Topping the 175 toys at David Lay’s (15% buyer’s premium) sale at Penzance on August 22, was this 1930s clockwork tinplate Krazy Kar marked By Permission Walt Disney – Mickey Mouse Ltd to the rear and Made in England to the left-hand side.
The maker was Wells, the company which was set up by Alfred Wells in 1919 to replace German manufacturers’ pre-war dominance. Having taken over Brimtoy in 1923, it continued to produce model toys at Walthamstow in east London until the 1990s.
Only a handful of the 5in (13cm) long cars were made. This one, painted with Disney characters including Donald Duck and the more obscure Clarabelle Cow, lacked its headlights and had a minor knock to the canopy but was otherwise in good condition and in working order.