Vectis is to offer a record breaking Dinky No. 505 Foden (1st type) 8-wheel Flat Truck with Chains on September 9.
The near mint piece was manufactured between 1948 and 1952 and is among the finest survivors of its type.
Boxed Dinkys are impossibly rare
It’s valued at £5,000-6,000 ($6,442-7,730) however that estimate could prove low.
The lot was most recently sold for £12,000 ($15,461) in 2003 - a record for the model.
The buyer was collector Steve Bonney, who is consigning the piece this time around.
He comments: “I loved the adrenaline rush that came from paddling at a live auction and in April 2003, reached what was probably the high point in my collecting career when I was the winning bidder on the 505 Foden First Cab Chain Lorry in maroon.
“When the hammer went down, I remember there being a brief round of applause.
“I was slightly shocked to have won and the whole episode felt like an out of body experience.
“Later in the week, the Daily Mail took great delight in pointing out that the auction price was higher than the showroom price of a Mini Cooper, which at least could be driven away. How little they understood.”
That’s a sentiment many collectors will be familiar with.
Dinky toys are major collectors’ items. The most sought after specimens date back to the late 1940s and, as they were much-loved toys, are extremely rare in mint condition.
While Bonney’s 2003 splurge is a big result for a Dinky toy, it’s not the overall record.
That stands at £19,975 ($25,736), set for an uber-rare “W.E. Boyce” delivery van in 2008.
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