Nostalgia for toys of yesteryear drives buyers at local auction

Emily Ayson of Keys Fine Art Auctioneers presents her pick of the lots in next week’s Vintage and Modern Toy Sale at Keys.

They say that nostalgia ain’t what it used to be and yet it remains a powerful motivation for buyers in the saleroom.

Most of us love to hark back to more innocent times and this is the reason for the surge in demand for vintage toys and games, as buyers seek to own toys they loved in their childhood – or ones that they aspired to own when they were young but didn’t manage to.

Emily Ayson of Keys Fine Art Auctioneers (Image: Newman Associates PR)

Wednesday next week sees a Vintage and Modern Toys, Dolls, Games, Video Games and Computers Sale at Keys in which some 382 lots offer grown-ups of all ages the chance to rediscover their childhoods.

Tinplate toys were a mainstay of toy boxes in the first half of the 20th century. Often beautifully made and robust, they would be unlikely to appeal to today’s young people, but for those growing up in a less technological age, they offered huge play value and a link to the wider adult world.

A vintage clockwork tinplate motorcycle and sidecar with an estimate of £20-£40 (Image: Keys Auctioneers & Valuers)

First introduced in the mid 19th century, tinplate toys came into their own between the world wars, when new tin ore mines in the US provided plentiful and cheap raw materials. After the second world war, more sophisticated toys – and the advent of plastic – meant tinplate had really had its day.

Included in next week’s sale is a vintage clockwork tinplate motorcycle and sidecar, possibly by the Spanish manufacturer Paya. It is showing signs of having been played with, with some faded paintwork and a little rust, and doesn’t have its key, but nevertheless we expect it will sell for between £20 and £40. If it was in mint condition, our estimate would be several times that figure.

Condition is always important in the antiques world and this is equally true when it comes to vintage toys. Play-worn Dinky and Corgi vehicles sell for low amounts; rare, pristine, boxed examples for hundreds and sometimes thousands of pounds.

A Corgi Massey Fergusson ‘780’ combine harvester, boxed, with an estimate of £50-£80 (Image: Keys Auctioneers & Valuers)

In very good condition and in its original box is a Corgi Massey Fergusson ‘780’ combine harvester. First issued in 1959, this model is always popular, and we have put a possibly conservative pre-sale estimate of £50-£80 on this lot.

One of the most enduring toys of the 20th century was Action Man, still the greatest hero of them all. Launched by Palitoy in 1966, Action Man built on the success of GI Joe in the US, which had hit the shops two years previously.

In those days the idea of a doll for boys was a huge risk and the marketing material referred to ‘action figures’ and ‘moveable fighting men’ rather than using the d-word.

Early Action Man figures remain very much sought-after in the saleroom – in 2009 a prototype GI Joe sold for $200,000. Our sale next week has a Palitoy Action Man figure, complete with extra outfit and accessories, which has a pre-sale estimate of a more affordable £60-£80.

Finally, teddy bears retain their appeal in the saleroom, and the biggest name of them all is Steiff. Founded in Germany in 1880 by seamstress Margarete Steiff, within 15 years her teddy bears were on sale in Harrods in London.

A boxed limited edition Steiff British Collector’s 1907 replica teddy bear with certificate. It has an auction estimate of £80-£120 (Image: Keys Auctioneers & Valuers)

The auction record for a Steiff teddy bear was set in 2000, when a bear made for Louis Vuitton, complete with eyes made from sapphires and diamonds, sold for $2.1 million. The most paid for a ‘standard’ Steiff bear was $165,000, when a 1904 example was auctioned at Christies.

Fortunately, teddy bear fans can lay their hands on Steiff toys at more accessible prices. We have a number of Steiff bears in next week’s sale, including a boxed limited edition British Collector’s 1907 replica bear which has an estimate of £80-£120.

Keys’ Vintage and Modern Toys, Dolls, Games, Video Games and Computers Sale takes place on Wednesday, May 29 at its Aylsham salerooms and live online. Full details, including an online catalogue, at keysauctions.co.uk