An online bidding battle for a rare Marklin tinplate metre-long toy battleship ended last month with a £28,196 sterling (€48,297) winning salvo, setting a world record for an antique toy sold on the Internet.
HMS Resolution which was recently discovered in redundant servants' quarters among a collection of stuffed birds, exceeded its sothebys.amazon.com pre-sale estimate of £15,000-£20,000.
Manufactured in 1902, the 102 cm twin-masted ship with 13 gun turrets was hand-painted in cream and dark green with painted portholes and decorated bow.
Mr Des Cooney of the Toys of Yesterday Collectors Association, which meets monthly at the community centre in Sandyford, Dublin, was not at all surprised by the price fetched by the battleship. "I would be surprised if it went for lower, certainly under £20,000, depending on the condition, of course. But I have seen them go up to £45,000 sterling," he said.
The finest and larger tinplate model ships are among the most attractive and sought-after collectable toys, he says. "These were very expensive at the time and relatively small quantities were produced."
For instance, a 100-cm Marklin marketed in 1910 for £25 "would have been over four times the average weekly paypacket". Many ships featured elaborately hand-painted details. Fittings like flags, funnels, rails, rigging and lifeboats were fine, fragile and easily damaged or lost. Prone to rusting, any surviving models tend to need substantial restoration, he says. "So when a model in good original condition surfaces, the prices at auction are equally impressive."
Many wonderful German toys were imported into Ireland early last century. The best boats tended to be German. Submarines from the time that dived and surfaced using a clever clockwork mechanism are now rare.
There were also diecast metal ships produced from the mid-1930s. While they will never achieve the high values of the clockwork and steam models, boxed individual items and sets in good condition will find willing buyers, he says.
"Toys were imported into this country going way back. I have a catalogue from the 1853 exhibition in the RDS, the great exhibition, and there are actually a lot of people displaying toys. I find that quite extraordinary considering it's not long after famine times. But there were toys being imported from Germany and France at that stage.
"German ships were quite common in Dublin and people used to have them up over the fanlight, over their front doors, in Pimlico and places like that," Mr Cooney says.
Things to look out for include the condition of the ship and size. The bigger, the better, he says. Trademarks are also important, as they can help identify particular periods.
"If you're looking at quality you can usually see if something is really well made. If you have one of these things, regardless of the condition it's going to be worth money.
"Never assume that anything is worthless or worth a fortune. The most unlikely looking things can be worth quite a lot of money."
The Toys of Yesterday Collectors Association, which next meets on May 28th, is a monthly gathering of enthusiasts and collectors. "It's a kind of refuge for collectors, that they can go and sit and have a chat about their passion and their hobby, says Mr Cooney.
Even when people don't want to sell, "they like to know that what they have is valuable and that others appreciate it, which is often the kick of having something. That others want it and you're not going to part with it."
Readers are welcome to contact Mr Des Cooney for further information or valuations by telephoning 01 285 1308.
www.sothebys.amazon.com
jmarms@irish-times.ie
