Y4-2 1905 Shand Mason Fire Engine

This is the most desirable of the standard issue Yesteryears and is hard to find in mint condition with the full team of firemen. The first models to be issued had a 'Kent fire brigade' decal applied. This is the version I have here. This is issue 3 and was bought at a local swapmeet for £19 which was quite a bargain considering the excellent condition of the model. Expect to usually pay well over £150 for mint boxed models. However, issues with grey horses rather than white are in the extremely rare category and can command prices over £500.

By 1963 the decal was changed to 'London fire brigade'. The horses for this variation were either white, bronze or black. These 'London' models are slightly scarcer than the 'standard issue' Kent models so expect to pay a little more.

A real example of the Shand Mason can be seen at the Castle Museum in York.

The footplate showing 9 full and 3 partial slots. As time went on and the tooling became worn the number of slots was reduced to 7.