Bayko, bears & bagatelles

John Good win’s last sale encompassed a wealth of collectables, from the commonplace to the downright obscure.

There was just one Bayko lot: a red boxed version, with white and red right angled bricks, showed that it dated from the late 1930s. Although the box was battered, it was interesting in that the set contained the brown bases, which were a prewar feature. At £30 it was a bargain for someone.

Bagatelles, those sloping board games with a wooden push stick and large ball bearings, have a certain following; after all, these were the precursors of automated pinball machines. A Chad Valley bagatelle in green fetched £15 whilst an older model, the Corinthian, also in wood, sold for just £10.

As for bears, there were several lots of assorted bruins, ranging from £5 to £35: the latter bought a basket of eight or so, with a Hermann teddy bear notable amongst the lot.

A super group of earlier Scalextric included track buildings, a Goodwood chicane, racing motorcycle combinations as well as boxed models of the Lister Jaguar, Vanwall, Porsche and Mercedes, amongst others: this selection went for £380.

Railwayana fans were also catered for: although some cast iron GWR track shoes found no takers (was weight a problem?), No Trespassing signs sold well and there were scores of railway books that were knocked down in lots of ten or more for just a few pounds. Many limited edition framed railway prints sold (£25-45) and there were dozens of lots devoted to OO scale layouts.

In terms of diecast, a Corgi Ecurie Ecosse car transporter with trio of racing cars sold for £80 and a Dinky USS

Enterprise, together with an Eagle Transporter, both boxed, raised £170. A SpotOn Jones Crane truck was another highlight: a scarce model, it sold for £160. ■