I think you can say that while both Hot Wheels and Matchbox not only produced and sold a lot of ‘regular’ cars to satisfy the public, they also found that there was a big demand for other types of vehicles. Many collectors wanted vehicles to collect that they could relate to. That being . . . policemen wanted Police Cars; construction workers wanted bulldozers, dump trucks, etc; pilots wanted helicopters and airplanes; and firemen wanted fire engines. To meet this demand, most of these alternate vehicles were manufactured to look as close to the actual vehicle as possible . . . many coming with extras such as equipment pieces and movable parts, i.e., doors, propellers, etc..
To this end, Matchbox came out with the 1966 Land Rover Fire Engine 57 -C2. (Note the addition of the ladder and ‘emergency light’ on the top.) This fire engine was produced in the ‘Regular Wheel Matchbox Series 1-75′. These were the basic models produced from 1953 to 1969.
The pictured Matchbox Fire Engine/truck was produced with the following features:
- Red body
- Blue windshield and side windows
- Blue dome light
- Gray base
- Kent fire engine decal on both sides
- Lion decal logo on sides
- Black plastic wheels
- Made in England by Lesney on base
- Open rear, close real area
- White ladder on top of roof
- Two and a half inches long (2-1/2″)
Even if you’re not a fire man, you’ve got to admit this Matchbox Fire Engine is a cutey and would be a great addition to any collection.
Posted 1 year, 5 months ago at 8:11 pm. Add a comment
The Mercedes Coach issued in 1968 came in two different colors…. orange and turquoise. However, the turquoise version of this coach is by far the rarest in the secondary market and commands the highest value. As much as ten times the value of the orange version.
The Matchbox Mercedes Coach was issued with the following features:
- Body of metal
- Base of metal
- White roof
- Clear plastic windshield/windows (1 piece)
- White plastic interior
- Black plastic wheels
- License plates (front & back) read S-B157
- Mercedes emblem shown on front and rear
It is note-worthy that in the market of this era, the manufacturer was still permitted to make a toy that could be basically dis-assembled into four parts. Those being the base, the seats, the plastic windshield/window insert and the top. Finding a coach today that still has all four parts is quite a feat.
To my knowledge, there are no replicas of this coach being produced today. However, should you find one check the base for the following embossed information:
- Made in England
- By Lesney
- Matchbox Series No. 68
- Mercedes Coach
In my opinion, with Matchbox toys (as with any toy), it is always best to buy the toy with the original box if given a choice. Having the original box – in good to excellent condition – will typically add 20-25% to the overall value of your toy – in this case your Matchbox.
Posted 1 year, 11 months ago at 7:37 pm. 1 comment
The Commer Bottle Float – more commonly know here in the US as a milk truck – was produced by Lesney in 1961. This truck had the Catalog Identification Number of 20 c.
The truck pictured above has the following features:
- Pale green in color
- Black metal base
- Milk cow logo on both side doors
- Green plastic windshield
- Open-air sides with white plastic cream bottles load (non-removeable)
- “Drink Milk” sign on roof
- Black plastic wheels
- Made in England
There were several versions of the Commer Bottle Float produced. It can be noted that while there were differences; there were two features that remained constant in all the versions produced. These features were that the truck was always pale green in color and they all had the black metal base.
Posted 1 year, 11 months ago at 8:35 pm. Add a comment
Thanks !
