Meet The Detectives

NAME: Si Kelly

Occupation: Auction House Cataloguer; Collector; Seller; Buyer; Blogger

How long have you been collecting? 43 years – since the age of 7!

What are your main areas of interest? Dinky; Corgi; Matchbox MOY; Toy soldiers; Action Figures; Scalextric; Action Man

Most memorable collecting moments? Buying a Dinky Toys 944 Octopus Tanker – unboxed in great condition for £1 at a junk shop in Preston.

Biggest collecting regret? Dad and I walking past a Matchbox Yesteryear Y6-2 Bugatti in metallic green at an antiques fair in 1979 because “it couldn’t be real!” Was it? We’ll never know!! Why didn’t we pick it up????

Favourite toy / model? Dinky Toys 157 Jaguar 120

Any toy you would love to take a large hammer to? Cabbage Patch Dolls & Lledo (apologies if you collect these!)

Any collecting areas of interest you would like to know more about? Star Wars figures; Early
Tinplate; Plastic Cars from the 50s/60s; Lego Minifigures

eBay ID? nomis1014

What would you collect if you didn’t collect toys? Arts & Crafts; Pottery & Metalware

Any other interests? Birdwatching; FOREX Trading; Mindfulness

What do you like best about collecting? The buzz you get when you find something of interest; learning something new every day!

What do you hate about collecting? Know it all Collectors – especially the ones who boast!

What was the last collectible gift you gave someone? Triang Wigan Train Station Platform Sign

If you were the CEO of Lego what range new range would you introduce? That would be telling….

If you were a toy / model, who would you be? In my dreams…a Hot Toys Dark Knight; in reality…a Funko Pop Fred Flintstone figure!

What was the last thing you’ve learned about collecting this week? That LBL on Triang vehicles stands for Lines Brothers Ltd! Even after all these years collecting I never knew that!

What would be you best piece of advice to a newbie collector? Collect what you like and not for investment – and always get the best in what you can afford!

NAME: Baz Allen

 
Occupation: Online Retailer; Collector; Blogger
 
Why do you collect diecast model cars? Because I don’t have room for thousands of full size cars.
 
Which is your favourite? That changes constantly, Spot-On Goggomobile, Mercury Fiat Abarth Bialbero, Steiff VW Pick-up, Marklin Unimog, Polistil Lancia Montecarlo. And they are just the ones I can see from my keyboard!
 
What was your first diecast purchase? The first I remember buying was a battered door less Solido BMW 3.0CSL from a junk shop in Wigan in the early 1980s.
 
What’s been your best buy? In profit when sold terms it was a Spot-On Mini, or a vintage lorry badge or the full size 89 Jaguar XJ6 that I bought for pocket change, it pays to stay till the end of a car auction even on a grim winters evening. 
 
Do you only collect mint and boxed examples? No in fact I prefer unboxed models with a few signs of life about them, I find perfect examples a bit sad when they are decades old and have never done their job of making a child happy brumming them round the table. It’s still the first thing I do! 
 
Can you make money buying and selling models? No ! if you do make any money you will only spend it on some more models, but you’ll have fun doing it.
 

ebay ID: jaguarcity

Have you made any mistakes? Many, I missed out on buying a Dinky Singer Vogue in yellow because I thought it was a repaint, turns out they are mega rare and worth a few grand. Doh! I also dropped a mint Gama Vauxhall Nova SR about 18 inches onto the floor and it shattered into a zillion pieces. Can’t win every time!
 
What are your main areas of interest? I mostly collect diecast vehicles but I don’t stick to a particular manufacturer, I like to collect models I haven’t seen before or collect the full colour range of a particular car. I also like old books and magazines, The London Illustrated News is a particular favourite. 
 
What do you hate about collecting? Well at the risk of offending many people I like going to collectors fairs but I don’t like that many of the other people who go there don’t believe in deodorant !
 
Do you give collectibles as gifts? I always give kids Lego or Hot Wheels as presents because you can still get some reasonably priced smaller Lego kits and Hot Wheels have the be the best thing you can buy for £1 to £2 They are look fantastic, are pretty indestructible and don’t take up much space.
 
What advise do you have for new collectors? If you buy a model car that is wrapped in tissue paper inside it’s box then take the tissue paper off because it can trap moisture inside and make the paint micro blister. 
 
Isn’t collecting an expensive hobby? No, I was in a well known northern supermarket the other day and they are selling Majorette cars for £1 you can’t get much cheaper than that and they are excellent models. You can also find any number of models old and new big and small online for less than the price of a burger and fries.
 
Don’t people think your sad for collecting toy cars at your age Probably, but I do a very good line in stern looks so they don’t say it to my face !