Vectis gold plated Corgi 261 Aston Martin DB5 Prototype?
ppw3o6r
Great BritainPosts: 2,271MI6 Agent
When Vectis first listed this a couple of weeks ago it carried an estimate of £600-£1000 however today that estimate has sky rocketed to £2400-£3800 ....WTF?
https://www.vectis.co.uk/corgi-no-261-pre-production-gold-plated_731500
Clearly there are serious Corgi collectors out there (Donkey considers himself one!) but ask yourself a question. Back in 1965 why would Corgi gold plate a 261 Aston Martin? There is no way they could have known it was going to be "the toy to have!". Additionally records show they did not start plating their models until the mid to late 1970s for special occasions. If you have been following my posts over the years you will know that a leading die cast specialist retailer sold this idiot a prototype gold plated brass C270 Aston Martin DB5 for £6000 but its base plate revealed that it was not brass and not a prototype because the base plate had a specific detail which appeared on models from 1973 onwards and this Vectis example has the 100% identical tarnished plating, an almost chipped base & identical screw fitting. Finally if the Vectis C261 is a prototype? surely someone somewhere would have a record of it???
Compare the C261 image with the image of the C270 I used to have ....I have :v
https://www.vectis.co.uk/corgi-no-261-pre-production-gold-plated_731500
Clearly there are serious Corgi collectors out there (Donkey considers himself one!) but ask yourself a question. Back in 1965 why would Corgi gold plate a 261 Aston Martin? There is no way they could have known it was going to be "the toy to have!". Additionally records show they did not start plating their models until the mid to late 1970s for special occasions. If you have been following my posts over the years you will know that a leading die cast specialist retailer sold this idiot a prototype gold plated brass C270 Aston Martin DB5 for £6000 but its base plate revealed that it was not brass and not a prototype because the base plate had a specific detail which appeared on models from 1973 onwards and this Vectis example has the 100% identical tarnished plating, an almost chipped base & identical screw fitting. Finally if the Vectis C261 is a prototype? surely someone somewhere would have a record of it???
Compare the C261 image with the image of the C270 I used to have ....I have :v
Comments
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-tees-45489362
Regardless of who supplied it Vectis did NOT do their homework to command such a price. The information is out there if you bother to look for it. Simply put it was NOT a prototype because first off there was 4 of them & secondly Mettoy ceased production of their C281 DB4 so they could modify the mould to appear more DB5 like which is why the C261 has the incorrect rear light clusters! They did this because they had no time to PROTOTYPE the DB5 to meet the Christmas deadline for the model -{
Vectis have gotten really sloppy. Similarly, the navigation and tools on their site are absurd by current web standards.
I wouldn't mind but I informed them what it was and how many were produced and they did not have the common decency to reply however this seems to be a common practice now because a specialist diecast dealer in the UK who I used to have a great deal of respect for sold a Corgi 270 Aston Martin DB5 from 1973 in a 1968 packaging which would & did command a higher price. They also did not bother replying when I pointed out their error & let the listing run until the item was sold!
I am a new collector and just purchased an item from QDT.
It is a Corgi 270 DB5 Aston Martin (Gold plated), similar to this topic.
It can be viewed on their website, priced at £2,000.
The question is in your valued opinion is it as stated?
They say 7 were discovered. Mine is number 6.
After reading this thread I have doubts.
Cheers in advance.
Welcome to AJB007. Go to post 324. Unfortunately the images have gone:
https://www.ajb007.co.uk/topic/39676/donks-modest-bond-collection/page/13/
You really have to draw your own conclusions on this. When originally sold to me (the first MBU example) it was as a gold plated brass prototype (not one of 7) but the base plate designated it a 1973 onwards model so clearly not a prototype & it wasn't brass either. The price was £6000 which was refunded. I have not purchased from them since. What is known about the piece is only what was stated by the original owner known as the MBU Collector and that is he obtained 7 sets of plated parts ONLY from MVC's desk drawer. In my opinion they should have stayed as found "in part form" however they were assembled by MBU which meant one assumes cannibalizing 7 production 1973 onwards C270 models? Corgi gold plated a number of different model's shells as specials in the mid 1970s. As QDT stated "perhaps for a special event" but at this time no one 100% knows why the C270 was plated so further research is required. If you go on the QDT website & put C270 in the search box you will find the other examples they have sold on behalf of MBU, the first I believe was in excess of £5000 ....bet that buyer is p*ssed! -{
3 years ago the 6 remaining were still in their "as found" component form!
very helpful.
The image was also much apreciated.
My C270 is available for collection tomorrow.
Still not sure what to do. I came to many of the same conclusions as yourself with the limited amount of info I knew.
The big questions are,
is it worth the money?
Will it have a resale value?
Would you class it as a high end refurb?
I am wondering it would be better trying to get a refund and investing in a good quality standard C261 Aston Martin.
Thoughts please guys.
I was happy with my £6k C270 when I believed it was a brass prototype. You have one of seven so there cannot possibly be anymore than one more from the MBU source. As zero is genuinely known about the piece it is unknown how many sets of parts Mettoy Playcraft plated and for what purpose? because in the mid 1970s the only Corgi/Bond significant event was 1977 for TSWLM. Perhaps as there was seven? they may have been plated for EON Productions but I honestly doubt it. As to value, if it is something you like then you have secured it for £3000 plus less than the first example QDT sold. Its true value is if you really like it or not? as with any collectible!
I do not believe you will get a refund as it has been sold as a 1973 onwards C270 which was plated for an unknown reason. I've checked the wording of the listing very carefully. I have researched it as thoroughly as the Vectis C261 but cannot find any additional information which would add or reduce provenance. Good luck with your considerations on this one.
Thank you for all your help.
The team at QDT seem honest enough and have offered a refund.
I have always wanted a James Bond 'Aston Martin' and this item ticks the boxes.
But... Its that slight doubt.
Decisions, decisions
Kind regards
Alan A