Flynn brothers bonded through toys and adventure
With a dash of friendly competition – ‘you snooze you lose’
Patrick Flynn and his younger brother Michael spent much of their childhoods playing with some very cool toys. Meccano, Dinky, lead soldiers and other wildly popular toys of the day captivated their imaginations. As they grew into adults, their common brotherly interests expanded to include full-sized sailboats and cars, but their shared love of toys never waned. In fact, it ignited a passion that took them to far-away places and spawned more than a few adventures.
Patrick Flynn, left, and brother Michael atop Brent Knoll in England. Contributed photo
Beginning in the 1970s, the brothers each built their own collection of vintage toys, at times numbering in the thousands of pieces and both included extreme rarities. “We loved searching for things together, but yeah we were competitive occasionally,” admits Patrick. “When there are two brothers and only one toy, well, you snooze you lose.”
Sadly, Michael died suddenly this January, ending the brothers’ years of collecting, buying, selling and travelling together in search of the next ‘find’. What remains are the stories and the memories.
Like the time the brothers were set up as vendors at a toy show and a man they recognized as a former family neighbour started asking them questions about how much this and that toy was worth. It turns out the Flynn brothers’ parents, believing it was “time to put away such childish things” gave their toys to the young neighbour who had held onto them ever since. Now, as an adult himself, he wanted to know if they might be worth something. In an ironic twist, the brothers ended up buying back all their own toys, including a Meccano set in the plywood box their father had made for it.
Michael Flynn looking over his purchases after a successful buying trip. Contributed photo
Fast forward to 2020. Michael’s collection and some of Patrick’s collection are now set to be sold at Miller & Miller’s Dec. 12th auction, Toys, Advertising & Historic Objects.
Among the lots is a rare Dinky Vulcan wing bomber from 1955-56. There were no more than 700 of them made, all in Liverpool, England, but due to a manufacturing challenge which led to flaws, Dinky decided not to sell them and instead accepted a wholesaler’s offer, who promptly exported the toy planes to Toronto where they were all sold. Over the years, Michael and Patrick handled between 60 and 70 Vulcans. “We’d take them back to England to sell since there were over 50,000 collectors there, a lot more than here. A good, original Vulcan back then could command 2,000 pounds and another 1,000 if it came with the original box.”
This Dinky '749' Avro Vulcan Delta Wing Bomber Toy is offered as lot 396 in the December 12th auction.
Meccano airplane sets, also made in Liverpool, England, were among Patrick’s favourite collectibles. A 50-page manual for the kits sold between 1931 and 1941 explained how to build replicas of every plane for that time period between the wars. “Meccano helped to train three or four generations of engineers,” he says.
The brothers also collected Doepke model toys, made in Ohio. Unlike many toy makers who were focused on war themes, Doepke specialized in creating realistic-looking construction equipment and cars of the day, such as the MG and the Jaguar. If Dad bought an MG, he might get a Doepke model kit of the car thrown in, which a son or daughter would assemble and paint to look just like Dad’s.
One of their greatest finds was a complete Heyde lead musical band in its original box, circa 1910s, discovered in Scotland. According to Patrick, at one time it was worth roughly 5,000 pounds.
Other lots in the upcoming sale include a Marusan Japanese aircraft carrier in its original box. It was made by an American toy company that Patrick says pioneered Japanese toy manufacture for the American market under the names San or Marusan. Also on the block is a Yonezawa space patrol tank which he believes, “is Japanese toy technology at its finest.”
The Flynn brothers spent decades collecting – the travels, the ‘finds’ and the stories always drawing them closer.
“It was a bond for sure,” says Patrick. “I never really realized just how much time we spent together between the sailing, the cars and the toys. We would spend every last penny on toys, then look at each other and say, ‘can we still afford gas to get home, or get anything to eat’?”
By Diane Sewell
Diane Sewell has been a writer for over 25 years, producing stories for some of the country’s top newspapers, consumer magazines and websites, as well as client newsletters and two commissioned books.
Highlights from the Flynn Toy Collection offered as part of the December 12th auction at Miller & Miller:
Click an image to view in our online catalogue
Auction Title: Advertising, Toys & Historic Objects
Auction Date: December 12, 2020.
Online Bidding: November 23-December 12, 2020.
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