Don’t miss these Dan Dare rarities offered in latest Vectis Sale

By John Freeman on April 20, 2020

Isle of Wight-based Vectis Auctions sale of the Chris Freeman Meccano & Vintage Toy Collection features a large selection of both original Dan Dare and Eagle collectables from the 1950s, and modern items, too.

We previously reported the sale would take place this Thursday, 23rd April 2020, and items include an unreleased Corgi Dan Dare toy among the many goodies on offer. However, the sale date has now been moved to next Thursday, 30th April 2020.

Life-Sized Bust of Dan Dare, produced by John Fowler in 2000 – constructed probably of resin, depicts the uniformed Dan Dare with collar and tie and peaked hat, rank marking to his epaulettes. Measures 23″/58cm high.
A group of mostly recent issue Dan Dare related items, including “The Dan Dare Biography” published by Orion Books in 2010, a pair of Corgi Eagle vehicle Classic Van sets, Dan Dare Pilot of the Future Dragon Collectables Jigsaw Puzzle (still sealed in cellophane), “Plavi” Eastern European 1960 Comic for “Den Deri!”, plus the “The Horlicks Spaceman’s Handbook”, various postcards, two Waddingtons Anastasia Jet Plane cut-out card model books, a Haynes “Dan Dare Space Fleet Operations Manual”, a 1989 Calendar, Playing Cards and other items
A group of Creative and Colouring Toys including the Eagle Junorite Stencil Outfit with brushes and four x glass bottles, two Mettoy Hobby Crafts “Oil painting by Numbers” sets – one with Golden Eagle image and the other Space Ship Away. Also featured is a Tuck’s Dan Dare transfer book, containing a group of Water Slide transfers featuring characters from the stories
Dan Dare games, including Chad Valley Interplanetary Dominoes, in unused condition still attached to printed card, Waddingtons circular Jigsaw Puzzle 452, two sets of Dan Dare Playing Card Games, Eagle Stationery containing various envelopes and writing paper together with an Eagle “Happy Box” compendium
Dan Dare a group of Guns and Vehicles including two Lone Star diecast Cap Firing Space Guns, a Crescent plastic Atomic Jet Gun and an unreleased Corgi Dan Dare vehicle
A group of Dan Dare 13″ x 9″ Jigsaw Puzzles, each produced “by permission” and include the “Anastasia Approaches a Space Station”, two “Dan and Sandor Capture a Space Ship” and two Interplanetary Space Fleet Headquarters coloured images. Also included is a Chad Valley Dan Dare Interplanetary Domino Set – comprising printed card dominos
A group of Dan Dare Jigsaws and boxed Games, including Waddingtons 452 circular Jigsaw Puzzle, Chad Valley Dan Dare Draughts with scoreboard and wooden counters, Chad Valley Interplanetary Dominoes and a Glevum Games Space Shooting Game, together with a “Dan Dare Pilot of the Future” Book with popup foldout images as the pages are turned.
A group of assembled Dan Dare Jigsaw Puzzles, including a 200 piece Theydon “Rescue in Space” and a Peter Pan Series “Dan Dare Approaches Venus”
A group of Dan Dare 1950’s plastic accessories, with film strip attached to interior, 6″/15cm high. Also featured are two Selcol Dan Dare Vision Master Telescopes in silver and red, together with Dan Dare plastic Field Binoculars, an Eagle Eye miniature Dan Dare Viewer with a selection of film strips, plus a Fair diecast “Dan Dare Cap Firing Space Gun” in metallic red, with a repro box
Bartram’s Dan Dare Space Ship Builder Building Set was in terms of product, similar to the contemporary Meccano of the period, comprising perforated metal sheets, strip, wheels, comes with a made-up model of a rocket in silver and burgundy colours, in an illustrated box with “Space Model Blueprints” leaflet. Image: Vectis
Dan Dare Space Ship Builder – a group of loose metal components – to include silver, green and brick red parts, comes with a blue print leaflet
Dan Dare Stamp Albums and other merchandise. Featured are a pair of ACE Stamp Albums with alternative images to the cover, one containing a variety of stamps, the other unused. Also included is are some Eagle free gifts – an Eagle World Transport, Space and other Passport Folder, a Dan Dare Treasure Hunt Game, another Eagle Passport Folder with all four supplements – and a “Happy Box” Compendium
Day 2 Day Trading 12″ Dan Dare “Pilot of the Future” figure – dressed in a red suit with gold coloured helmet. A recent limited edition production that came in a window box with illustrated sleeve. Also included is a resin Garage Art style figure of “The Mekon”, an arch enemy of Dan Dare and Ruler of the Treens
A group of model related Books including Waddingtons Presso “Anastasia Dan Dare’s Jet Plane” large book contained press-out card parts to make 18 1/4″ models. Also included is the “Eagle Book of Model Aircraft” circa 1959 and the “Eagle Book of Model Boats” circa 1960. Each has approximately 64-pages with illustrations and plans
A group of Eagle comics including the first Issue of Volume 1 No.1 cover dated 14th April 1950. Also featured here are two “Eagle” bound folders containing two years worth of issues from the first issue cover dated 14th April 1950 No.1 issue up to 4th April 1952 Volume 2 No.52. Also included are a full years worth of loose issues covering the period January to December 1960 Volume 11 and a number of loose Eagle Comics from various years around the 1950s
A group of Eagle comics including the first Issue of Volume 1 No.1 cover dated 14th April 1950. Also featured here are two “Eagle” bound folders containing two years worth of issues from the first issue cover dated 14th April 1950 No.1 issue up to 4th April 1952 Volume 2 No.52. Also included are a full years worth of loose issues covering the period January to December 1960 Volume 11 and a number of loose Eagle Comics from various years around the 1950s
Eagle games and other Dan Dare Novelties, including Eagle indoor games “Space Fleet” leaflet, Free 3-D Spectacles and 16-page Book (an Eagle free gift), a Dan Dare Aircraft Identification Disc, Picture Card Album with picture cards attached, Pepys Party Games Dan Dare Treasure Hunt Space Ship Game and a number of Pilots of the Future leaflets and postcards. Also featured are a group of vintage Dan Dare “Secret Inc” container, an Eagle tinplate Fishing Can by Chad Valley, several tinplate and plastic Dan Dare Brochures and lapel badges
A group of Eagle comic-branded plastic model aircraft and warship assembly kits from the 1950’s – 1 to 200th scale. The warships include HMS Warspite, Altmark and Admiral Scheer and two 1/96th scale aircraft kits comprising Supermarine Spitfire Mk.9 and Gloster Whittle Jet Plane
Jetex Dan Dare “Space Ship Kit” powered with Jetex Rocket Motor” comprising various pre-formed card, balsa wood and other parts to produce a model rocket ship, together with Jetex components including the Rocket HT50 Motor. The kit included two large illustrated instruction charts for the rocket ship and launching pad. A scarce kit which is produced “By kind permission of Hulton Press Limited”.
Lucas (UK) “Eagle Projector” – 1950’s projector set comprising Bakelite plastic projector, Mini Cine transformer adaptor (UNTESTED), together with a selection of 16 film strips including PC49 and The Circus Mystery, Indians on the Warpath, Dam Dare Strikes Back, together with a printed Lucas Limited Postcard, a Mini Cine Film list leaflet and instruction book
Martin Lucas Limited (Lancashire UK) a pair of “Assemble your own Eagle Projector” Outfits. The sets each comprise a tin with removable lid with label featuring Dan Dare Image and parts to make a Bakelite plastic projector. One set includes the inner packaging and a Dan Dare film, the other includes an instruction slip. Also featured here is a further Eagle Projector Construction Kit comprising components to make a Bakelite plastic projector, unchecked for completeness but comes with various films including Revolt of the Slaves, PC49, Gun Law, Battle in Space and others. Image: Vectis
Lucas Limited a pair of Eagle battery operated Bakelite plastic projector sets – each set contains a projector, with Mini Cine transformer adaptor. Each set has a selection of celluloid type films – to include Muffin the Mule, Prudence Kitten, War on Venus, Curious Creatures and others
Merit “Dan Dare Planet Gun” – plastic spring loaded is red, with black barrel, spring loaded mechanism in working order and comes with three rotary spinning missiles. The gun is 4.5″/12cm long and all is contained in a card box with illustrated lid
Merit (UK) “Dan Dare Rocket Gun” (safety model). Brown plastic construction, 10″/25cm long, made to fire plastic darts, comes with two darts fitted with rubber suckers, utilising a spring loaded mechanism. Image: Vectis
A Merit (Randall Limited UK) “Dan Dare Space Control Radio Station” containing two Walkie Talkie handsets, control unit with dials, buzzer, searchlight and space signal detector, with reproduction instruction book. Image: Vectis
Merit (UK) “Space Pilot 3-colour Supersonic Gun”. This Dan Dare inspired item, produced in black plastic, is a battery operated gun, with red front screw on lamp, green fittings. The gun is 9″/23cm long. Image: Vectis
Merit (UK) Dan Dare “Space Projector with Dan Dare Film”. A scarce 1950’s toy featuring a silver plastic pistol shaped projector with spring loaded trigger, made to view film strips, comes with a separate box with celluloid space film strip and a catalogue of additional films that were available at the time. The gun is 7″/18cm long. Image: Vectis
The Merit “Dan Dare 2-way Walkie Talkie Sets” came with two black plastic Walkie Talkie handsets plus cable and associated plugs, together with instruction slip in an illustrated box.
Mettoy 7020 Dan Dare “Space Bagatelle”. 12″/30cm high, a British made clear plastic Bagatelle with spring loaded trigger, this comes with five white and black balls, plus two pegs, and features images from the comic, including some of the characters.
Mettoy (UK) tinplate friction drive Dan Dare Eagle Space Ship. A scarce 1950’s example in red, with yellow to the underside, detailed tinprinting. Image: Vectis
Mettoy (UK) tinplate friction drive Dan Dare Eagle Space Ship. A scarce 1950’s example in red, with yellow to the underside, detailed tinprinting. The illustrated card box is 9″/22cm long. Image: Vectis
This 1950s Dan Dare Remote Control Helicopter is scarce toy produced by Nulli Secundus , with aluminium helicopter with battery operated rotating rotors, yellow plastic wheels, attached by tubing to a balanced Fulcrum and battery control box. The company also produced a standard issue remote controlled Helicopter – blue, this example includes the helicopter and the battery operated control box, tubing and instructions. Image: Vectis
This Palitoy Dan Dare Cosmic Ray Gun Tri-Beam is very rare, comprising a yellow plastic battery operated gun with bulb to front lamp holder, moveable yellow bulb cover, and red plastic trigger. The toy gun is 6″/16cm long and came in a colourfully illustrated box with instructional printing to the card insert. Image: Vectis
Waddingtons Press-out Books for making card models of “The Dan Dare Space Ship” and “Anastasia – The Dan Dare Jet Plane”. These come with informative text, when made the models are approx 18″ in length

• This dale now takes place on Thursday 30th April 2020. Do note that at present, there is no public access to auctions due to the Coronavirus Pandemic; all bidding will be online.

• Vectis Auctions is online at www.vectis.co.uk

• The online catalogue for the Chris Freeman Meccano and Vintage Toy Collection is here

• The Chris Freeman Meccano and Vintage Toy Collection Auction Catalogue print catalogue is here (PDF)

All images via Vectis

With thanks to Richard Sheaf for the date change tip

John Freeman

The founder of downthetubes, which he established in 1998. John works as a comics and magazine editor, writer, and on promotional work for the Lakes International Comic Art Festival. He is currently editor of Star Trek Explorer, published by Titan – his third tour of duty on the title originally titled Star Trek Magazine.

Working in British comics publishing since the 1980s, his credits include editor of titles such as Doctor Who Magazine, Babylon 5 Magazine, and more. He also edited the comics anthology STRIP Magazine and edited several audio comics for ROK Comics. He has also edited several comic collections, including volumes of “Charley’s War” and “Dan Dare”.

He’s the writer of “Pilgrim: Secrets and Lies” for B7 Comics; “Crucible”, a creator-owned project with 2000AD artist Smuzz; and “Death Duty” and “Skow Dogs” with Dave Hailwood.