Corgi "Treble Agent Set"

[cOO7rgi]

Yesterday an ebay auction ended which I think is worth mentioning here: a rather tatty, empty box of a never before recorded Corgi "Special Treble Agent Set" which apparently contained a 497 Man from UNCLE car, a 261 James Bond Aston Martin, and a 267 Batmobile.
Like the seller, I have never seen this listed or mentioned anywhere before. It doesn't have a number, although the sticker says "Series 2", so there may be also a "Series 1" set in a collection somewhere ...

BTW, final price was £633 ...


Some pics from the auction - https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/292941599682:

TrebleAgentSet3.jpg (249.54 KiB) Viewed 1923 times

TrebleAgentSet2.jpg (247.82 KiB) Viewed 1923 times

TrebleAgentSet1.jpg (351.73 KiB) Viewed 1923 times

TrebleAgentSet4.jpg (249.34 KiB) Viewed 1923 times

Description from the seller:

Here is a Corgi box for a gift set - the "Special Treble Agent Set, Series 2" - it is an EMPTY BOX - NO VEHICLES included - I'm calling this out as mega-rare based on the fact I've never seen one before and I've been collecting for many years, nor could I find any mention of this set either on Google or on the usual Corgi enthusiast websites I refer to when needing info. The box is 160mm square (just over 6 inches), it has two slits in the lid, the edges of which a previous owner has reinforced with sellotape - no idea why, no idea why the slits are there come to that. Condition is as my photos.
This came my way a few years ago and at the time had the three models in it but was evidently a put together set as the cars were in very different states of wear, the Batmobile was very nice and is in my own collection to this day, the Aston Martin was poor and I sold it on eBay for spares and the UNCLE Oldsmobile also got sold as I had a couple of better ones in my collection at the time. I'm sure someone could put together a nice set for this box which was always my intention but a project I never got around to completing as these days I'm culling my collections, I'm reluctantly going to let this go.

[Idris]

Even if it is super-rare, £632.99 (plus £3.50 P&P) is still a lot to pay for an empty cardboard box!

[kay]

It probably could have been a special mail order box made for departement stores in the US or Canada - like the Matchbox RW sets made for Sears & Roebuck?
I have seen Corgi Chipperfield giftsets, specially made for FAO Schwartz, so there have been some Corgi sets which were unusual!

Kay

[Idris]

It probably could have been a special mail order box made for departement stores in the US or Canada - like the Matchbox RW sets made for Sears & Roebuck?
I have seen Corgi Chipperfield giftsets, specially made for FAO Schwartz, so there have been some Corgi sets which were unusual!

Kay

That might well explain why it is simply a plain cardboard box with a paper label stuck to the lid. No side-labels, no graphics and, perhaps most tellingly of all, no catalogue number, only a set name.

[GHOSTHUNTER]

I agree with Kay's thoughts and looked in my Corgi adverts folder for this 1967 FAO Schwarz mail order book page where the same three 'Crime Fighting' Corgi Toys are pictured. No mention of a gift set but that may be in a later (1968 or 1969 edition which I don't have), but interesting they have the same three models so it is only a short step away from a member of staff thinking about putting them in a single box to market as a type of gift set and if Schwarz were happy to source a suitable box Corgi only had to print up some labels and post to the US, as Swchwarz already own the models so only need labels. I am sure Corgi were quite happy for this to take place.


Ghosthunter.

[Bill Manzke]

First time I've ever heard of this one.