Dinky Toy
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Dinky Toys are die-cast miniature model cars and trucks. They first appeared in early 1934 when Meccano Ltd of Liverpool, England introduced a new line of "modelled miniatures" under the trade mark "Meccano Dinky Toys". The first announcement for the new line was made in the April 1934 issue of Meccano Magazine.
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[edit] Dinky Toy lines
The original set of vehicles were designated No. 22 and comprised six 1:43 scale models:
It was later extended with:
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- 22g: Streamlined Tourer
This set was a carryover to the new trademark of the No. 22 set of vehicles introduced by Meccano Ltd as accessories for their O scale Hornby Railways model train sets. Other items in the 1-22 range included track workers, passengers, station staff and other trackside accessories.
Once the Dinky name was established, about a year and a half later Meccano Ltd claimed upwards of 200 model variations in the line. The first models were generic representations of vehicle types. In 1935, new series were introduced with the likeness of specific vehicles. Series 30 included :
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- 30a Chrysler Airflow Saloon
- 30b Rolls Royce
- 30c Daimler
- 30d Vauxhall
The commercial vehicles line dramatically expanded with the addition of Series 25 which introduced several new vehicles for hauling freight. Liveries of well known companies began to decorate the sides and tanker trucks were brought out to supply the petrol for all the new model cars on the layout.
[edit] History
In the early 1950s a Dinky Toy craze hit the United Kingdom and it seemed that all boys (and some adults) had collections. Their dual role as toy and model had no peers at the time. Most of the models were in a scale of approximately 1:48, which blended in with O scale railway sets, but many buses and lorries (trucks) were scaled down further so that they were around 4 inches long. Larger models (Dinky Super Toys) were not scaled down, and started to have more action features. Notable favourites are the Coles Mobile Crane and the Horse Box (with opening doors). In 1954, the Dinky line was reorganized: cars were now sold in individual boxes, and there were no series of models differentiated by a letter. A separate line of models were also made in France. Both English and French Dinky Toys were exported to the United States.
In 1956 the Mettoy company started a rival line of models under the Corgi brand name. The Corgi toys all had windows, and then started having new features such as plastic interiors and suspension. The competition meant that Dinky Toys had to progress quickly with new ideas and introduced opening doors and boots (trunks), detailed engines, fingertip steering, etc. A third company "Spot-on", owned by Tri-ang, a division of Lines Brothers also competed and their gimmick was to keep accurately to one scale, 1:42, although they never managed to sell as many units as Corgi and Dinky.
In the mid-1960s Corgi led the way with cars tied to TV shows and films (notably James Bond's Aston Martin). Dinky struggled to keep up, introducing models from Gerry Anderson's Thunderbirds, Captain Scarlet and Joe 90 sci-fi series between 1965 and 1968, but the market was healthy and both companies continually upgraded their ranges. Competition from Matchbox, who made a popular line of antique cars (Models of Yesteryear), forced Dinky to try this idea too, but it was abandoned after a few models. In 1963 Tri-ang took over the parent Meccano company (which included Hornby trains as well as Meccano itself). As Dinky were more popular than Spot-On, it was Dinky that continued, although there were a few cars, originally meant for Spot-On, that were made in Hong Kong but marketed as Dinky cars – the only 1:42 scale Dinkies. Dinky at this point decided to keep to a 1:43 scale, which was already popular in Europe (French Dinky had for some years used this scale).
The late 1960s saw a new competitor enter the model car market in the UK: Hot Wheels by U.S. toymaker Mattel. Their low-friction axles gave them play value that Dinky and Corgi could not match. Dinky responded with their own "Speedwheels". There were still some wonderful models being built at this time, with all doors opening, speedwheels, high quality metallic paint, and sparkling headlights. However, they were expensive to manufacture and the price could only be kept down if the quantities were high. Then the bubble burst. Changing fashions and international competition meant that the range of models contracted. French Dinky stopped production in 1972 (some were later made in Spain) and English Dinky limped through the 1970s before closing - Lines Bros itself had collapsed in 1971. The Dinky name was a valuable one and changed hands many times before ending up as part of Matchbox International. They have been issuing cars of the 1960s and 1970s as the "Dinky Collection", but these are models, not toys, and are not as robust or heavy as the "real" Dinky cars.
[edit] South African Dinky Toys
Meccano Ltd exported Dinky Toys to all of Britain's old colonies relatively cheaply because of existing Commonwealth trade agreements. South Africa was one of its big importers.
In the mid-1950s, Meccano Ltd shipped to South Africa a limited edition set of military vehicles for the South African Defence Force. They were all painted military green and included a Motor Truck, a Covered Wagon, an Ambulance, a Dispatch Rider and a Van. [1]
When South Africa withdrew from the Commonwealth in 1961, they imposed a luxury goods import tax, making Dinky Toys very expensive – a potential loss for Meccano Ltd. To resolve this problem, in 1962 Meccano Ltd began shipping Dinky Toy parts to South Africa where models were assembled and painted locally. The importing of unfinished goods were not subject to import tax. These models were sold in South Africa between 1962 and 1963 and it is believed that only one batch of each model was produced, making South African Dinky Toys very rare. South Africa also imported Dinky Toy parts from the French factory in 1966 and six models were assembled and painted locally. See [2] and [3] for lists of South African Dinky Toys.
Some of the disguising features of South African Dinky Toys are:
- The boxes have Afrikaans lettering at the one end and "Printed in South Africa" on the side.
- The colours are often different from those on the same models assembled in the UK.
- The base plates have a glossy finish, whereas the same models released in the UK have matt black base plates.
[edit] Collectibles
Nowadays there is a healthy trade in old Dinky Toys, particularly the earlier models. Condition is all important. A mint-in-box car from around 1960 can easily command 10 times the price of a played with (used) one. The post-war cars themselves are all but indestructible, although the tires disintegrate with age, and the paint chips. Pre-war vehicles used a weaker alloy and can suffer from metal-fatigue, and thus models from the 1930s in good condition are particularly rare and sought after. Having the original box increases the value considerably - the boxes by themselves sometimes command prices comparable to the models. Some collectors even collect the "trade boxes" that were never meant for customers, but were the packing for the models to go in to the store. There is nothing on the market now that share the two roles of model and toy car as well as the Dinky Toys of the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s.
The most valuable collectible Dinky Toy ever sold was the 1937 Dinky Bentalls store delivery van. It was sold for $19,355 at Christie's, London, England on 14 October 1994.
