Specialist Matchbox Sale to include The David Saffery Yesteryear Collection Part 1 and Ex Matchbox Employees Collection Part 1

The Specialist Matchbox sale to be held on the 23rd September starts with the Ex Matchbox Employees Collection Part 1, which includes Early Moko Lesney toys, pre-production models, Regular Wheels and Superfast, plus part 2 features Matchbox Models of Yesteryear. The sale continues with The Landale Collection, Matchbox Models of Yesteryear and Speedkings including pre-production trial and colour models; and 28 lots of Matchbox Superfast. The sale concludes with The David Saffery Yesteryear Collection Part 1, over 160 lots of Matchbox Models of Yesteryear, including cars, vans, traction engines, and giftsets.

Highlights include

Lot 2022 — Matchbox early Lesney Toys British Road Service Prime Mover Ballast Tractor with Low Loader Trailer and Caterpillar Tractor Load – orange Prime Mover with gold trim, white lettering, dark green removable engine panels, mid-blue trailer complete with detachable ramps, bare metal drawbar, both with grey metal wheels, Caterpillar Bulldozer is yellow body, red blade with gold trim, red metal rollers with original and pliable dark green rubber tracks – overall Good to Good Plus with some paint chips, trailer has damp discolouration and ramps are only Fair in Fair but complete box with Good end label but missing inner card packing. Estimate: £200 – £300

Lot 2045 — Matchbox Superfast No.35 Merryweather Marquis Fire Engine Pre-production trial model – bare metal body, yellow plastic ladder, blue windows, white plastic base, 5-spoke narrow wheels with ivory axle clips. Model differs from standard Superfast production issue in the following ways: body casting is without roof chequered-plate detail to rear, both ladder retaining lugs and roof-light cast circles are smaller, lower edge of body between the wheelarches is flat whereas production version have a raised sill area, rear of body has 4 x cast open rectangular holes above the plastic insert which on production versions are cast shut, base is smooth without the cast detail above, below and to the left side of the model description and does not have the “pat app” lettering to rear and the side lockers are cast in pairs rather than a single locker on production versions, also the cab door step area is correctly recessed whereas production issues have this area cast flat. Does have some chrome loss to wheels – Excellent Plus unboxed. Please note base has not been factory spun to body. Estimate: £300 – £400

Lot 2109 — Matchbox Superfast No.56 BMC 1800 Pininfarina Pre-production trial model – dark yellow body, clear windows, ivory interior, bare metal base which is a slightly modified original “Auto Steer” design rather than the final Superfast design (see photo), base have 4-line text “Made in England by Lesney Matchbox Series No.56 BMC 1800 Pininfarina”, without copyright date and without Superfast lettering, base casting also lacks rear exhausts which were added to production version and without the cast detail above & below the base lettering and the front registration number is blank; trial Superfast narrow wheels fitted with a large diameter solid chrome disc – overall Excellent with some scratches to roof, factory paint flaw to hood and a couple of tiny chips to rear tailgate. Estimate: £500 – £600

Lot 2110 — Matchbox Superfast No.12 Land Rover Safari Pre-production trial model – blue body, brown luggage, clear windows, white interior without transmission tunnel cast, 5-spoke narrow wheels with tread patter cast, fitted with trial ivory plastic axle clips – Excellent Plus chrome loss to one rear wheel, tiny scratch to passenger front door and faint scratch to passenger rear door. This very rare authentic factory produced model still displays very well indeed. Estimate: £3000 – £4000

Lot 2119 — Matchbox Regular Wheels No.15d VW Beetle Rally Car Pre-production trial model – dark yellow body, clear windows, ivory interior, bare metal base, chrome hubs with black plastic tyres. Model differs from production versions in the following ways: base does not have copyright date and states Made in England by Lesney not “Lesney Prod & Co. Ltd”, front bumper does not have cast braces, the front wings are also not cut-out to allow room for those braces; and the rear body has 2 central slots that fit between the rear bumper, these were deleted from the production versions – Excellent Plus unboxed. Estimate: £300 – £400

Lot 2121 — Matchbox Regular Wheels No.42c Iron Fairy Crane – bare metal body and jib, lemon-yellow interior & base (not standard issue dark yellow), maroon hook, black plastic wheels, base without copyright date and jib has “high pin” holding the plastic hydraulic ram in position (production versions have the hydraulic ram retaining pin in a lower position). Base in factory spun down but the jib and hydraulic ram retaining pins have been hand hammered by the factory into place – overall Near Mint unboxed. Estimate: £300 – £400

For more details visit https://www.vectis.co.uk