01/12/2024 General News
A huge collection of over 600 Dinky toys, amassed by one North Norfolk enthusiast during the course of his life, is set to go under the hammer at Keys this month, writes Emily Ayson. The collector, who has sadly passed away, spans the whole post-war history of the Dinky brand, which was arguably the most successful range of die-cast vehicles ever made, pre-dating other popular ranges such as Corgi and Matchbox.
We live in an era where we more or less take for granted that we will drive a car, but back in the 1950s, car ownership was very aspirational, and for small boys (and it was mainly boys) buying a Dinky model was often the route to owning their ‘dream car’.
Dinky Toys first emerged in 1934 when Frank Hornby’s Meccano company started producing trackside accessories under the Meccano Dinky Toys brand, to complement his Hornby Trains ‘O’ Gauge model railways. The following year the Meccano name was dropped and the marque became Dinky Toys, a name which survived right up until the end of the 20th century.
The first six Dinky vehicles were soon released, including a sports car, delivery truck and a tractor – all of which were cast in lead. By the end of 1935 there were more than 200 different models in the range.
After a hiatus during the Second World War, Dinky entered its ‘golden age’ during the late 1940s and the 1950s. It was during this period that the models became much more detailed and accurate, being made from better quality die-cast alloy, and it is vehicles from this era which are most prized by collectors today.
Competition from Mettoy’s Corgi range forced further improvements in the late 1950s, with features such as working suspension, detailed interiors and ‘fingertip steering’. In the late 1960s and 1970s the brand tried to maintain its market position by releasing models tied into TV and film franchises, including Lady Penelope’s FAB1 from Thunderbirds and Purdy’s Triumph TR7 from The New Avengers.
Alas all of this was in vain, and Dinky’s Liverpool factory finally closed its doors in 1979. The brand was absorbed into Mattel’s Matchbox brand, with special edition Matchbox toys being re-badged Dinky, but this brand was shut down in 2000, and no new dedicated Dinky castings have been created since then.
That didn’t stop the desire to collect Dinky Toys though, and the range is one of the most sought-after in toy auctions, not just among UK buyers, but especially with collectors in the US as well
The appeal is two-fold: for collectors of a certain age, owning such toys takes them back to their own childhoods. And because of their modest size, displaying even an extensive collection is possible even in a modest house (the collector whose models we are selling December had all 600 displayed in bespoke cabinets).
Whilst the rarest Dinky Toys can sell for upwards of £4,000, the majority are more accessible. Older models will make between £80 and £100 at auction, and more modern, more common examples are even more affordable than that. As ever, condition is vital – but even ‘well-loved’ models in ‘played with’ condition will still find a buyer.
We tend to think of Frank Hornby’s legacy as being Meccano metal construction sets and model railways. But in creating the Dinky brand, he gave pleasure to millions of people over half a century – and that pleasure lives on among collectors today.