en vente cette semaine: Dinky Toys GB – Foden Mk2 citerne Regent 942 Norev – Renault 12 Gordini 140 Norev – Peugeot 404 familiale 28 Dinky Toys France – Berliet Stradair benne basculante 569
I remember
…having lived through the end of the golden age of the American automobile industry.
I only understood it later. In Compiègne, where I grew up, a shopkeeper owned a first-generation Ford Mustang.
It was the car I admired the most on the streets of the city, because of its connection to motor racing and its sporty side.
The general public, of which I was a part, was fascinated by the excessive side of these cars, the abundance of chrome and all the symbols borrowed from fighter planes (fins, acronyms, etc.).
Just look at French films from the sixties. American cars have an important place in them. They are often attached to a type of character, not always calm or sympathetic, whether in mainstream films, such as “Le corniaud” or “Les tontons flingueurs” or film noirs, such as those of Jean-Pierre Melville.
In the shots dedicated to road traffic, on the film we only see them, among the 4CVs and the Simca 1000s. This is the world in which I grew up and I have kept a certain nostalgia for it. This is why I appreciate their miniature reproduction. The specialized press of the classic car often put in the spotlight these vehicles designed on the other side of the Atlantic.
In the 80s, there was a real craze for these cars.
« Detroit in miniature » de James Wieland et Ed Force
… When we started collecting miniatures, I reproduced this pattern.
I remember that in the army, my bedside book was “Detroit in miniature” by James Wieland and Ed Force.
Excellent book in black and white, very complete, grouping together miniature reproductions of cars from US manufacturers in alphabetical order.
I learned later that their technical design was often rustic, without genius.
It was the extravagance of the bodies and the color combinations that fascinated me.
This week we have some beautiful models subcontracted in Hong Kong by Dinky Toys and intended primarily for the American market. A Ford Thunderbird and an Oldsmobile 88.
modèle en vente cette semaine : Dinky Toys Hong Kong – Oldsmobile 88 57:004
These are the two most difficult models to obtain from the series.
We notice that the miniatures borrow the same colors. Only the distribution differs. The Ford Thunderbird must be placed with those produced at the beginning of the sixties by Corgi Toys, Dinky Toys France and Solido.
That’s a lot! It’s as if the manufacturers lacked imagination or that the reproduction of this “Thunderbird” was in itself a guarantee of commercial success. The legendary first Thunderbird, launched in the mid-fifties, had left its mark. Manufacturers may have thought they had a good deal with those that would succeed it. However, this model will fall into line.
modèle en vente cette semaine : Dinky Toys Hong Kong – Ford Thunderbird 57:005
As we know, the American market quickly appeared as an “Eldorado” for Meccano and Dinky Toys who signed exclusive contracts with Hudson Dobson for the creation of several models.
I would have liked to know the conditions, quantities and also the agreed prices. The discussion must have been bitter. This week we have two revealing examples. These are two products belonging to the military range.
We know that this country has a very strong link with its army. Models bearing the colors of the US Army are easy to sell for a toy manufacturer.
The Ford Fordor is superb in this military livery. Production was spread over several years. Two types of chassis engraving exist. The last ones even received an individual case.
modèle en vente cette semaine : Dinky Toys GB – Coles grue automotrice 150T 980
This will never be the case with the other model on sale, the Austin dropside truck with tarpaulin. The truck has just been given a khaki paint job. It is much harder to get hold of than the Ford.
modèle en vente cette semaine : Dinky Toys GB – Austin camion ridelles bâché militaire (pour le marché américain) 30S
Still on the program are two Dinky Toys trucks linked to Uncle Sam’s country. The first is sumptuous. How can you resist this “Big” Bedford in the colors of the American food industry giant Heinz. We have the classic version called “beans”, with its tin can reproduced on the sides of the van. The curves of the cabin combined with the volume of the van, its bright colors make it one of the most beautiful Dinky Toys ever produced. The low prices are an additional advantage.
modèle en vente cette semaine : Dinky Toys GB – Bedford Big fourgon Heinz 57 varieties 923
The second one deserves your full attention. It is the Guy Otter Slumberland van.
Look closely at this model, intended only for the American market. Did you spot the difference with the one that started this sumptuous series in Great Britain?
These are the rims, cast and concave in shape. The “Slumberland” inaugurated this legendary series in Great Britain just after the war, equipped with convex rims.
When Dinky Toys programmed other advertising variations, management offered Hudson Dobson a “lot”, which I imagine was at a low price to liquidate the last Slumberland crates to be assembled. Dinky Toys had just changed the rim model. So they logically borrowed them. These models were only sold in the USA. They are rare.
The color has logically lightened (see the shade of the contemporary Spratts) and the pad printing is very slightly different. You just have to be observant. A parallel can be drawn with the Panhard Movic Kodak semi-trailer intended for Hudson Dobson. This is a rare piece truly intended for connoisseurs and fans of Dinky Toys.
modèle en vente cette semaine : Dinky Toys GB – Guy Otter Slumberland (USA) 514
Built to last.
Let’s stay with Dinky Toys and on the other side of the Atlantic. Collecting construction equipment is, like collecting military equipment, a popular theme in the United States.
I have had the opportunity to see this many times on site. The prices charged in the United States for a Dinky Toys construction dumper or loader are often much higher than in Europe. I knew Francis Pierre well, an enlightened amateur of public works equipment, author of many books and articles on the subject, who had created and manufactured artisanal series in this sector.
His biggest market was of course the USA. He ended up selling his company to an American dealer. I thought about this when I saw the abundant series of Dinky Toys construction equipment on offer this week.
I have a weakness for these machines, to the point of having declined the Euclid variants. You can collect more than ten of them.
The one for sale is from the beginning of production. It is without glazing but has already received the Euclid logo in color on the sides of the body.
modèle en vente cette semaine : Dinky-Toys-GB-Euclid-benne-de-chantier-965
We also have one of the last versions, which is much rarer and very interesting. The Euclid firm was absorbed by Terex. Dinky Toys will update its model and modify the engraving of the radiator and the chassis. The Euclid name will be erased in favor of Terex. The decoration is completed by two decals affixed to the doors. We will appreciate the illustrated soft box. A very beautiful piece.
modèle en vente cette semaine : Dinky Toys GB – Terex benne de chantier 965
Still on the program, we have the Aveling Barford quarry tipper. We can see in this model of the end of the Dinky Toys adventure, like a nod to the Euclid released just after the war. I remember the sale of this model in stores, it had been distributed in France. Its very high price already reserved it for a certain clientele.
modèle en vente cette semaine : Dinky Toys GB – Aveling Barford benne de chantier 924
I can make the same observation about the Atlas backhoe and the Coles self-propelled in its rare colour variation, light orange. Liverpool management had bet on this type of solid, good quality product to get things back on track. The very high prices that could have convinced a category of buyers looking for “nice toys” had the opposite effect. They scared off young buyers.
modèle en vente cette semaine : Dinky Toys GB – Atlas AB1702 pelle rétro sur chenille 984
modèle en vente cette semaine : Dinky Toys GB – Coles grue automotrice 150T 980
A word about another machine, the Muir Hill loader and its transparent box intended for the American market.
In the mid-sixties, the decision-makers of the major toy brands were going to revolutionize the boxes. The idea was that the buyer should be immediately attracted by the sight of the product in its packaging.
A beautiful drawing on the box was no longer enough in the eyes of marketing people. I still wonder about the merits of the operation. This would also extend to catalogs where the product had to be photographed and no longer drawn. However, these drawings opened the imagination more while the photos were always a little disappointing.
This Muir Hill in this box is very difficult to obtain. You guessed how fragile the box was. Retailers would soon be tearing their hair out over unsold items that did not keep well on the shelves because the transparent films dried in the sun and tore easily.
How many boxes of this type have survived? I never pass up the opportunity to buy one for myself when the opportunity arises.
modèle en vente cette semaine : Dinky Toys GB – Muir-Hill tracto-pelle 437
« Made in Paris »
I really like catalogs.
Those published for the American market by Dinky Toys in the mid-fifties have a particularity that makes them even more dear to me.
Under the drawings of the few “made in France” models present, there is a mention indicating that they come from Paris, like an advertisement for a perfume, or a luxury garment.
This week we have two Simca 8 sports. These models appear in these catalogs, with the mention “made in Paris”.
modèle en vente cette semaine : Dinky Toys France – Simca 8 sport 24S vert d’eau
This superb car, Mr. Pigozzi, boss of Simca, had intended it for a female clientele. The latter had taken up the idea of the American manufacturers according to which Madame should also have her car (see blog).
modèle en vente cette semaine : Dinky Toys France – Simca 8 sport 24S Crème
collection AutoJaune extrait du BLOG Petit moteur et sexe faible A LIRE ICI
By encouraging American households to have at least two cars, this obviously allowed more cars to be sold. We now know where these excesses have led us. The Simca 8 will be one of the first tests in Europe. For various reasons, including its very high price, the car will not be a great commercial success. We are left with these beautiful Dinky Toys “made in Paris”. Know how to appreciate them at their true value.
Palette de Simca 8 Sport 24S Collection AutoJaune dont la rare variante rouge extrait du BLOG A LIRE ICI
They deserve it. Moreover, when leafing through the pages of the Dinky Toys export catalogues, we say to ourselves that Dinky Toys France are real successes and that perhaps we do not know how to appreciate them enough. Foreign collectors are very sensitive to their qualities.
My favorite is this AEC tray in the colors of the Vaux brewery made by Timpo toys for promotional use.
Rare piece, and I weigh my words. This brewery is located in Sunderland, in the north of England. The name of the city is engraved on the doors of the truck. Timpo Toys apparently never reused this mold designed for this promotional operation. Benbros will later recover the Timpo Toys tooling. The AEC truck was included in the acquisition. Benbros will release many interesting variations of it. A funny detail, it will keep the Sunderland inscriptions on the doors, linked to the promotional version. I also like the curved sign, bearing the name of the brewery, borrowed from horse-drawn carriages.
In forty years, I have only had two copies.
The one for sale this week is one of the two, back for sale. It is emotional to see this truck again that I already sold about twenty years ago. Time passes, people leave, objects remain.
en vente cette semaine: Timpo Toys – AEC plateau brasseur Vaux
modèle en vente cette semaine : Timpo Toys – AEC plateau brasseur Vaux
Vincent Espinasse
also on sale this week
Français
