hiya, i was wondering if you have any Billy Bunter books for sale, first editions, hard backs with dust jackets if possible? there’s about 11 books that we need (BB bank note, BB bolt, BB afloat, BB Bargain and numbers 31 – 37)
many thanx
Helen

Hi Helen, thanks for your enquiry re the ‘fat owl of the remove’ !
‘Oh lor !’ 1st Editions with dust wrappers you say … ‘Oh ! Yes ! No ! Oh crikey ! I – I – I say you fellows do we have any ?’
Yes Helen, seems we do have what you are looking for. Will email you with a full list together with details and pics.
Cheers, David.

David:
Just seen your website. Interested in the following toys: Mettoy Open Tourer, Arnold Fire Chief car and the Triang Minic Taxi. Will you
please let me know the prices for each of these
toys. I will pay through Paypal. Many thanks.
Paul (Tin5941)

Nice to hear from you Paul,
Will get my pencil sharpened and message you with prices asap – thanks for your interest.
Cheers for now, David.

Hi David, I came across your page through google as i was searching for boxed corgi items and might i just say what a great time i have had reading your blogs !!!.
I see from your photos that you have some corgis for sale so would it be at all possible for you to send me a list of any boxed corgi items you have and also a price list.
thank you and look forward to hearing from you.

steven ( leeds )

Glad you found the site of interest Steven, I am trying (at least thats what my wife says !). Hopefully a few facts mixed in with a bit of humour and some thoughts from my childhood days will make an interesting blend. Any ideas for future items will be most welcome, as for your Corgi toys a list is already on its way. Please let me know which items are of interest to you and I’ll send pics and condition reports etc.
Thanks once again, David.

hi – do you have any subbuteo for sale?

Anything Subbuteo ! I’m sure we should have something ‘kicking about’ ! Will e-mail you further on this asap.
Thanks for your enquiry.

hello,
i am interested in the tri-ang minic watney lorry but i cant find a price for said item ? i would be most gratefull for a price for this lorry.
regards

garry
ps i asume this is in working order

Hi there Garry nice to hear from you. Yes the Watneys wagon is working, as are all the models I show. Will e-mail a price to you shortly.
Regards, David.

David,
Interested is Sheffield bus please. Could you advise price and postage to Australia?
Will pay via Paypal if OK with you and price is right.
Cheers, Tony

Hi Tony and thanks for your interest. Sheffield bus to Oz, single or return ? Actually we have three or four different Sheffield buses including limited editions. Will message you with a list of prices / postage etc.
All the best from the UK.

david,
if you ever have in stock a tri-ang clockwork sherman tank could you give me a buzz please. garry

Garry – Sherman tanks eh, I’ve got visions of ray-bans and lound music as the shells burst around us ! Will message you with whats available at present via e-mail.
Cheers

re brimtoy article
i would just like to say thanks for your article on this subject,
i recent purchased a brimtoy pocketoy (all tin plate) bedford box removals van in red,(which i had never seen before ) i didnt know any thing about pocketoy apart from i had seen a few buses ,so i found your article about the company very interesting ,it would be interesting to know more about this range ,the company itself and pictures of what was made would be even better,as it doesnt seem very well documented at all

Les, thanks for your comments which are much appreciated. Seems that the article has stirred up some interest across the Brimtoy range especially the ‘POCKETOY’ element so will see if I can devote some more space to that area of collecting and include plenty of pics as you request. Watch this space – David.

David, it is nice to find a website that doesnt take itself too seriously!

How about an piece on FROG ‘ready to fly’ aeroplanes and Penguin boats, which brings me to the reason for the email. I have just bought a Penguin boat from you on eBay and I wondered whether you have any other Penguin, Tri-ang boats hidden away. I am also particularly interested in early FROG ‘ready to fly’ aircraft.

All the best.

Tony

First of all glad you like the format the site is taking Tony the intention is to keep it informative yet lighthearted – so let us know if the standards slip. Secondly, FROG and Penguin items – got to be a joke there somewhere ! but as it says somewhere in this site I do intend to cover the less popular toys so I reckon your suggestion is spot on – didn’t they do diecast cars ? – and finally other items available ? will look see and get back to you and finally finally I forgot to say thanks for your purchase hope you are happy with the motor launch

Thanks David, I am sure I will be happy with the motor launch.

I have been collecting toys for a while now and both my daughters get a thrill when a new toy is delivered by the postman. No matter how old the toy is they seem to have the capability of bringing out the child in us all. The interest in toys is a double edged sword, I could once pick up a nice classic boxed toy for a song but now of course they fetch often silly prices but the advantage is that people are turning out the loft and selling toys that probably would have ended up on landfill so the choice is so much greater which as a collector is good news. I hasten to add that all my collection can be used and played with as they were intended. I just ask the children have a little more respect for them than they would probably usually have.

And I am sure I dont need to remind you of the rich heriatge behind the FROG, Penguin and latterly the Tri-ang brand. FROG began manuafacturing free flight model aircraft in the 30’s and existed in one form or another right up to about 1970. Indeed under Tri-ang control Penguin made scale models of many of the iconic race cars of the 30’s, 40’s and 50’s powered by a humble rubber band. Some fine examples can still be found on a famous website, boxed for about £30 – a bargain!

Perhaps you could have a ‘guest spot’ where collectors could write a little piece about particular toy they collect and share some of the vast knowledge I know is out there.

All the best

Tony

Thanks for sharing those thoughts with us Tony and like you I believe that toys are meant to be played with. In saying that I will now contradict myself by saying that I do have a few choice items that if a little jammy hand went anywhere near them … well lets just leave it at that !! and your imagination !!!
Your idea of a ‘guest spot’ was something I wish I had come up with. I have ran it past my webmaster to see if it is feasible, my son does all the hard work on the site or so he tells me, trouble is he makes it look so simple. One or two concerns but well worth a trial run methinks so how about it. If anyone is interested in writing a short piece in line with Tonys idea either on their collection or on one of the lesser toy makers etc just message me and we’ll take it from there. – David

Hi. I have just bought on ebay a de Havilland Comet 4 jet airliner about 14 inch wingspan in tinplate. It has no makers name but it does say made in great britain. It is in BOAC livery.A similar one with box came up about 6 weeks ago & the seller said it was made by A Wells & co. (must have been on the box).I would be interested to know if this was indeed made by wells brimtoy, when was it made (late 50s Im thinking), & was it a promotional toy made for BOAC which may explain the absence of the makers name?Regards.

Friction drive tinplate De Havilland Comet was indeed produced by A.Wells & Co. (Welsotoys) the aicraft was white with metallic grey lower fuselage and wings and came in BOAC livery. As far as I am aware it was not a promotional toy, you have to remember that the Comet was the worlds first commercial jet airliner which came into service with BOAC in 1952 and caused a worldwide sensation at the time, even Dinky Toys produced a Comet diecast model. The Comet 4 however first flew in BOAC colours in 1958 so from that the Wells model would have to be post ’58 but I have no specific issue date. As for lack of makers name it seems typical that many toys failed to carry an identifying makers name. In some cases toys were produced for more than one company and the box itself would carry the ‘makers’ name rather than the model. Other factors also came into play but I will stop there or this reply will be longer than one of my posts. Hope that helps Trevor, sorry for the delay but I sneaked off for a few days, all the best – David.

Hi David, bumped into your blog whilst looking for a particular tin toy.
I am searching for a 1950’s Technofix GE268 rocket/plane.
I don’t know whether you deal in this type of toy or whether you would know of the whereabouts of an example.
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
cheers
john

The space ship you are looking for was one of several of the same design from Technofix but each was allocated a different number and colourway – the GE 283 for instance came in a dazzling red/white and blue striped finish – and all looked very similar to the Mettoy ‘Firebird’ Screaming Jet Plane. There’s not many toys I don’t do John but sad to say I don’t have one in stock at present, will try to locate one for you and will message you as and when. Thanks for looking us up and your enquiry lets hope we can help find one before too long.
All the best, David.

Many thanks David.
I intend to collect the set if I can but 268 is special to me as I have a photo taken in 1955, when I was 4, holding GE268.
cheers
john

Any vintage tin plate robots /astronauts for sale at the moment ?
Thanks.

A big-big subject Ian and a favourite of mine, will have to do a piece on this before too long. Can I ask you to be a bit more specific as to your requirements though. Date wise ? Tinplate ? Plastic ? Maker ? etc. etc. although I note you ask for vintage .. good man, but any specific era in mind ?
Look forward to hearing from you shortly, David.

@dave
Hi David,

Do you stock anymore Billy Bunter books? If you do, could you also please advise me of postage charges (including combined shipping) to Sydney Australia?

Thank you!

Hi there, short answer Yes – will email you with details shortly.
David.

hi u really have an interesting collection i was looking to see if there is any fire engines on display can u please tell me how much it cost one of those pressed metal fire engines circa 1959 and it is boxed in corrigated box can you give me a price of the market of today in euros please thank you .charles

Hi I am a collector of pressed steel Triang lorrys and trucks, I have a hundred or so. But I can’t seem to lay my hands on a Cement backed lorry the early 60s one known as the diesel style. If you can find one I’d be interested in buying it.
For your writers who want spares try the site Triang NL. They have lots of spares and replacement Decals for sale at reasonable prices. Its run by a chap name of Joop.
I would be happy to give info on the history and range of Triang I have been collecting for about 25 years and collect the large pressed steel and wooden vehicals from 1930s to the 1960s exclusively. RoyCt

hi, can you give me the prices on all of your tri-ang minic vehicles please,many thanks.

hi im looking for a tri-ang minic searchlight lorry for under £30

hi could you find a minic tourer for around £20,many thanks

Hello David, I found your site via Google, can you please tell me if you have any Minic Ships for sale?

Goodmorning
I,m from the Netherlands and maybe this question is not good here but i have a ichiko tin friction train and i cannoot find anything on the internet about it.Is there someone who can tell me more about this train please email me and i send some pictures.

Hi,

I’d like to buy the “Selection of German tinplate pre-war penny toys racing cars”
……..if still available. Postage to Switzerland.

Hi David,
I am the Grandson of the company Whiteley Tansley & Co. ‘Whitanco’ 1912 to 1924 if you need any information on the company just email me.

Hello, I am looking for the Dan Dare red water gun. And a couple of the vintage Dan Dare jigsaw puzzles. I noticed pictures of them on your website so thought that you might contact me if you run across either of these items.
thanks

Hi How much for the read mettoy car? send me an e-mail. Chris

Hi
Do you have a working game of Escalado for sale, but would like the game with lead horses
Thanks