The discovery of a boy’s unopened Christmas present from the 1930s has touched the hearts of people across the nation.
A ‘treasure trove’ of toys unearthed in the Midlands by Hansons Auctioneers included an unused and immaculate Christmas present from the 1930s – still in its original festive paper.
The Meccano Engineering For Boys set from 1936 was uncovered by toy valuer Steve Fulford – and he was astonished to find it had never been played with.
It was discovered loosely wrapped in its original brown festive paper featuring Christmas stickers and the playset inside was unopened. All parts were still wired into the box.
Steve said: “It’s quite sad to think that, for whatever reason, a little boy never got to open this toy and play with it. It was part of an amazing collection unearthed in Knowle – an absolute treasure trove of toy.
“I understand the vendor came across the gift as she was going through a whole host of belongings. She was the first person to open it more than 80 years after it’d been wrapped up for a little boy at Christmas.
“We have no idea why the present was never opened or what happened to the little boy. It ended up sparking much debate and deliberation on social media.
“When we posted a video of the unopened gift on Twitter and Facebook it really touched people’s hearts. It was our most shared post of 2019 and sparked the most comments.
“It seemed to make some people a little sad. I think they wanted to be reassured that the little boy was all right and that, maybe, Santa had just accidentally dropped the present behind the sofa.
“As a toy expert it was wonderful to see an 83-year-old Meccano set in absolutely perfect condition. It was as good as new. It could have been bought yesterday.”
Charles Hanson, owner of Hansons Auctioneers, said: “The nostalgia and powerful emotions that toys evoke are quite astonishing. They sweep us back to our childhoods.
“I’m happy to say the toy, complete with its 1930s Christmas wrapping paper, found a new home thanks to Hansons’ specialist Toy Auction in September. It had a guide price of £30-£40 but soared to £250. Perhaps Santa will be finally delivering it to a little boy this Christmas.”
To find out more or to arrange a free toy valuation, email [email protected]
