Toys take centre stage right now as children across the nation are filled with ever-growing excitement about what might be in their Christmas stocking, writes Charles Hanson.
We’ve all been there. It may be a distant memory but whether you received a Dinky toy, Action Man, Sindy doll or train set, the sheer joy of wondering what Santa would bring, then waking up to the mysterious arrival of presents on Christmas Day, stays with us forever.
It’s the reason many of us can’t part with our first teddy and why toys remain in the loft for years. They’re embedded in our childhood reminding us of parental love and happy times.
It’s for all these reasons and more that a particular toy took our eye earlier this year. A house clearance uncovered an unopened 1930s Christmas present, still in its original festive wrapping paper.
This 1930s Meccano set had never been played with. It arrived at Hansons in its original Christmas wrapping paper.
We carefully peeled back the paper. Inside was an immaculate, untouched Meccano Engineering for Boys set. The mystery of why it had never been opened or played with sparked much debate on social media, and some sadness.
A short clip of it being unwrapped just after we discovered it was our most shared video on all social media platforms in 2019. It also sparked the most comments with people debating and deliberating on why the present had never been opened decades ago.
Had something happened to the boy? Had a sad event occurred just before Christmas? Some people seemed genuinely sad that a youngster had missed out on his treat all those years ago.
I’m afraid we shall never know. The seller told us she’d come across the gift as she was going through a whole host of belongings. She was the first person to open it – around 80 years after it was wrapped as a present.
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 one of Hansons specialist Toy Auctions earlier this year. It had a guide price of £30-£40 but soared toi £250. Perhaps Santa will be finally delivering it to a little boy this Christmas.
This result underlines, yet again, how strong the toy market is. Nostalgia is a powerful thing. It inspires people to collect objects that chime with their childhood. But nostalgia moves with the times, scrolling up a decade with every passing generation. That’s why vintage Star Wars toys from the 1970s and 80s are hot property now. We have seen single collections top £9,000 at auction.
We have several Star Wars toys in our January Toy Auction. These include The Empire Strikes Back Droid Factory which could sell for £2,500. It’s the French/Canadian version which makes it super rare. Our close proximity to the former Palitoy factory in Coalville, which made Star Wars toys, sparks many finds.
But the humble teddy can be highly sought after too. In December a teddy that had a Second World War adventure, unearthed from a Stafford loft after 40 years, sold for £4,000 from an estimate of £400-£600 at Hansons.
Pictures credit: Birmingham Live
Its success prompted me to look back at the top five lots in our last specialist toy auction. At number one was lot 332, a late 19th century Jumeau bisque head French doll which made £2,100.
Then there was Lot 74, a collection of assorted, playworn diecast vehicles including Dinky and Tootsietoy. It was contested to £1,600.
Dinky steered its way to success throughout the sale. Lot 12, assorted, unboxed, playworn Dinky toys reached £1,400 while one rare Dinky vehicle almost matched that. A pre-war Dinky Pickfords Removal & Storage van sold for £1,200.
Still have your Sindy dolls? Lot 190, assorted Sindy dolls including Sister Patch, Paul and a horse together with clothes and a boxed Party Time Sindy sold for £850.
You may love your old toys but if you want to part with any, Hansons is holding its first Toys, Trains, Railwayana, Dolls and Teddies Auction on January 23, and entries are invited until January 3.
Toy experts David Wilson-Turner and Steve Fulford can assess your objects for free. Steve has been fascinated by toys all his life and famously says, ‘I grew up once but didn’t like it’.vHe has been a collector for more than 40 years and ran two toys museums for 10 years.
One of his most powerful childhood memories is walking into Birmingham’s John Lewis store at Christmas in the 1960s and discovering a spellbinding display of row upon row of toys.
Today, at 62, he loves toys as much as ever – and has plenty of advice. If you’re clearing a loft or house, he says you should never dismiss something as worthless. For example, an old board game may be worth £30-£40. Games like Totopoly, a horse racing game from the 1960s, can fetch that figure. Then there was Blast Off, a 1969 board game to coincide with the Moon landings. And who remembers Battle of The Little Bighorn or the Formula One games? These are the board games of value rather than Cluedo and Monopoly which are too commonplace.
Tiny Tears doll from the 1960s, early Barbie and Pippa dolls and vintage Action Man toys can do well and, moving into the 1980s, wrestling figures or Ninja Turtle can be collectable.
Festive wishes
Warmest Christmas and New Year wishes from everyone at Hansons. Our offices close at 5pm on December 20 for the festive break but reopen on Thurs, January 2 at 9am. Free valuations will be available on Friday, December 20 and January 3, 10am-4pm, and Saturday, January 4, 9am-noon, at Hansons, Heage Lane, Etwall, Derbyshire, DE65 6LS. To arrange a free toy valuation, email [email protected].
