Alfa P2's Top Toys & Sporting Sale

Two Alfa Romeo P2 tinplate toy cars, the Holy Grail of toy collecting, headed the Toys, Models, Collectables and Sporting Sale at Tennants Auctioneers on 5^th April. The Alfa Romeo P2 was made by the French company CIJ between 1925 and 1935, modelled after the full-size racing car that was first built in Italy 1924 by legendary designer Vittorio Jano. The model version has stylish looks evocative of inter-war Grand Prix racing and as a piece of miniature toy engineering it has few equals. The two examples in the sale were painted in red and turquoise, and sold for £5,500 and £3,800 respectively, both well above estimate.

The interesting and varied sale attracted a high level of visitors to the North Yorkshire salerooms. With a busy day of viewing followed by a packed auction, numbers were back to if not exceeding pre-Covid levels. An interesting Private Collection, consigned by a former Newcastle United employee, certainly helped attracts sports memorabilia fans. Highlights of the collection included a Steve Howey FA Cup Final Match Worn Shirt from the 1998 match at Wembley against Arsenal (sold for £1,600 against an estimate of £200-300), a FA Cup Final Presentation Pennant form the 1999 match against Manchester United (sold for £750 against an estimate of £300-500), and a Ruud Gullit Newcastle United worn t-shirt and tracksuit (sold for £600 against an estimate of £300-400).

Back in the vintage toy section of the sale very high prices were seen for Pre-War Dinky Cars, which have been less popular in recent years. With really good condition helping boost the rare cars, a 24e Super Streamlined Saloon sold for £1,100, and a 36e Two Seater Salmson sold for £950. A rare Trix Twin Railway (Bassett-Lowke) Coronation Scot Set, consisting of the 4-6-2 streamlined Coronation locomotive LMS 6220 and one 1st and two brake/3^rd class coaches also sold well at £700, and a Bing Fine Engine sold for £700.

Amongst the collectables in the sale, a J S Fry & Son Ltd glazed shop display cabinet sold for £600, and a Swimming Fish Poster after Charles Paine sold for £450. Charles Paine (1895-1967) was a highly regarded and prolific graphic designer, who trained in stained glass. He is known for his bold, and highly stylised posters, informed by his knowledge of stained glass, that he designed for a wide variety of companies.

The sale achieved a total hammer price of £68,910 with a 92% sold rate for 437 lots.

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