Here is a very scarce model that is much sought after. It is the export edition of the Commer Police Van.

Originally the #464 model was issued in the UK market in June 1963 in dark blue, with a mechanism on the front ale that opened and closed a circuit to make the light flash. Later, in February 1967, the base was changed and a flashing bulb fitted so that there was no device on the axle. This model also had the word POLICE as part of the casting instead of teh previous 'County Police' transfers.

It is the second type that was also produced in dark green for export to Europe. There were not many produced and the vast majority of these had the text and its frame painted in silver. A much smaller number had white paint for these two elements and these are particularly scarce.

This is one of that small number and has been sent to me by a collector colleague in Germany. It is in really excellent condition and shows no sign of wear or having been played with, There are no marks that I can see in the places you normally see wear, like on the raised edges. The windows are clean and clear too and the light works too. It may not be a flashing bulb, however. One needed to wait for them to heat up before the flashing would commence and, whilst I did keep the light on while these photos were taken, it remained just alight and didn't flash. So it is possible that it has had a different bulb.

It's a lovely model, totally original and something that will be missing from many collections, especially with this finish. The only example that I can see a price for sold at auction for over £1500 - hence my price. That one did have an original box and instructions which are currently not available with this one. However, I am searching for a good box and will add that to the sale as and when something suitable is found. In the meantime the sale is just for the model.

You may observe that in some photos the rear section is not quite correctly fitted. That is because I had not turned the locking screw on the base far enough. Later photos do show that it fits tightly and in line as it should.