A mechanical toy fanatic whose home gradually turned into something akin to a museum of childhood is poised to sell his entire collection – and it could make £100,000.
Over the course of 40 years, Mike Stockwell amassed thousands of vintage tinplate toys which were all carefully stored in display cabinets at his home near Chesterfield in Derbyshire.
“People used to ask to visit our house just to see them,” said Mike, 69. “I suppose it was like going to a toy theatre
“But these things are far more than toys. They’re feats of engineering. Many are mechanical. They transcend from being playthings to movable works of art. Several are sophisticated pieces of equipment.
“I started collecting post-war tinplate automatons just after I married my wife Margaret in 1976 but I admit my hobby has gone beyond an obsession.”
Around 1,000 items gathered by Mike in 277 lots are set to be sold on October 24 at Derbyshire’s Hansons Auctioneers. And such is the quality of the collection, which dates from the 1950s-70s, interest is high among collectors around the world.
Steve Fulford, toy valuer at Hansons, said: “It’s the most staggering array of toys I have ever seen – and I used to run a toy museum. It has to be one of the best collections of its type in the world.
“When we walked into Mike’s house to value the items, it was amazing to see room after room filled with boxed toys in display cabinets and on shelves. Some of the objects, now safely locked away in our safe, are incredibly valuable. For example, Snappy The Happy Bubble Blowing Dragon has a guide price of £20,000 to £30,000.”
Mike, a retired toy shop owner, ecologist and Space Programme volunteer, said: “A robot recently sold in America for 86,000 dollars. Brand new in the UK it cost 49 shillings and 11 pence (1950s) – that’s the equivalent of £2.50 today. I don’t think there’s a bank in the world that could give you that kind of return.
“Tinplate toys are a tremendous investment now. Many came from Germany and Japan after the Second World War. There was a need to get their economies back on track and they were allowed to make toys.
“During and just after the war it seemed as if everything was sepia, brown or green. In the 1950s these new toys emerged in bold and beautiful colours and they captured the new sense of optimism. They symbolised a bright and colourful future.
“I’m fascinated by the engineering excellence these automatons demonstrate. I loved to work out how each one worked.
“For example, there’s a battery-operated Japanese automaton, hand-made in 1964, called McGregor. He’s a Scotsman with a walking stick who sits in a chair. Switch him on and he gradually rises out of his chair, stands up and smokes his cigar.
“His movement is ingenious and seemingly impossible. It’s on a par with the ability of a honeybee to fly horizontally from one flower to another. Bees shouldn’t be able to do that. McGregor works thanks to a series of levers and counter levers, a motor wires and batteries. There are no silicon chips.
“This wasn’t a toy for children, it was a talking point to put on your home bar and impress your visitors. You can imagine Del Boy having one in TV’s Only Fools and Horses.
“Japan had a love of western culture and there was often a connection to a movie or TV programme, from Charlie Weaver to Robby the Robot, Howdy Doody to Star Wars.”
Mike, who was born in Birmingham in 1950, thinks his fascination with mechanical toys has been sparked by that fact that he didn’t have many playthings as a child due to the expense.
“These Japanese and German toys were a dad’s wages for the week. Ordinary families like mine couldn’t afford them. I bought them at toy fairs and flea markets over many years, sometimes for pennies and now they’re worth thousands.
“The time has come for me to sell my collection because I’m very concerned about climate change. I want to fund eco-conservation projects and continue my work with the Space Programme. I have three grandchildren and I want them to a have a future.”
The Mike Stockwell Tinplate Toy Collection will be sold on October 24 at Hansons Auctioneers, Heage Lane, Etwall, Derbyshire, DE65 6LS. To find out more, or to arrange a free toy valuation, email [email protected]
Browse The Mike Stockwell Tinplate Toy Auction page-turner catalogue HERE
