The five tiny vehicles were found inside a drawer and snapped up by a US collector
Although they were produced in the mid-1930s, the die-cast vans are based on 1920s designs.
The highest price paid at the auction, in Market Harborough, was for a pale green van adorned with advertising for Palethorpes Royal Cambridge.Also snapped up were a red Ensign Cameras van, a green Wakefield Castrol Motor Oil van, a yellow Kodak Film van and a blue Pickfords Removals and Storage van.Mr Smith said: "When our vendor came in for a valuation with these vehicles loosely wrapped in a shoebox, I had no idea what I was going to find.
"So, when I opened the lid to reveal these very scarce vans by one of the iconic makers of die-cast vehicles, from arguably it's golden age, I'm sure I audibly gasped." He added the vans had clearly been enjoyed by the original owner and were in a "played with" condition.
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