DINKY

Dinky Toys

Dinky toys history

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.

Dinky collections

In the early 1950s a Dinky Toys 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 Dinky Toys 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 Toys 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.

Dinky Toys cars

Dinky Toys trade

Nowadays there is a healthy trade in old Dinky Toys, particularly the earlier models. Condition is all important. A mint-in-box Dinky Toys car from around 1960 can easily command 10 times the price of a played with (used) one. The post-war Dinky Toys cars themselves are all but indestructible, although the tires disintegrate with age and the paint chips. Pre-war Dinky Toys 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 Dinky Toys 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.

South-Africa

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.

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.

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.