BUILT TO LAST

I loved my Matchbox cars.  In the mid-60s, I started to collect them.  My friends and I would pay with them for hours and even making important trades.  I had the British fire station and the BP gas station, along with a huge non-Matchbox tin gas station with an elevator and service bays that would have been any boys dream.  My cars were cool and days passed quickly when taking them out and speeding them around.  Even when Hot Wheels came out, they were still my favorite.

A while back, I was at an antique dealer in Ventura.  They had a few of the very same cars I still have.  They ranged in price from 25-100.00, most falling into the 75.00 range.  These were for the original Lesney made in England cars, not the current crop Mattel makes.  Although my tin service station has long gone the way, ( I saw one not to long ago, which brought back fond memories), the cars and the plastic gas/fire station are still in my possession and are going nowhere.  I think I'll dig them out to admire them again, maybe starting a construction project in that small plot of dirt in my backyard... 

Lori Richie wrote a brief history of the cars:

Since the creation of the first Matchbox vehicle in 1952, the popularity of these miniature toys have been enjoyed by countless youngsters. The Matchbox brand stirs a sense of nostalgia in the minds of many Boomers. Collector’s world-wide value Matchbox toys for their appreciation and realism.

Matchbox cars were first produced in England by an industrial die-casting company known as Lesney Products. Lesney was founded by Leslie and Rodney Smith. Jack Odell, an expert die-caster, joined the enterprise shortly after its inception. The fledgling company in the beginning had really no direction about what products they would focus on producing. Odell's contribution to Lesney Products changed the course of the company's future. The die-caster crafted a Road Roller miniature replica for his daughter to carry to school in a matchbox. This was the beginning of the mass-market success of what would become known as Matchbox cars.

Lesney Products first produced models which measured up to eight inches long. It was during the 1950's that Lesney began to focus predominantly on miniatures. The No. 1 Diesel Road Roller, No. 2 Dumper, and No. 3 Cement Mixer were introduced in 1953. Lesney decided that models in this beginning standard series, known as the 1-75 series, would be limited to only seventy-five models. Though new toys were produced each year, when a new car appeared, an older one disappeared from the series. This marketing format is still in place today.

Matchbox cars from this initial series are characterized by different wheels. The first Matchbox cars were produced with metal wheels. Gray or black plastic wheels became standard in the early 1960's. "Superfast" wheels, still used on Matchbox cars today, were introduced around 1969. The wheels were designed to compete with competitor Mattel's version of Matchbox Hot Wheels. These modern wheels had a thin axle wheel that allowed the cars to run faster on race tracks with low friction.

By 1960, one million models were produced each week. Mattel offered competition in the arena of miniature die-cast cars in 1961 when the marketing and distribution of their Hot Wheels brand emerged. Mattel, Inc. ironically now owns the Matchbox brand. Lesney went bankrupt in 1982 and sold the Matchbox brand name to Universal Toys. In 1992, the brand was sold to Tyco Toys whose toy division was eventually bought out by Mattel in 1997.

Lesney seems to have understood early the possibility of Matchbox’s collect ability. Collector’s catalogs were published by the company each year starting in 1957. Cases were designed for the storage and carrying of Matchbox cars. In the 1960’s Lesney marketed gold and silver-plated models specifically for a collectors market. Lesney sent representatives to meets and clubs during the 1970’s and 1980’s to cultivate interest in collecting Matchbox models.

Eventually, a line of Matchbox was formed and dedicated exclusively to Matchbox Collectibles. Many Matchbox Collectables were embossed with brand names such as Coca-Cola, Hershey, and Texaco. These toys with brand tie-ins are highly desired by collectors. Matchbox collecting continues to be a popular pastime internationally.

Comments

[king leo]

Oh please Mary! Any self-respecting queer kid, like myself would have been more interested in a Swatchbox. I was always on the lookout for bright prints that would make MY quilt stand out.

In all honesty, the design queen in me always wanted to create a cool...oh wait...that was Hot Wheels.

As I was saying...

[king leo]

I just saw your About Me section. I just love it! You are so frikkin' creative!

[Dr. Lao]

I did origami, too! Does that count???

As for my ABOUT ME area. That's the beauty of the site, so much to explore, Like Holly Golightly in NY.