Berwick, Yesteryear and the Mystery Oriental Archer

A recent ramble round the old Roman town of Castleford taught us a lot about Roman life in Northern England but there wasn't much in the charity shops.

I did see this jigsaw puzzle of a car I'm pretty sure I had as a Yesteryear as s kid. But what was it?

I also clocked this boxed draughts set by Berwick, who were a popular toy company when I was a kid. Did you have any Berwick toys? 

The box art screams the 1960's, a graphics style I love. Do you?

And I'm still trying to ID this action dolls dressed in oriental garb, complete with plastic long bow and quiver. He's about 12 inches tall, like an Action Man

 I've a female red ninja too. 

As per usual I should have bought all 8 or so figures the boot sale seller had but I just got the two. Returning to the same stall last week all the other figures had gone. Serves me right! 

There are no makers marks at all in the visible areas.

Any ideas who he is readers?

Wetherby, Hull and Fitzwilliam: Touring for Toys and Tat

 I picked this Ass pump toy clown at Fitzi boot sale recently. Hailing from the former East Germany the pump cable would usually make the clown do a sort of press up. My pumps broke.

Have you seen anything like it before? 

This book cover caught my eye. Is that a toy die-cast on the cover?

Waterstones in Hull had a decent shelf of graphic novels.

Modern remakes of some classic games.

A Hull icon now sadly shut, Bob Carvers chippy, home of the Hull pattie.

I would have loved this as a kid, dig out skulls! Great box art! 

And yep, the Spiders got a blue plaque at Hull Station.

We're you a Bowie fan?

Saw this trunk in Thorpe Arch. It's from New South Wales! 

And this lovely Zorro bagatelle came home with me today.

Do you like it?

Selby Saunter

A wander round one of our fave towns, Selby, is always fun and today I spotted a few things in the Charities that I thought I'd share.

This Chinese calligraphy set would have been a treat when I was a young teenager in my Kung Fu days. I think the ink rod is grated on the stone with water to produce usable ink. Not sure if the spoon is original. 

This charity had a great stock of old kids books ...

... Including Coral Island published by Bancroft. I loved this hardback as a kid and it's companion Treasure Island. Truly gorgeous cover art. Did you have any Bancrofts?

On the rear is a list of other classic titles.

This Hoppit game is a new one on me. Fabulous box art. I was tempted! 

Not sure what this large white Sports car was. Probably Barbie's ride. Or maybe the Captains?

These two old boxed models were in a window. Quite dear but they looked great I must say. Anyone know them?

This old Spaceflight book was interesting.

There's even a make your own ANT model double-spread! 

I came home with a 1970 softback on Tutunkhamun, £1, that I had as a kid and a boxed set of the Keaton/ Kilmer Batman movie CD's for £2, much cheaper than streaming.

We also bought a bureau.

See anything you like?

Assorted Centres

 Some recent spots and acquisitions in antiques centres, auctions and shops:

The Grouch Couch, bought for the Grandkids. It grumps, growls and eats objects! 

Spotted in an auction, I did Watch with Mother and loved all these BBC shows on this Chad Valley projector, but just who is Joe? He I dunno! 

Two old sixties soccer annuals for my bro in law, who sadly has Altzheimers. It's his 80th on Sunday and he likes to browse the pictures of football books. He was captain and manager of his team in Leyland.

It's hard to imagine just how famous George Best was back then. A superstar. They called him the fifth Beatle he was so famous! 

This set I saw on Amazon so reminded me of a fossil hunting kit I had as a nipper. I've never been able to find the one I had. Mine was boxed. This comes in a colourful sack. Did you have a kit like this?

Something a little different and relics from my past, seen in an antiques shop in Balby, these two Mary's or very similar ones graced our home as I was growing up. My Mum was quite a religious lady and the house reflected it. Her purse too, full of relics like Padre Pio's cloth.

Was your Mum or Dad religious? 

More Balby bounty, this cabinet held a UFO Interceptor and the wondrous Tow Truck, both of which I adored back in the boomer years.

Now in Wath, I was amazed by this huge plastic toy doll's home cinema outside a charity shop. It reminded me of Looey's! I imagined Action Man and Sindy watching a movie. But which one?

Back in Balby, not sure where this toy train was from but I loved the artwork.

And these old kits caught my eye too. I love that Frog Lifeboat box art!

These massive toy trains by LGB reminded me of my Big Big Train from the Sixties. What a top toy that was!

Finally, I was interested to see the Clifford logo on ..... Children's packs of cards! 

Till the next trip ...

Buxton Bounty

On a frosty day trip to the Peak town of Buxton nestled betwixt snowy hills the Missus and me mooched among the many charity shops.

Prices of vintage toys and games have shot up in Charities of late, especially old board games, of which I saw a few like Airport, Hotel, Escape from Colditz and Totopoly.

I did pick up some some old tech, namely a 1989 VHS pre-cert Kung Fu Horror film called The Men from the Monastery, a 1974 Shaw Brothers production. I collect old horror and thriller videos, preferably big box but small and pre-cert are fine too. This is the first 1980's horror video I've seen in a charity shop for years, so I was chuffed.

I also got a set of BBC Radio cassette tapes of their 1981 production of Lord of the Rings. This is the 2001 re-issue and just part 1, The Fellowship of the Ring, which I first heard, along with the rest, in the Spring and summer of 1981, whilst volunteering for the RSPB at the Ouse Washes. It was all very Middle Earth!

I like Tolkien tapes and books and have a few. The older the better and preferably with classic art on the covers. I have sold some old computer games like the Hobbit and regret it, as the box art was fabulous.

Have you any old VHS or Videos or Lord of the Rings books and cassettes?

JUNKING IN EMPORIA 1: ROBOCOP

 Going junking in emporia is fun and seems to be one in most town centres these days. Shops and halls of glass cabinets filled with various sellers' vintage goods.

Here's an item I recently found going for a song in Wetherby.

This is a nice solid Toy Island Robocop figure from 1993. There's a button I haven't pressed yet! Wonder what that does?

I was surprised how many toys emanated from this movie  [like Terminator] as it was so violent and clearly not for kids. It may have been the subsequent TV series that spawned the toys. I'm not sure.

I remember seeing the large toy vehicles like the ambulance that went with this figure in a German department store called Karstadt in 1994 and wondering if I could get one in my suitcase to bring home. I didn't and forgot to look in UK toy shops for them. Impulse is everything!

I was reading in Autoweek that the Robocop TV series popularised the Hummer. 

Is that the same as a Humvie? 

Here's the Toy Island's hummer Tactical Field Ambulance, the same as I saw in Karstadt 30 years ago.

Did you have any Robocop toys readers?

Did you like the Robocop film or the TV series?

YORK SANDWICH

 The Missus and me went to the Yorkshire Auction House viewing day. It was fun and not something we do often.

There were hundreds of lots. Here are a few of the boxes of mixed toy lots we saw.

This toy gun is a mystery.

Gerry Anderson jigsaws!

Lots of toy trains

a mystery plastic dragon

Die-cast and dolls

Man in Space coins!

Airfix footballers and Striker!

We then moseyed through ancient York and visited a few Charities  before eating a delicious Doner.

Apollo 13 Laserdisc!

Lots of games including Ker-Plunk! Remember that?

Microdot spy game and a toy hoover!

Mouse Trap! What a game that was!

See anything you like readers?