Model aircraft collection flies in Staffordshire

A huge model aircraft collection has flown at auction house in Lichfield in Staffordshire, going under the hammer for a combined total of £12,800.

Amassed by a Birmingham enthusiast over a period of 50 years, the 2,000-plus kits were divided into 75 lots, with some lots including up to 100 kits, in Richard Winterton Auctioneers’ Toy Sale recently.

Ranging in date from the 1950s to the 2000s, brands included Airfix, Matchbox, Novo, Frog, Aurora, Heller, Monogram, Hasegawa, UPC and Italeri.

Experts at The Lichfield Auction Centre purposely put no estimates on the collection, which was so huge it arrived in several van loads.

“A huge amount of work went into this by the Toy Department and it thoroughly deserved to sell as it did – flying out!” said Mr Winterton.

Standout sales in the auction included:

• £1,500 for four lots of Meccano
• £1,025 for nine Mamod Live Steam toys – including £360 for a London bus in almost mint condition.
• Two boxed Tri-Ang Spot-On Rolls Royce toys sold for £170 each.

Elsewhere in the sale, three interesting items of railwayana also sold well. A signal box diagram for Burton’s Hawkins Lane Junction went for £110, a Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway pocket watch made £200 and two London Transport colour lithograph posters sold for £190.