Disaster and more experimentation.

I'm not sure what is going wrong so I'm taking some time out to study. Everything--pics and text look OK until I publish--then it goes awry. To avoid a waste of a post I'm including two of my restorations and then good night until I get this damned blog worked out!

My restorations of Dinky diecasts.

This is a 25 Y Universal Jeep produced in the late 1940's. The model has been stripped down using paint remover and is now ready for primer. As I live in Egypt I shall probably have to use a commercial primer and I'm not sure how that will work. I have a new windscreen that will be painted with a black surround and will be ready to attach once the paintwork on the body is complete. This is a complicated placement because the base of the windscreen has to align with the rivet post so that the rivet holds it in place. I foresee a lot of bending and aligning that may end up in chipped paint and a disastrous result. Will report on progress next time around.

Pics of old Dinkys in my collection.

I've included some photos of my older Dinky's here. Pictured are 3 25 series lorries, a 28 delivery van and a 36G taxi.

There were many variations of the 25 series lorry in various guises and with different chassis'and, despite their 1940's origins they are fairly easy to collect. Some versions are rarer than others so expect to pay for rarity. The 28 delivery van is not difficult to get either, but as with everything else in the diecast world, you will pay much more for mint! The 36G taxi is starting to fetch higher prices now as they are becoming scarce in good condition.

I love these older Dinkys and wish I had more of them. How many toys can you buy today that will last for 60 years and more? They are built to last and many are as strong and as perfect as when they left the Liverpool factory.

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Restorations: To restore or not?

I know I'm jumping around but it is intentional because I want to share all aspects of my hobby and I can also tell you that I am still in TEST mode as I use photos and arrange text. Thank goodness Blogspot does a lot of it for me!

The first question you should ask yourself when considering a restoration is: Is this model too valuable too restore? Because the chipped Dinky Morris Oxford shown elsewhere has a two tone colour scheme it is difficult to source and I have decided not to touch it. I'm not good enough to restore models to authentic quality and even then it may be worth less. I'm new at this so I only restore scrap items bought from E-Bay or BoB (SA). As many Dinky and Corgi models can be over 50 years old, restoration is becoming popular and spares are available.

If you think about it : in twenty years time restored models may be the last survivors!

A Simple Project

The two photos above left are of the Corgi Bedford TK tractor, a common Corgi workhorse often used for tippers, circus vehicles, tankers and a car carrier. This tractor is in excellent condition and had a Chipperfields giraffe cage attached to the back by a swivelling rivet. The plastic cage was missing apart from the floor. I drilled out the base-plate rivets and removed the swivel, also removing the interior as there was a broken mirror (now on order). My efforts produced slight chipping around the hole at the rear of the chassis but this will have to be filed out to take the receiving pin of a car carrier I am restoring. The damage will be sprayed and the TK will look as good as new---ready to pull a new load.

More themes.

My last post was a mess. I still have a lot to learn about graphics and photos and matching them to print. Collector's themes can be as diverse as the pages in an encyclopaedia: Here are just a few examples:

* Fords.
* Fire vehicles.
* Ambulances.
* Pre 1950.
* Trucks.
* Dinky sports cars.
* Racing cars
---and so on.

Many collectors like to build a Diorama around their themes e.g. fire vehicles at a fire station. This adds to collecting pleasure.More pics and less mess on my next blog.

Themes. Why Themes?

Themes are very popular with collectors. This is a taxi theme with: clockwise from bottom a Plymouth Plaza New York Taxi (Dinky), A Dinky Austin taxi from the fifties and an ERTL Austin Taxi. Next is a Dinky 36J taxi from the late forties and finally a Minichamps Mercedes taxi. I do not collect much ERTL as the scale seems to fluctuate and Minichamps models are (however excellent), not as collectible as the "Oldies".

Pictures.

My grading system.

Gradings: Robstoys 2008-03-10

1A: Mint/Boxed/ Rare or Scarce.
1B: Mint /NB/Rare or Scarce.
1C: Mint/Boxed/As new.
1D: Mint/NB

2A: Nearly Mint/Boxed/Rare or Scarce.
2B: Nearly Mint/NB/Rare or Scarce.
2C: Nearly Mint/Boxed/Box takes precedence.
2D: Nearly Mint/NB

3A: Used/Boxed/Rare or Scarce.
3B: Used/NB/Rare or Scarce.
3C: Used/Boxed/Box takes precedence.
3D: Used/NB

4A: Good-well used/boxed/Rare or Scarce
4B: Good-well-used/NB/Rare or Scarce
4C: Good-well used/Boxed/Box take precedence.
4D: Good-well used/NB

5A: Poor/Boxed/Rare or Scarce
5B: Poor/NB/Rare or Scarce
5C: Poor/Boxed/Box takes precedence
5D: Poor/NB

Restored models and reproduction boxes :

Restored models may gain value by having a box and rarity.
Any mint model with a repro box may lose 30-40%.
A poor model with a repro box may gain 10%
A restored model with incorrect color scheme may lose 60-80%

All the above are subject to demand and supply .
Special sets (e.g Corgi Chipperfields) will always command high prices.

NB means No Box.

My colleagues are divided over my grading system as they say it does not take supply and demand (the fickle market) into consideration. In my next post I'll include other grading systems and include more photos from my collection.

Photos and grades: My system

There are various systems used to grade model diecast vehicles. Some are very simple using condition A, B or C but I prefer to use my own grading system that covers most conditions and rarity. The grading of Dinky and Corgi models can be quite fickle and some models may be advertised at much higher prices on specialist sites than, say on E-Bay. We have to remember that on E-Bay the seller is King and he can ask what he likes. Some models are outrageously under-priced and some are over-priced. I feel that a) if you use my grading system you can avoid inflated prices, and, b) if prices are ridiculously low go for it! It all depends on the seller's needs and buyer demand: Some sellers are naive about value anyway. Let me give you an example: Dinky 40j is an Austin Somerset. This model is scarce but some seller somewhere does not know this so he puts it up on E-Bay in fair condition for 5 pounds sterling (no box/playworn). Another seller puts the same model in the same condition on E-Bay at 20 pounds sterling. Collectors will snap both of these up because the model is scarce. If I'm not making sense then let's just say that demand will always pre-dominate. And that's what I mean by fickle (in the seller's case).

This same Austin Somerset can fetch a catalogue value of 100 sterling if mint and boxed. We should never underestimate the possibility that we can buy a bargain from the naive seller BUT if you want top grade, then you are dealing with an informed seller and he won't budge from top price.

Sounds confusing but it's all a case of scarcity and supply and demand. Picture above is of a scarce model: A Dinky Toys Peugeot 504 made in Spain with a mint box. Spanish Dinkys are scarce and this is a genuine brand spanking new model in a beauty of a box. However it is only worth 80 Sterling because there was not much demand for this model of a car with little personality and long in the tooth (35 years ago the car was very popular). Older cars sometimes only come into their own at a later stage. I'll keep this beauty for a while and sell it on at 150 sterling in five years time.

The ideal buy or sell.

This is a test of photo resolution and my ability with a camera, which is somewhat shaky to say the least!



Pictured is a Corgi State Patrol police car in mint condition with a mint box in the background. I thought I'd devote my second post to an example of the best you can get.



What is the "best" you can collect? Here are some tips:

-The model must be in mint condition with no chips, scratches or marks on the body. The windows must be clear with no cracks or misting.

-Extras such as the whip aerial, must be intact. The sticker (in this case) must be undamaged.

-The wheels and tyres should be as new with no signs of rust on the wheels or wear on the tyres.

- The base plate must be free of rust, scratches or marks.

-The box should show no signs of crush damage, graffiti or missing flaps. On older Corgis and Dinkys a written price adds provenance. Colours on the box should be bright and clear.

-Every item on the model and the box should look as good as new therefore, mint. The model will, obviously, have spent most of its life unplayed with.



This model is one of my favourites simply because it has great paintwork. I don't care too much about values as I don't sell my models but the indicative market price for a model in this condition is about 100 Sterling or 200 dollars.



In my next post I hope to show you some more mint examples as well as some that are a step down from this quality.

Collect, collect, collect.

I honestly don't know whether my collections are worth all that much but I have learnt a lot in the past years about collecting and I go by my gut feeling. I have learnt that collecting fake watches is a waste of time but seeking out older models of Omega, Patek Phillipe and Cartier are well worth the effort.

But they're expensive ---too expensive for me--however, if you have the cash, seek them out. A forties or fifties watch may surprise with its value and its gold content (in many cases). There are many examples to be found in the Khan El Khalili market in Cairo, where I live.

The point here is: choose wisely and build a collection that is going to become an investment. I chose South African banknotes, Dinky toys and Corgi toys of the fifties, sixties and seventies, token coinage and the scarce Strachan tokens from South Africa. In the coming weeks I shall be talking about all of these as well as the "do's" and "dont's" of collecting. Please look out for these articles:

• Dinky and Corgi. Worth it?
• Restorations of die-cast models.
• Other die cast collectibles.
• Parts and boxes for die-cast models.
• Tokens.
• Banknotes.
• Gold coins.
• And other interesting collector items.