23a the 1st; casting

[Rob]

Well done George, great find.

[kwakers]

I had also searched for this early casting for almost 10 years George. I did have a bit of luck in March of just last year (2016) when I was able to steal one from a Seller friend that you as well as I follow VERY closely. I am now SURE you missed his listing of it. It was coded by Stannard and pictured very nicely George, but many others may have also been asleep on such a hard casting that is Mint and displayed on our shelves now....
It is nice that several of us here can enjoy ours together now George! A very nice find indeed and Jason's should sell quickly because of that castings rarity....
Cheers! kwakers

[Brad Pittiful]

very cool George!

[Taxidad]

Here is mine

[ClOwY]

Jasons is sold ,thanks Jason
Gary.

[kwakers]

Very nice indeed Taxidad, just as Mint as George's, and perhaps found years ago here in the U.S.A.?
You will enjoy J's model Gary, I turned over many of these 23a Caravans without ever seeing this early casting here in the U.S. They seem quite rare when compared to the number of braced based Caravans that are sold on E Bay Worldwide even today.
Many very large collections have been sold off over the years without one of these Code 1 Caravans in them, could most of these earliest casting Caravans stayed in England in the 50s? kwakers

[ClOwY]

Thanks Kwakers, a late b/day present to myself.
Gary

[kerbside]

Hello Gary, what kwakers says in his post is much the same as I said in my email to you, although you are a YY collector you will find a great enjoyment in the regular 1-75 models .

George T.

[kerbside]

Hello Dick (kwakers) may be the 1st castings all went to America, as your one and the one from Taxidad as well as my one were all found in America, just a thought.

Just as well I did not see it on our friends list as we would have both been after it bidding against each other I wonder how high the price would have gone for this little rare piece

George T.

[Idris]

...may be the 1st castings all went to America, as your one and the one from Taxidad as well as my one were all found in America...

Thanks to Joe (Tinman), we know that several first-type 20a castings (without the cab/backboard brace) made it to the States. I also noticed a first-type 12a for sale in the US but, since no mention was made in the listing of the casting, I don’t think it had been collected (and therefore possibly bought abroad) for that variation. However, we also know that curved-roof 1a Road Rollers were initially completely unknown over there.
The conclusion would therefore seem to be that sometime between the release of 1a and possibly 12a, but definitely 20a, the US was receiving shipments containing first-run castings. It is therefore quite possible that the lion's share of the first-type 23a baseplates were exported to the US.