Although there were no four-figure lots in the toy sale (held six times a year), Birmingham specialist Jeremy Thornton said: “Toy sales have one of our highest pick-ups because most lots are unreserved,” adding: “It’s a very fast, quick selling, clean sale.”
A Dux Astroman plastic battery-operated robot in its original box sold better than expected when it brought £540 against a £300-400 estimate.
A second robot to out-perform expectations was a Japanese tinplate battery-operated Attacking Martian that realised £270.
Next up was an early Chad Valley Bonzo soft toy. Cherished by more than one party, it was contested to £370 against an £80-120 guideline while enthusiasts secured a Marx electric model railway Coronation train set at £240.
Biddle & Webb, Birmingham, May 18
Buyer’s premium: 14.69 per cent (incl. VAT)
Toys are the fastest movers at Birmingham
UK: MEDALS took the top three slots in this toys, juvenilia and ephemera sale but there was a healthy take-up for toys from collectors and from a couple of Liverpool-based specialist dealers at this 537-lot auction that netted Biddle & Webb around £25,000.
