Vintage Toys

Our roots are in Collectable Toys, including Diecast Models, Vintage Toys and Model Railways.- an area that sparks joy for most of us when we see the things that we remember owning and loving as children.
This is Jonathan's particular area of expertise, grown from his childhood passion and collection. As Excalibur's principal auctioneer and valuer, his extensive knowledge in this field ensures that we get the best possible price out of your die-cast models, vintage toys and model railway items.

Star Wars

Star Wars toys have been produced and have been popular since the release of the first film, now known as Star Wars: The Last Hope, back in 1977. Manufacturers such as Palitoy in the UK, and Kenner in the US, produced carded figures for the British and American markets. These toys, if still sealed on their original 12-back cards, can fetch thousands of pounds, such as the original Vinyl Caped Jawa

Lego

An early version of the well-loved, familiar interlocking bricks was first produced in 1949, based on the Kiddicraft self-locking bricks invented in 1939, but it wasn't until 1958 that the modern brick design was developed, with the patent being filed in Denmark.

While Lego has generally been considered a children's toy, there are also adult fans (AFOLS), and Lego introduced more complicated, and generally more expensive sets, with an 18+ age guide in 2020. These Lego sets based on real-world objects such as the Concorde and Titanic, became very popular during the Covid 19 pandemic, when many adults purchased them to complete whilst in lockdown.

Action Figures

Poseable toys such as Palitoy Action Man, GI Joe, Barbie, Transformers, and others from popular 1970s and 80s franchises are highly collectable. As many children didn't keep these favourite toys in unused condition (why would they?!) if you have boxed, as new toys, with their accessories such as clothing and weapons, they are highly desirable.

Subbuteo

The classic table football game is still very popular all over the world, and sets, especially complete boxes of teams, are very desirable in auction

Britains Soldiers

Made of lead, these hollowcast figures were first produced by Britains in 1893 when W. Britain Senior cracked the process! Little changed with the style of the figures until the late 1950s, when they began making plastic figures, with the metal hollowcast figures finally ceasing production in 1966. The early sets of soldiers, complete in their boxes, are exceptionally hard to find and are very sought after, with the bidding very competitive when they come up for auction.

Scalextric and Other Slot Cars

Most of us remember slot cars hurtling round a track, and Scalextric (hard to spell, even harder to say!) are probably the best known manufacturer. 1:32 scale ready to run models and unbuilt kits by Ninco, SCX, NSR and Scalextric always perform well in our vintage toy auctions.

Plastic and White Metal Kits - Airfix, Tamiya, Italeri and more!

Ever popular with children and adults alike, kit building, whether it be planes, locomotives, cars or buses, plastic, white metal and resin kits are popular in our toy auctions, whether they are sealed and unbuilt or built and finished to a good standard. Available in a variety of scales, there's something to suit everyone, in terms of ease of build, cost to buy, and final space required for display! Giants in the kit manufacturing space have got to be Airfix, Italeri and Tamiya, producing highly detailed models for enthusiasts to complete.

Tri-Ang Minic and Minix

The Lines family had a long history of manufacturing toys before they registered Tri-Ang Toys as their brand name. The first range of Minic cars and other vehicles was introduced in 1935 as a series of 14 models. They filled a gap in the market between expensive large models and die-cast Dinky Toys. The range later included Push and Go (introduced in the 1950s), Minic Ships (introduced in 1959) and Minic Motorways (introduced in 1963) From 1964 until the late 1970s, the plastic Minix cars were produced as accessories to their OO gauge trainsets under the brand Triang-Rovex. Pretty much all the vehicles were made in 1/76th (OO scale) so were perfect for OO gauge model railway train sets and layouts.

Get in Touch

If you have any vintage toys, both large collections or individual items, boxed or unboxed, sealed or used, we'll consider them.

So give Jonathan, our vintage and tinplate toys auction specialist, a call on 020 3633 0913, or use our online valuation form, and we'll be happy to provide you with a FREE no-obligation valuation.

Our auction results speak for themselves, and it is simple to search through our past Vintage Toys auctions to get an idea of value and how we will present your items for sale.

We also offer a collection service if you're unable to bring the items to us yourself.