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Well, Rolls-Royce models are becoming rather thin on the ground these days, I rarely see anything I need to buy, so tend to double-up a lot, especially if there are bargains to be had (that should say...to be MADE!) and two bundles I purchased at the recent Kempton Park Race Course toy fair, were bargains.

The first bundle included three Rolls-Royce models with yet another blue #69 Rolls-Royce drop-top to add to my collection and two 'Yesteryear' Silver Ghosts. The drop-top was priced at £5 on it's own, the other models were a pound each! so £10 for this lot is pretty good and the Lipton's Tea Van is an early version with the 'By Royal Appointment' tampo printing, so that was nice to have.

The second bundle included two 'Yesteryear' Silver Ghost models (£2 each), and one 'Cheapo' Readers Digest type Silver Ghost model (£1), and all the other 'Yesteryears' (£2 each), at the back. The Opel has the early maroon seat component (I have two of these now Jason!!!), the 'Showmans engine' was priced at £5, so £15 for this lot is pretty good as well!

GHOSTHUNTER.

Picked up this model at the recent Chiltern Hills Classic Car show, on the edge of Aylesbury, Bucks, priced at £7 (just over 8 Euros), but haggled down to £5.50! but it has the 'Open Front Forks' making it an early example, I am not that much into Bikes, but it is such a good model and a perfect example of the toolmakers art, one of Lesney's finest.

GHOSTHUNTER.

Ghosty, i have been looking to add an SF69 in blue with the black drop top to my collection but i am finding it hard to find one. They are not as common as i thought it would be when i started looking.

I assume that it would also be possible to find one with the "long seat", unless you can tell me otherwise?

Hello Alex, you mean one of these......they are quite appealing but (there's always a but!), how authentic they are IS proving difficult to clarify. As you will be aware, the folded hood component can easily be swapped from one model to another, I have not seen one in mint blister packaging and until I do, I do not add this model to my variation listing.

The actual example shown here has a specification putting in the 'B-Line' I.E. it has the Mk 2 body casting, but not late enough to warrant having a pale or rich yellow baseplate, it has a black one.

The first gold models do have tan hoods, changing to black hoods later and it has always been treated as 'Spill-Over' of components causing this to happen, putting this black hooded blue model further into doubt.

My second picture shows natural progression of the versions. The black hood blue car is preliminary classed as a B5+ Version, then B10 with rich yellow baseplate but still with narrow wheels, then the first gold car with narrow wheels and then the first gold car with wide wheels...all here with small rear wheel-arches. Looking at them in this way suggests any blue car with a black hood is very likely to have been tampered with. GHOSTHUNTER.

The 'Long Seat' model mentioned by "Motorman" can be seen hear...viewtopic.php?f=8&t=358&start=10#p2484...and the rest of the story about that version, but please ignore the numbers applied to models shown in the pictures, as they have been revised.

GHOSTHUNTER.

Hi Ghosthunter,

nice matchbox you have found there and good prices. I really like the sunbeam with open front forks and the Y-15 Rolls Royce with grey tyres. Is this the 'sea-green' colour?

Happy collecting,
Linus

Hello Sir_Matchbox_96, The Silver Ghost Y-15 is an early example from 1960 to late 1961, when the colour became a 'Vivid' green and describing certain shades of a colour is difficult, but if you class these first versions yourself as 'Sea Green' then yes it is one of those and priced on it's own at £2 was a real bargain, the condition is very, very good, but by buying it as that job-lot, an even better bargain.

GHOSTHUNTER.

Thanks Kevin,

It's just like the Modrod engine swaps with the black engine!!!

I was aware that the hoods can be changed relatively easily. My research into the different variants of this model is quite obviously not as in depth as your mate (seeing as it's your favourite subject) so i appreciate your comments which have confirmed for me that i dont infact need to chase this unlisted variation after all.

That's OK Alex, I think they are classed as 'Negative Variations'.

GHOSTHUNTER.

GHOSTHUNTER wrote:That's OK Alex, I think they are classed as 'Negative Variations'.

GHOSTHUNTER.

I am dreadfully sorry Mr Ghost!!........I did mean to say "Negative Variations" Honest!