An enormous collection of Warhammer 40K and other war gaming figurines is being sold at Willingham Auctions in Cambridge, UK.
The first part of the sale took place on February 4, with the second half to cross the block in March.
The figures originate from the estate of a local man and number into the thousands. Some are painted while others are still in their boxes.
These Napoleonic figures proved particularly popular
The first part of the sale saw lots made up of mixed figurines achieve strong results.
One lot (consisting of eight cases of Napoleonic war figures) sold for £500 ($622) against an estimate of £120 ($149).
Auctioneer Stephen Drake explained how he discovered the collection to the Cambridge Evening News. “I was on a routine call of a deceased estate locally and when I walked into the house there were boxes and boxes stacked high in each room, full of Warhammer and other war gaming figures. There were thousands of them," he said.
“They caught my eye because my son had been interested in Warhammer years ago and I could see that each one was hand-painted to a very high standard.
“They had been collected over a period of maybe 40 years and I have never seen such a collection, even in the war gaming shops.
“Our cabinets are full of them. The initial cost must have been in the region of £50,000 and we are looking at estimates of £5,000 to £10,000.”
After the success of this part of the sale, that figure looks a little on the low side.
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