here was St Martins Motor Books.
Elsewhere in Central London there was still Beatties who dipped their feet into the continental diecast makes for a while. Even two antique toy sellers in Gray's Antiques to satisfy my searching for mint used stock. Hamleys were good for a very short while too. You had to go to the fifth floor.
The Windsor Swapmeets would be an excellent source of Japanese and Continental models. Late 80s, pre ebay was a brilliant time to hunt down hard to find models.
Apols for this detour...
So, as Jerry was selling off I was chasing down some of those models which meant buying Collectors Gazette in the UK and finding my way to swap meets. Now we just tap our keyboards and wait for the postman!
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Post by WallOfCars on Jul 14, 2022 15:37:14 GMT -5
After selling off my Dinky/Corgi collection (except for my XK120) in 1963 it would be nine years and the discovery of Model Time in Croydon and spotting Solido, Politoys and Mebetoys in their window which set me off down the Continental diecast path. A maroon Solido Maserati 3.5. a yellow Solido Lamborghini Miura and a Polityoys blue Lamborghini 350GT would form the new cornerstone on my current diverse collection. Boxes got discarded.... and by 1983 Swapmeets would be a source of Italian, French, German and Japanese makes. Everyone else was sending prices of Dinky/Corgi skywards but continental makes would remain cheap for much, much longer. Plus they would be available from Italy in more colours and cars within a set range like 350GT/Miura/Jarama/ Islero/ Espada etc,. since the Big Two (Dinky/Corgi) went out of business and maintain detail and more precise moulding. I was working in London by 1983 and recall walking into St Martins Accessories, at lunchtime scooting straight past flashy wheel trims and Maserati Airhorns on the ground floor and ascending the stairs of the mezzanine and discovering Pauls Model Art and some Schuco cars! Wow! Round the corner in St Martin's Court here was St Martins Motor Books. Elsewhere in Central London there was still Beatties who dipped their feet into the continental diecast makes for a while. Even two antique toy sellers in Gray's Antiques to satisfy my searching for mint used stock. Hamleys were good for a very short while too. You had to go to the fifth floor. The Windsor Swapmeets would be an excellent source of Japanese and Continental models. Late 80s, pre ebay was a brilliant time to hunt down hard to find models. Apols for this detour... So, as Jerry was selling off I was chasing down some of those models which meant buying Collectors Gazette in the UK and finding my way to swap meets. Now we just tap our keyboards and wait for the postman! What a great overview of your collecting life! You gents in the UK/EU sure had the advantage over us in the States. I think the internet has pretty much levelled the odds now. Just as well as I was only a kid back then and had little money to spend on tiny cars. But, that did not stop the interest, occasional purchase from a mailorder catalog or great gifts!
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Post by DeadCanDanceR on Jul 14, 2022 16:27:35 GMT -5
After selling off my Dinky/Corgi collection (except for my XK120) in 1963 it would be nine years and the discovery of Model Time in Croydon and spotting Solido, Politoys and Mebetoys in their window which set me off down the Continental diecast path. A maroon Solido Maserati 3.5. a yellow Solido Lamborghini Miura and a Polityoys blue Lamborghini 350GT would form the new cornerstone on my current diverse collection. Boxes got discarded.... and by 1983 Swapmeets would be a source of Italian, French, German and Japanese makes. Everyone else was sending prices of Dinky/Corgi skywards but continental makes would remain cheap for much, much longer. Plus they would be available from Italy in more colours and cars within a set range like 350GT/Miura/Jarama/ Islero/ Espada etc,. since the Big Two (Dinky/Corgi) went out of business and maintain detail and more precise moulding. I was working in London by 1983 and recall walking into St Martins Accessories, at lunchtime scooting straight past flashy wheel trims and Maserati Airhorns on the ground floor and ascending the stairs of the mezzanine and discovering Pauls Model Art and some Schuco cars! Wow! Round the corner in St Martin's Court here was St Martins Motor Books. Elsewhere in Central London there was still Beatties who dipped their feet into the continental diecast makes for a while. Even two antique toy sellers in Gray's Antiques to satisfy my searching for mint used stock. Hamleys were good for a very short while too. You had to go to the fifth floor. The Windsor Swapmeets would be an excellent source of Japanese and Continental models. Late 80s, pre ebay was a brilliant time to hunt down hard to find models. Apols for this detour... So, as Jerry was selling off I was chasing down some of those models which meant buying Collectors Gazette in the UK and finding my way to swap meets. Now we just tap our keyboards and wait for the postman! Thatβs an extremely interesting story of your collecting habits, Ian! After selling off my Dinky/Corgi collection (except for my XK120) in 1963 it would be nine years and the discovery of Model Time in Croydon and spotting Solido, Politoys and Mebetoys in their window which set me off down the Continental diecast path. A maroon Solido Maserati 3.5. a yellow Solido Lamborghini Miura and a Polityoys blue Lamborghini 350GT would form the new cornerstone on my current diverse collection. Boxes got discarded.... and by 1983 Swapmeets would be a source of Italian, French, German and Japanese makes. Everyone else was sending prices of Dinky/Corgi skywards but continental makes would remain cheap for much, much longer. Plus they would be available from Italy in more colours and cars within a set range like 350GT/Miura/Jarama/ Islero/ Espada etc,. since the Big Two (Dinky/Corgi) went out of business and maintain detail and more precise moulding. I was working in London by 1983 and recall walking into St Martins Accessories, at lunchtime scooting straight past flashy wheel trims and Maserati Airhorns on the ground floor and ascending the stairs of the mezzanine and discovering Pauls Model Art and some Schuco cars! Wow! Round the corner in St Martin's Court here was St Martins Motor Books. Elsewhere in Central London there was still Beatties who dipped their feet into the continental diecast makes for a while. Even two antique toy sellers in Gray's Antiques to satisfy my searching for mint used stock. Hamleys were good for a very short while too. You had to go to the fifth floor. The Windsor Swapmeets would be an excellent source of Japanese and Continental models. Late 80s, pre ebay was a brilliant time to hunt down hard to find models. Apols for this detour... So, as Jerry was selling off I was chasing down some of those models which meant buying Collectors Gazette in the UK and finding my way to swap meets. Now we just tap our keyboards and wait for the postman! What a great overview of your collecting life! You gents in the UK/EU sure had the advantage over us in the States. I think the internet has pretty much levelled the odds now. Just as well as I was only a kid back then and had little money to spend on tiny cars. But, that did not stop the interest, occasional purchase from a mailorder catalog or great gifts! Imagine me, living in this third world country, BB! Thanks God for the internet!
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Post by oldirish33 on Jul 14, 2022 19:16:02 GMT -5
I enjoy the 'collectors' talk here just as much as the collection being discussed! Jerry, are you a lifelong resident of the PNW? I've longed to visit your area and beyond - there is strong allure for a native of the sun-baked South! Sorry to go off topic... I think that's what forums are supposed to be about BB and I enjoy it too! Yes, have lived in Oregon all my life. Almost relocated to different parts a couple times but didn't for various reasons. Almost moved to St. Pete Beach until my wife meet the Palmetto bug. π After selling off my Dinky/Corgi collection (except for my XK120) in 1963 it would be nine years and the discovery of Model Time in Croydon and spotting Solido, Politoys and Mebetoys in their window which set me off down the Continental diecast path. A maroon Solido Maserati 3.5. a yellow Solido Lamborghini Miura and a Polityoys blue Lamborghini 350GT would form the new cornerstone on my current diverse collection. Boxes got discarded.... and by 1983 Swapmeets would be a source of Italian, French, German and Japanese makes. Everyone else was sending prices of Dinky/Corgi skywards but continental makes would remain cheap for much, much longer. Plus they would be available from Italy in more colours and cars within a set range like 350GT/Miura/Jarama/ Islero/ Espada etc,. since the Big Two (Dinky/Corgi) went out of business and maintain detail and more precise moulding. I was working in London by 1983 and recall walking into St Martins Accessories, at lunchtime scooting straight past flashy wheel trims and Maserati Airhorns on the ground floor and ascending the stairs of the mezzanine and discovering Pauls Model Art and some Schuco cars! Wow! Round the corner in St Martin's Court here was St Martins Motor Books. Elsewhere in Central London there was still Beatties who dipped their feet into the continental diecast makes for a while. Even two antique toy sellers in Gray's Antiques to satisfy my searching for mint used stock. Hamleys were good for a very short while too. You had to go to the fifth floor. The Windsor Swapmeets would be an excellent source of Japanese and Continental models. Late 80s, pre ebay was a brilliant time to hunt down hard to find models. Apols for this detour... So, as Jerry was selling off I was chasing down some of those models which meant buying Collectors Gazette in the UK and finding my way to swap meets. Now we just tap our keyboards and wait for the postman! You were fortunate to have so many retail shops. Here we had one toy store which is where I discovered Solido in 1974. They carried Corgi and Dinky, but I was put off by their Whiz wheels. I built most of my collection at that time through a publication called Traders Horn, which had sales and want ads. Buying was done by mail and phone when phones were still attached to the wall and didn't take pictures. There were also retailers that sold continental diecast like Rio, Brumm, Politoys, Norev, Schuco and Marklin, Brooklin (Canada and UK). They also introduced me to white metal kits from John Day and Mikansue. Sinclair and Marque Products were the two largest mail order retailers. Eric Waiter (EWA) was later a big influence in my collecting tastes and acquisitions in the late eighties onwards. Spent a lot of money with them before they folded. Different days and times for sure!
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Post by WallOfCars on Jul 14, 2022 19:53:13 GMT -5
I do miss EWA! Still have a big stack of their old catalogs. I even saved some pics from their website's final days back in '09 and also scored some great bargains on cars & books! Indeed, it's a very different time today on all levels...
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Post by DeadCanDanceR on Jul 14, 2022 20:08:32 GMT -5
EWA!!! A blast from the past! Great times, for sure!
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Post by oldirish33 on Jul 14, 2022 22:48:47 GMT -5
I do miss EWA! Still have a big stack of their old catalogs. I even saved some pics from their website's final days back in '09 and also scored some great bargains on cars & books! Indeed, it's a very different time today on all levels... It would be great to see some of their old catalogs just to see the prices. They had some high-end diecast that you didn't see at other retailers. To the lightening of my wallet, they also had some great sales! Yes, very different times. You didn't have to preorder everything to be sure to get it and in stock models would usually be there the next month if it didn't fit your budget this month. While there is greater variety in subjects today, it all seems much more frenzied (and expensive). A reflection of the pace of life for many today I reckon. Okay, I'll go back to my rocking chair on the porch. π EWA!!! A blast from the past! Great times, for sure! It has been fun recalling old names and old ways we did collecting in them old days. π
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Post by JSB33 on Jul 15, 2022 8:19:43 GMT -5
I second that! Do you ever get the "Very impressive but what should I do with this lot when you die?" from the 'person in charge of domestic matters...' My response is usually just call in a well known English Auction House which specialises in 1:43 diecast! Yes, which is the primary reason I am trying to rationalize (downsizing) my collection. I have reached the point in my life where your question weighs on me at times and disposal of a collection is a problem everyone at some point has to think about. I have also reached the point where I have owned this things for awhile and my time as their caretaker is coming to a close. It has become much easier to let things go, particularly where I do not have a strong emotional attachment to them. I don't want the collection to be a tremendous burden on my wife or kids if/when something happens to me. Fortunately, my son is an avid automotive and model enthusiast, so he knows he can have what he may want and would assist in liquidating the rest. Still, that leaves a great deal for me to sort out in the meantime to lessen that load. Unfortunately, there is no auction house here to call that specializes in this like a Vectis. I have left notes and details on the pieces I feel have significant value so they don't get shuffled off to the charity donation box. Money, while nice to have, isn't a prime motivator for me and I never looked at this as a retirement fund option. I have found that I have taken great delight in giving things to new caretakers that will appreciate them and that was a new, unexpected part of collecting I didn't anticipate. Dealing with this situation right now (in spades) with my BIL's estate, trying to help a very stubborn and shell shocked widow sort through an entire house of his "collections" Hate to say it, I have told my wife that if I go before her, just through my stuff in the trash. I don't want to see her go through what her sister is going through for a few bucks. Life is too short to force a loved one into a full time job getting rid of the things you accumulated for yourself. My SIL is 70 years old and she will spend the next few years working to clear out the hoard, how much time doe she have left? What if she just threw everything into the bin? She would have her house back which is the most important thing to her. The money was already spent, water already down the drain.
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Post by 105epaul on Jul 15, 2022 11:55:17 GMT -5
After selling off my Dinky/Corgi collection (except for my XK120) in 1963 it would be nine years and the discovery of Model Time in Croydon and spotting Solido, Politoys and Mebetoys in their window which set me off down the Continental diecast path. A maroon Solido Maserati 3.5. a yellow Solido Lamborghini Miura and a Polityoys blue Lamborghini 350GT would form the new cornerstone on my current diverse collection. Boxes got discarded.... and by 1983 Swapmeets would be a source of Italian, French, German and Japanese makes. Everyone else was sending prices of Dinky/Corgi skywards but continental makes would remain cheap for much, much longer. Plus they would be available from Italy in more colours and cars within a set range like 350GT/Miura/Jarama/ Islero/ Espada etc,. since the Big Two (Dinky/Corgi) went out of business and maintain detail and more precise moulding. I was working in London by 1983 and recall walking into St Martins Accessories, at lunchtime scooting straight past flashy wheel trims and Maserati Airhorns on the ground floor and ascending the stairs of the mezzanine and discovering Pauls Model Art and some Schuco cars! Wow! Round the corner in St Martin's Court here was St Martins Motor Books. Elsewhere in Central London there was still Beatties who dipped their feet into the continental diecast makes for a while. Even two antique toy sellers in Gray's Antiques to satisfy my searching for mint used stock. Hamleys were good for a very short while too. You had to go to the fifth floor. The Windsor Swapmeets would be an excellent source of Japanese and Continental models. Late 80s, pre ebay was a brilliant time to hunt down hard to find models. Apols for this detour... So, as Jerry was selling off I was chasing down some of those models which meant buying Collectors Gazette in the UK and finding my way to swap meets. Now we just tap our keyboards and wait for the postman! With apologies to Jerry but this post echoes much of my past. I also discovered Model Time in Croydon, I would drive over there in the mid-70's in my hotted up Anglia 105E and treat myself to something. I lived in a town called Eltham in SE London and a pair of brothers opened a shop that had a large slot racing track so as a young lad I would go and have a look. Later they had some foreign diecast models such as Tekno, Solido, Politoys etc but they were quite expensive and I was still at school. I was determined to buy some though and slowly I did, still have them too. There was also a model shop at Brands Hatch and occasionally I had saved enough to buy a Solido. Then you mention St Martins, I used to pop over from my office in the City and buy a Solido then one day I went in, looked for the usual display cabinet and Kathleen said that the models were in the new mezzanine which I hadn't even noticed! I was quite shy then and when I went to pay we had a chat and they said that they had noticed me for a while but that I never hung around. That chat has ended up as a friendship to this day. I even worked there on Saturdays from 2005-07, it was only supposed to be for a few weeks. We may even have been in the store at the same time. Sadly Kath has health issues with dementia now which is terribly sad. Our local toyfair is this Sunday, I already have two items reserved plus no doubt there will be many more that catch my eye and deplete my wallet. Oh well it's only money . Apologies to Jerry once again.
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