by RVREVO
on Dec 16, 2009
It took a while but here they are at last. A few years ago I had a great find, the Dinky Toys 250 Streamlined Fire Engine, with original tattered box and knobbly tires. This was depicted on the box aswell although I didn't realise the significance of this until much later. Apart from paint scuffs the truck appeared mint, especially the chassis. It had, however, the ladder and bell missing, but I managed to find some at the Aussie site 'Recovertoy'.
UK's First Dedicated Dinky Toys Guide
http://www.dinkysite.com/#/dinky-75th-anniversary/4535379676
Published by the highly respected Toy Price Guide Company to mark the 75th Anniversary of Dinky this 100-page A5 booklet is the only dedicated guide on the market and includes concise sections listing model variations produced by Dinky Toys from 1934 -1979 with over 100 colour photographs, information from specialist collectors about rare releases, box variations for each model, trade pack issues, the most comprehensive Gift Set section ever published as well as up to date prices realised at auction (including the well publicised 'Omnisport' van) for the many known colour and packaging variations available.
Detailed sections within the guide include:
Dinky/Corgi/Matchbox/Budgie
New Ramsay's Guide for 2009 [Pre-Order]
http://www.dinkysite.com/#/dinky-corgi-price-guide/4525362067
Following the release of the 12th Edition in October 2007, the December 2009 release (13th Edition) promises to offer up-to-date price references and a host of new pictures to improve on its previous edition. Always a superb catalogue for collectors, and often referred to as THE collector's price guide, this book is used by experts and collectors alike.
Pre-order now, before Christmas, and we will dispatch the same day as the publisher releases the guide. The final posting deadlines for Christmas '09 are 5/12/09 ROW, 12/12/09 Europe and 20/12/09 UK, and the publisher has guaranteed release within the first 2 weeks of December (11th December or earlier). We will be the only retailer of this guide to be collecting directly from the publisher rather than waiting for delivery which means that by pre-ordering with us, whether in Europe or the UK, you are getting the best chance of receiving this guide in time for Christmas.
It is less likely to arrive in time for Christmas outside of Europe unless the publisher releases the guide on or before 5th December. You will of course be kept up to date by email with dispatch dates/dates of receipt to put your mind at rest.
Dinky Toys 149 Sports Cars Gift Set
The Dinky Sports Cars in Racing Finish. Gift Set of 5 cars.
Sunbeam Alpine Sports, MG Midget Sports, Austin Healey 100 Sports, Aston Martin DB35, Truimph TR2 Sports. Advertised in the September 1958 Meccano Magazine.
On sale between 1957 and 1959. The original price was 15/- and was produced at 1:43 scale.
A perfect set could expect to fetch £3000 on a good day - an ever difficult to find item.
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by hfarrell
on Oct 20, 2009
I am a Still Life painter. Initially, I really wanted to be a Folk painter, to paint canvases that were primitive (I'm self-taught) but would somehow reflect who I was or what I was feeling. My only problem was that I had no idea who I was and I realized that, at the time, the majority of my paintings weren't all that good! So I sat down and decided to learn how to draw and then learn how to paint - I wasn't spontaneous enough to support the kind of simple, honest energy that came out of Folk painting.
I would practise by setting an object in front of me and drawing until I was satisfied that I had a reasonable representation of the subject. I would then transfer the drawing to a board and begin applying paint. As my skill improved, I started to add more detail to my subjects. It wasn't long before I began to see these details - chips, cracks, tears, fading - almost as memory, or character, reflecting the lives of the people I associated with the subject. Eventually I exhausted my furnishings and went on to mine the toy shows and antique markets where I became overwhelmed with memory, finding many more connections to my past friends, my family, my childhood - I became a collector.
Recently my husband and I happened to be having a conversation about toys - the 'mint in the box' verses any kind of wear conversation (we had just finished watching Toy Story 2). It's not that I don't appreciate the 'mint in box' argument - because that in itself is an expression of love - it's just that it's on one end of the spectrum of collecting - while gently handled to desperately loved is on the other. My preference of course is to see the history of my subjects when I paint. I like the missing fur, the obvious stitches, the button that becomes the eye, paint chips on the fender, pen, nibbles - which all result from our daily interaction with these 'things' that help us play and help us grow.
I loved to play with Dinky Toys. They were one of the few toys that survived for any reasonable amount of time in our household of seven children. Growing up in the sixties and early seventies it is my personal belief that I experienced the best that came from Dinky and Barbie - though I have to say that most of my favourites were older models of Dinkys and early versions of Barbie and Ken. I have some wonderful memories of this time, a time where difficulties at home necessitated escape in one form or another, where typically I played with my weathered Barbies or found a sand pile and made towns for my brother's Dinky Toys. I wasn't interested in details, like the names of the cars, I really was only interested in how they looked and felt as I plowed on through tunnels, around moats and up mountains. Dinky Toys allowed me to express myself in play, where in my life I spent a great deal of time trying to remain invisible. And Barbies gave me the ability to dream about who I wanted to be.
Growing up in a large family, strapped for cash meant toys were few and far between, only the hardiest or the best hidden survived. Stuffed animals rarely surfaced and games often had missing pieces. I think that we, each of my siblings and I, more often chose solitary play so we might have our own quiet time outside of chaotic day-to-day living. I made exception with my younger sister who loved her Barbies as passionately as I - it's interesting though that we didn't role play with our Barbies so much as just dress them and fix their hair - for hours at a time. Maybe we just wanted things simple.
When Barbie becomes a subject of a painting I don't always include all of the accessories to the outifit. I don't want a lot of fuss in the paintings that will distract from the idea of memory. I am not a completist in my paintings but my guilty pleasure is to own all of the accessories to each outfit. Making due with what was given to me as a child doesn't have to be the way now. When I am looking for my latest Barbie or Ken fashion on Ebay, I look for the whole package!
by LaToya
on Sep 21, 2009
Jim Noble is better known as our very own Nobleco, one of the moderators in our diecast discussion forums, and first Toy Collector poster to pass the 1000 posts mark.
But in addition to being an asset to this site, Jim also has his own site at www.DinkyToyGuy.com and an eBay store where he deals in spare parts for Dinky, Corgi and other collectable diecast models. He also does fantastic restorations to order and has just finished restoring a whole fleet of Dinkies in Toy Collector livery! I caught up with him to learn a little more...
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