£38,000 for a Marklin toy???

Look what made the news last month:

IT’S lost two of its tyres, has no front doors, and has sustained serious damage to its windscreen frame...

Yet despite its rather battered condition, this 103-year-old toy car yesterday raised a staggering £38,000 for the lucky Cumbrian woman who was its owner.

The tin limousine, made by the German firm Marklin in 1906, had languished in a cupboard for years until its owner took it to be valued at a road-show run by Yorkshire-based Tennants auctioneers.

Their initial valuation suggested the car might be worth between £400 and £600. But by the time the car finally went under the hammer yesterday morning, interest had reached fever pitch.

After just five minutes of frantic bidding, the limousine sold for £38,000.

The man who sold it, Tennants’ head of collectibles, Nick Lambert, said: “It’s 18-inches long, and not in the best condition, so it’s obviously a restoration project.

“But Marklin were the premiere makers of this kind of toy and they’re more sought after than any other make.

“Originally, we gave a cautious estimate of the value because the car didn’t have a trademark. We put out all the relevant information and let the bidders make their own minds up, though I was 99.9 per cent sure it was genuine.

“I’ve run toy sales for eight years and the previous highest price for a toy I’ve seen here was £14,000 – that was for a toy safari set with wooden animals and people.”

During the sale yesterday, there were eight telephone bidders vying to become the tin car’s new owners. They included two from the US, and one from France. It finally sold to a collector from the UK.

As for the former Cumbrian owner, she has asked to remain anonymous.

But Mr Lambert added: “She was in the auction room when the car was sold.

“When I last saw her, she was in a state of shock.”

The car was first seen by Tennants at a valuation day at the Hayes Garden Centre at Lakeside, Windermere earlier this year.

First published at 09:05, Saturday, 22 August 2009
Published by http://www.newsandstar.co.uk

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