Small win this week that felt disproportionately good. Found a listing on a retro parts marketplace for a job lot of “assorted arcade signage, untested” – the photo was rubbish, one dark blurry phone snap, but I could just about make out a marquee in there that looked like an original Defender header. Seller had no idea what any of it was, priced the whole lot at £12 because it was “just old plastic signs.”
Picked it up yesterday and it turns out to be NOS – new old stock, never fitted, still had the protective film on part of it. For anyone not in the hobby, this is the equivalent of finding an unopened toy from your childhood at a car boot sale. Original marquees in this condition normally go for silly money when collectors know what they’ve got, so £12 for the lot (there were a couple of other bits in there too, nothing exciting) is the best find I’ve had this year.
It’s currently sat on the kitchen table because I don’t fully trust myself not to scratch it moving it out to the garage. Will get it fitted once the cabinet’s back together – no point mounting it now and risking it getting knocked.
Incredible find, NOS Defender marquees barely come up anymore. Jealous!