A toy Batmobile has just sold for a record £117,000.
This open-top red tin car went under the hammer at an auction held by Heritage Auctions in the US earlier this month for $150,000.
Made in 1966 by the Japanese company Yonezawa and fetched ten times its estimated price thanks to a bidding war.
Such stratospheric prices are unusual for toy cars, but if you rummage in the attic and discover a box full of old die-cast cars – made by Dinky Toys, Corgi, Matchbox and Hot Wheels – you might be surprised to learn that many of them are now worth it . hundreds and sometimes even thousands of pounds.
Red hot price: The Batmobile got such a high price because of a bidding war, but a slew of vintage toy cars are selling well
Louise Harker of the toy auction house Vectis says: “There is a growing interest among baby boomers wanting to own childhood favorites. Movie and TV shows that have stood the test of time — like Batman — add to the appeal, as a new generation of fans are also becoming interested in related merchandise.
“This increased demand is driving up the prices of the limited number of remaining items.”
The Teesside auctioneer believes that the six-figure price for the Batmobile was exceptional, as it is possible that no other example exists in that condition with the original box. However, it could still have a domino effect, driving up the value in the toy car market.
Says Harker, “Merchandising of movie spin-offs is thriving right now, with those who grew up in the 1960s and 1970s harking back to a time when they enjoyed life’s simple pleasures like playing with toy cars on the carpet.
‘But a collector is seldom satisfied with buying just one die-cast model. What you often find is that when an example of a favorite piece comes up for sale in better condition, they will buy it. That’s why we always recommend investing in the best quality car you can afford.
“And if you can find one with the original packaging, that’s the best of all.”
Having the original box the car came in can double the total value of the toy. Harker points to a Corgi Batmobile—model 267—as a great collectible. This one was made between 1966 and 1967 and came with a ‘pulsating exhaust’ and a dozen plastic red missiles.
Examples in pristine condition with the original box and instructions can sell for £750. Even without the packaging, they can change hands for £100.
Hot Wheels also made a Batmobile in 1966 – a model R1793 – and Vectis sold one in a box this summer for £180. But examples of this Hot Wheels favorite in top condition can sell for up to £500.
Another movie and TV favorite spin-off is James Bond cars – and many adults fondly remember owning a toy Aston Martin DB5 released by Corgi as model number 261.
First produced in 1965, few survived the car crashes while playing with friends, getting chewed by the dog, or the ensuing decades of car boot cleanups.
“Both car collectors and fans of 007 secret agents want to own one,” says Harker. But John Ennals, owner of the online vintage toy store Tortoys, warns against buying such rarities blindly from an internet auction website.
He recommends doing your homework first, as the market is flooded with “restorations”—meaning you might be buying a car built from parts from different vehicles and repainted.
Ennals adds: “I sell vehicles with warts and all, and provide a detailed description. If you see something that looks brand new, it’s worth remembering that original toy paint has been on the car for over half a century and so may have lost some of its shine.
“Don’t be confused by modern reproductions that might cost £30 and look great but aren’t the originals.”
Tortoys has a 1960s Aston Martin DB5 Corgi 261 for sale for £320 – complete with working ejection seat for an included ‘bad guy’, flip-up rear bulletproof screen and retractable machine guns. It also comes with the original box, ‘secret instructions’ and a 007 adhesive lapel badge. But Tortoys also sell a ‘quality restoration’ copy of the same toy complete with a reproduction box for £155.
Ennals says Dinky Toys can still command significant prices, even though their popularity is declining compared to other brands in a market now dominated by baby boomers. Dinky Toys are most remembered from earlier generations.
Dinky started in 1934 as a Meccano spin-off, selling metal toy cars, boats, airplanes and vans to the pre-war generation. Production was suspended during the war and did not return until 1949.
Says Ennals, “Despite the dwindling market for older cars in favor of more recent toys enjoyed by post-WWII baby boomers, rare survivors of Dinky Toys in the very best condition can still fetch huge prices.” The highest price ever paid for a Dinky was £17,000 some 15 years ago for a 1930s ‘No 22D’ van. More recently a 1966 Dinky Thunderbirds Lady Penelope’s Fab 1 pink car with the original box sold by Vectis for £260.
Matchbox toy cars remain popular among the post-war generation. Production began in 1952 when engineer Jack Odell agreed to make a vehicle small enough to fit in a matchbox if his daughter agreed to put the toy vehicles in the boxes instead of the bugs she insisted on collecting.
Examples of the first Matchbox toy car, the ‘1a’ model ‘Aveling-Barford’ green roller, can be worth as much as £160.
Ennals says even the lesser-loved toys of the time could make a good investment because so few survive. He points to a British Wolseley ‘model 57’ Matchbox car from the late 1950s, which retails for £50. Ennals says: ‘Unfortunately, the British toy car industry was largely heading in the same direction as our large-scale car industry and companies like Wolseley.’
Now most of the cast models are made in China. And by the 1980s, young people were more interested in computer games. Says Ennals, “Collectors are interested not only in the art and skills that go into making their childhood favorites, but also in the history of toy making.”
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