Published on 1st February 2023.

Ashington Toy Fair was founded in 2010 and managed to survive the pandemic by holding  events outdoors. The monthly fair provides an opportunity for dealers to buy and sell toys, as well as giving people of all ages the chance to start or add to their own collection. AAH visited the bustling fair in January and spoke to traders about their passion…

David Parsons: I set up the toy fair in 2010 with a friend and fellow collector, Simon Phillips. We were at a fair in Henfield which was poorly attended and thought we could organise a better one ourselves. I thought of Ashington Community Centre as it’s clean, modern, well-equipped and has plenty of free parking. From the outset, it has been well attended and I’m proud that it’s still going more than a decade later. I now run the event with the help of Peter Holmes and although we’ve had lean years, recent fairs have been well attended. During Covid, we held the event on the green outside and people travelled from far and wide, as for a time we were perhaps the only UK toy fair operating. 

We have some sellers who are here to sell their collection, while others are dealers who buy and sell toys. When the fair opens, you often see dealers buying by the box, as they make money by selling toys online, at car boot sales, or at antique fairs. People turn up to sell their own toys to traders too, and we actively encourage that. So, it’s a mix of selling to casual enthusiasts and collectors, and dealers buying, selling and swapping toys. 

There is always a shift in terms of which toys are popular. We’ve seen Meccano’s value nosedive. Brands like Dinky and Corgi are more resilient, but there’s increasing demand for computer games, electronic watches and vintage mobiles. Lots of TV spin-offs from the 80s and 90s are popular too, including Ghostbusters, The A-Team, Micro Machines, He-Man, Barbie and My Little Pony. But there will always be demand for trains and Scalextric, as they’re great interactive hobbies. They’re not just about sticking something on the shelf to be looked at. Instead, there’s a whole world of opportunity, in terms of designing layouts and modelling, and such passions can last a lifetime. 

Chris Hackett: When I was young, my passions were model railways, diecast toys and Lego, and the items I sell tend to represent those same childhood interests. At events such as the toy fairs, we see a mix of dealers and collectors, and I fall into the latter camp. I love collecting toys and games, but there does come a time when you feel the need to sell on some of the things you’ve collected. I like supporting the Ashington event as they kept going during Covid, holding fairs outside with social distancing. I appreciated that, as it was important for some of us collectors to keep in touch, as the social aspect of these events is important. 

Today, I have vintage toys, classic board games and even a dolls’ house, but they’re not much use to children today. My daughter is helping too, as she’s inherited some of my interest for toys. Some of these items may not find a buyer for a year or more, but I’m always surprised by what people love and want, and by what doesn’t sell!

Alan Holt: I started collecting Hot Wheels cars about 12 years ago, when you could still find old models for a low price. Cars that were worth £15 a decade ago can fetch over £100 now, as there are more collectors out there. The oldest date you will see on the bottom of a Hot Wheels car is 1967, but they weren’t sold until the following year. For the first 10 years, cars had a red trim around the wheels, which is why they’re called ‘Redlines’. Hot Wheels were made with metallic paint, making them more colourful than the lead paint alternatives, and they also made a track that cars could run on smoothly, adding to their appeal.

They made 16 cars in the first year, including a VW Beetle and classic American muscle cars like the Mustang. Those early models are especially valuable and one in mint condition can be worth in excess of £500. It’s worth looking around for them, although you don’t find them in the wild very often! They don't last in a toy box as the metallic paint flakes away. 

This is my first time at the Ashington fair, although I go to other toy fairs, including Santa Pod raceway during Bug Jam. I always have a great weekend there, because children want to take home a souvenir.  A lot of my trading is done online and through auctions, as some cars made in rare colours are worth more in America than they are in the UK, and vice versa, depending on rarity. But fairs like this one are great for meeting other dealers.

David Wright: Over the course of 40 years, I built a collection of about 1000 models, mostly comprising British sports cars. There are some deviations, as I’ve sought out models of cars I’ve owned or driven too, as well as some special interest vehicles. After a while, I became interested in the materials they were made with and the manufacturers behind some of the models, especially those small businesses who often were not around for long. So, I decided to tell their story and in 2011 wrote my first book about white metal models, including the biographies of 170 manufacturers, with pictures too. The book was a moderate success, which led to a second book on resin models, before a third book focusing on my real love: British sports cars.

I sell some of the remaining copies at the toy fairs, along with diecast models that I no longer have a need for. Most are minority interest models, although people sometimes see a model of a car they once owned and buy it. I never expect to make much money, but I always learn something or pick up information from another dealer that is useful to me, especially as I still occasionally write for specialist magazines for collectors. 

Peter Sturtevant: Most people here sell model railways, diecast cars or film and TV memorabilia, but my passion is for construction and haulage models, as well as tractors and other agricultural machinery. I used to deliver for two garden nurseries and some of my interest in collecting stems from that occupational interest. 

After being made redundant, I founded a gardening business with my wife, so selling toys is something I do on the side, as my collection started to get out of hand. I have a few regulars who buy from me and always enjoy talking to them about their interests and memories, especially if they worked in haulage too. 

This event in Ashington does well, to say it’s only a village. A few local children come down too and some prefer trucks and tractors to cars and trains, so they like my stall! When it comes to making money, there are good days and bad, but the social side is important. It would be easy just to put everything on eBay and reach a worldwide audience, but I prefer meeting people with a similar passion. 

Peter Holmes: When I was 16 years old, I opened a suitcase and found a lead soldier inside it. He was a Gordon Highlander, crouched down and firing a weapon. I kept hold of it and it inspired a life-long passion for collecting. I would go to Phillips’ auction in London to buy lead soldiers and bolster my collection, selling on duplicates or those I didn’t need. My other interest is OO gauge model railways and collections dominate my house, with entire rooms and even a cabin devoted to lead soldiers and railways. 

I enjoy helping David organise the toy fair, although sometimes I might not make a penny! It’s not really about that though, and there’s always the excitement of not knowing what will come through the door from a dealer looking to sell or trade. With toys, the market is driven by nostalgia and the demand for lead soldiers and older types of model railway is dwindling. The same is happening with Dinky and other makes of diecast models, and in another few years nobody will want them either, as the next generation are more interested in Star Wars, Lego or computer games, as it relates to their own childhood memories.

Dave Price: Most of the toys I sell come from house clearances. When they find a box of toys, people call me, describe the contents and I give them a price. There’s no time to browse through the box and pick out the best bits, so it’s always a gamble. You just hope you get lucky once in a while! 

I like to attend toy fairs as it beats sitting indoors watching television all day. Today, I’m selling some vintage slot cars and Spitfire models, but most people have been asking about my double decker bus. It is the finished model from a magazine collection which would have cost £1200 originally, and the details is incredible. These events are nice as they bring people together, but in terms of making a profit, I usually have far more success at the big events like the one at Beaulieu, which attracts overseas collectors with deep pockets!

Fred Pullen: I became keen on model railways in 1971. Initially, it was to give my son something to play with, but the layouts I made for him and later my grandson have long gone. I have collected Hornby and diecast models ever since, and what I sell at the fair is only a small part of that collection. I always envisaged creating a new layout in the loft when I moved house, but there wasn’t enough space, so I’m slowly selling off what I have, one box at a time. When I open up a fresh box, it’s like I’m discovering the models for the first time, as you forget what you have! 

I sold a lot on eBay during lockdown, particularly diecast models, but I enjoy toy fairs as I like to see my trains going to a good home, with buyers who have a genuine interest in them. Most of what I sell is TT (Table Top) scale and Hornby has just announced a return to 12mm track with the TT:120 series, so the original collection is quite collectible. Whether or not Hornby’s new TT scale revives its fortunes remains to be seen though, as children have very different interests these days. 

For details visit www.modeltoyauctions.co.uk/news