The German tinplate toy, circa 1906, a model of a limousine painted in black and brown with gilt and red lining, was discovered by Toy Specialist Nick Lambert during a vulation day held at Hayes Garden Centre, Windermere.  
The vendor, a lady from Cumbria, had no idea she was sitiing on a small fortune as the car was passed through the family and had been kept in a cupboard for many years.

The car was originally valued at £600 as it had no trademark, but after further research it was discovered to be Marklin (probably the world's finest maker of tinplate toys) and a much higher price was expected.

Potential buyers were from across the globe and on the day of sale, eight telephone lines were in operation together with live bidding on the internet and a saleroom full to capacity. A UK telephone bidder finally secured the lot for a hammer price of £38,000, a record at Tennants for a toy.

The sale also included 240 other lots of toys and collectors' items and was a near sell out, with extremely buoyant prices across all sections.

Entries are now being accepted for the next sale of Toys & Collectables to be held in early January 2010.