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Thanks for all the tips, it's made me aware that at least a few of these should be sold with modest expectations.

Is there an easy way to determine whether sun fading has caused the colour or not? Presumably the colour would be uneven across the model if this were the case? I will take another closer look over the weekend and maybe post some close up shots of that one and put it in natural light with the white balance checked as I know my camera tends to over saturate slightly.

The whole episode is causing a bit of an internal dilemma for me, the more I learn, the more attached I feel to the models! I need to give it some more thought as I may want to keep them now, the Matchbox cars at least.

Tubby wrote:Is there an easy way to determine whether sun fading has caused the colour or not? Presumably the colour would be uneven across the model if this were the case?

Sunfade is a curious thing. Sometimes the dicolouration will be uneven, sometimes it is just a general change, with no pattern or shading. In addition, I have a suspicion that some of the more even sunfades we see may be due to chemically unstanble pigments.
As regards the 21c Commer Milk Float, the best test I've found is to turn it over and rock the baseplate gently from side to side. This will reveal thin strips of the inside bodyshell surface which are not normally exposed to light. My guess is that you will find that they are pale green (ie. the original colour).

I shall have a look at that. Incidentally, what is the recommended approach for cleaning these models. I have a small brush for cleaning my shaver that I've used to remove the dust accumulation off some of them but the finish still looks like it could benefit from a bit of a buff really.

I clean my models using shampoo, WARM water and an old soft toothbrush, Don't use hot water as it can loosen the decals, give them a gentle scrub and rinse them under the cold tap until all of the shampoo has come off, dry with a soft towel and leave them to dry properly by an open window, The toys are very tough and cleaning them will not do any damage, Yours are all older models with decals rather than paper labels which will discolour if they get wet,

Tubby wrote: The whole episode is causing a bit of an internal dilemma for me, the more I learn, the more attached I feel to the models! I need to give it some more thought as I may want to keep them now, the Matchbox cars at least.

looks like we've caught another one

fixer wrote:

Tubby wrote: The whole episode is causing a bit of an internal dilemma for me, the more I learn, the more attached I feel to the models! I need to give it some more thought as I may want to keep them now, the Matchbox cars at least.

looks like we've caught another one

Reel him in Reg!!!!

Tubby Can i suggest you seriously consider keeping all the Matchbox models you have and start collecting more!!!

It is a wonderful hobby and you will learn loads from the Forum members including some of the pitfalls that collectors can fall foul of!!

Oh boy have some of us had some falls

fixer wrote:Oh boy have some of us had some falls

Oh yes, but some highs too

motorman wrote:
Reel him in Reg!!!!

Tubby Can i suggest you seriously consider keeping all the Matchbox models you have and start collecting more!!!

It is a wonderful hobby and you will learn loads from the Forum members including some of the pitfalls that collectors can fall foul of!!

I have a few days off work coming up and apart from the list of repairs that the wife has posted on the wall I will have some time to look at the cars and re-consider. I think the other cars will be dispatched one way or the other but the Matchbox stuff is quite tempting.

Good lad!! you wont regret that decision, it's a wonderful hobby.