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Discover a selection of models that will go on sale from tomorrow Monday 21st of October until Thursday 24th of October on our website AUTOJAUNE COLLECTION
on sale this week: Edil Toys Lamborghini Marzal 13 Edil Toys Iso Grifo 12 Dinky Toys Afrique du Sud – Rambler Cross country break 193 Dinky Toys Afrique du Sud – Chevrolet Corvair 552
je me souviens ...
….of the first edition, in 1978, of the toy fair organized by the ECMA in Brussels in the aisles of the Woluwe Shopping Center. It was quickly to become the largest in Europe. Exhibitors came from all four corners of the planet. The geographical location of Brussels made it the political capital of the European Union. Part of the large English delegation, led by Mike and Sue Richardson, came to Brussels in a coach chartered for the occasion. It was an unmissable event where good humor reigned. I remember exchanging a Lambretta three-wheeled ice cream cart from Solido for a Spot On Wadham ambulance on site. This fair had the particularity of only lasting the morning. By noon, everything was over. The exhibitors then went to eat in the many brasseries that lined the aisles of this large shopping center.
Solido Renault Express Ecma (bourse de Bruxelles) 20éme anniversaire – Collection Personelle AutoJaune
The original C-I-J box simulating a Citroën Ami 6 assembly line offered this week brought back this memory. At the end of the first edition, when it was time to go and get something to eat, in front of one of the conveyor belts that led to the underground car park, a Belgian exhibitor still had dozens of boxes similar to the one offered this week for sale! I also remember the piles of C-I-J sailboats, caravans and Saviem JL20 semi-transformer carriers unsold from the day, despite the low prices. They must have come from a store stock or a wholesaler. I hadn’t asked him about it. Later I learned that these products, as well as the JRDs, had been exported en masse to Belgium.
on sale this week: C.IJ Coffret chaine de montage Citroën Ami 6 7-1
As for the Renault 1000kgs Belgian posts, like the one scheduled, I had not come across a single one in the exchange. This model which was designed for the Belgian market, at the request of the local distributor was also sold in France. Despite frantic searches, it took us five years to find it. It is a rare model.
on sale this week:C.I.J. – Renault 1000kgs Postes Belge 3-60 PB
The adjective is not usurped. In 2024, I affirm that it is still as rare. However, its rating has dropped. Prices vary according to supply and demand but also according to the purchasing power of collectors. The latter has been undermined for almost three years. It is normal for prices to decrease. They had become inflamed, they are becoming more reasonable again by force of circumstances.
Le danemark à bruxelles
Over the years of this Brussels fair, I have met many collectors from all walks of life with whom I have formed a friendship that has lasted fifty years. I can still see Bent Danielsen coming by train from Denmark, carefully unpacking his Teknos protected in local newspaper from his suitcase. His slowness exasperated me. I would have helped him to go faster. I understood from seeing his smile that you have to learn patience and above all appreciate this suspended moment, the one where you hope to see “the” coveted piece emerge from the package. The rarest pieces were in his little briefcase. That is certainly where he would have stored the Renault 4CV, the Triumph TR2 or the Opel Olympia on sale this week!
on sale this week: Tekno – Renault 4cv 3 barres 811
on sale this week: Tekno – Opel Olympia 806
on sale this week : Tekno – Triumph TR2 808
The other three, the two Volvo 144s and the political Mercedes would have found a place in the suitcase. It was thanks to him that I met Ferd Zegel who came from the United States but also his friends from Turin. They were always together. A solid relationship had been born between these Scandinavian toy lovers. Bent was the unifying element. We regularly went to see him in Denmark where we met before going to the Gothenburg stock exchange. We did a lot of trading between us. It was a different time, money was not central. Bent very quickly understood the interest he had in finding rare pieces for us. Scandinavia will remain the most beautiful discovery of my life as a collector and dealer.
on sale this week: Tekno – Mercedes 230 SL POLITI (Danemark) 932
on sale this week: Tekno – Volvo 144 POLITIE (Netherlands) 835
on sale this week: Tekno – Volvo 144 pompier 853B
spot on
on sale this week: Spot On – ERF 68G plateau 109:2P
The ERF flatbed truck is a classic. It is not rare, it is just majestic with its sober flatbed. It takes me back to the 80s, when its appearance on a stock exchange table attracted enthusiasts. Two Fiat 600 multipla are on the menu. Strange choice of Spot On to have chosen this avant-garde car. This may be where the answer lies. I should warn you, this car, quite rare, was available in more than 15 colors… in the book mentioned above, about ten colors are already listed… but since then other colors have been referenced!
on sale this week: Spot On – Fiat 600 Multipla 120
on sale this week: Spot On – Fiat 600 Multipla 120 bordeaux
The Ford Zephyr is a model that has always given me a hard time collecting. It has only had a few color variations, just like the Vauxhall Cresta also offered this week.
on sale this week: Spot On – Ford Zephyr 6 270
on sale this week: Spot On – Vauxhall Cresta 280
The Austin taxi is surely one of Spot On’s most beautiful creations. Logically, this taxi is always finished in black…well, almost always, because there is a very rare burgundy version. The adjective here is not usurped. I have only met one in 50 years.
Spot on Austin Fx4 taxi Bordeaux Collection Personnelle AUTOJAUNE
on sale this week: Spot On – Austin FX 4 taxi 155
my favorite of the week for these two Mercuy
I can’t tell them apart. The Viberti Aquila tanker truck is not rare. It is part of a series in the colours of the oil companies that could be found on the other side of the Alps in the 1950s. In total I counted 9 different companies (13 variants). The Aquila company does not seem to have distributed its products anywhere other than in Italy.
on sale this week: Mercury – Viberti BC5C citerne Aquila 96
The second, the Studebaker Golden Hawk, takes me back to this Brussels event. The Italian community in Brussels is very large. Belgium was a real welcoming land for Italian immigrants in the last century. It is not uncommon to hear Italian-sounding surnames among Belgian collectors.
on sale this week:: Mercury – Studebaker Golden Hawk 27
1978 corresponds to the time when Jean-Bernard Sarthe fell in love with this brand and its flagship models, including this Studebaker. If the Cadillac is the most beautiful achievement of the Turin firm, the Studebaker is for me the model that combines the most harmonious color combinations, just like the Lancia Flaminia. This is due to the roof/trunk distribution and bodywork. Jean-Bernard had raised the prices….He wanted them all, and immediately. I can only think of him in front of this Studebaker which offers an unusual color combination.
Mercury palette de studebaker golden hawk Collection personelle AutoJaune
Vincent Espinasse
also coming this week:
