| Pre Second World War Dinky Toys have proved to | | | | than their original cost. These models are virtually |
| have been a first rate investment for those | | | | being given away. |
| collectors who managed to forsee the future and | | | | That they did not appeal to children at the time they |
| buy at the right time. The fact that most of these | | | | first appeared on the market is not surprising as they |
| models, whether ships, aircraft or vehicles, suffer | | | | certainly looked old fashioned, but why they did not |
| from metal fatigue, fails to deter the buyers. The | | | | appeal to collectors is a mystery. |
| models themselves although crude by modern | | | | When these models were produced Matchbox were |
| standards are still bringing fantastic prices at auctions. | | | | also producing models of commercial vehicles which |
| Metal fatigue however appears to be a thing of the | | | | for the price were excellent value. The Matchbox |
| past, technological progress in model castings having | | | | models however varied in scale with only the box |
| hopefully solved the problem. Although it is not yet | | | | size remaining constant. |
| possible to restore these early Dinky Toys to their | | | | Because Matchbox apparently flooded the market |
| original condition, I understand that there are | | | | with their models, the only ones making money for |
| treatments available designed to stop any further | | | | those who bought them as investments, are those |
| deterioration. This has got to be good news for | | | | models with odd manufacturing differences, such as |
| those who invested in them, as without treatment a | | | | colour variations, thereby making them unique. |
| collection of metal debris in a fading box would not | | | | I do not think that Corgi flooded the market with |
| have funded many retirement plans. | | | | their 1/43rd scale commercial vehicles. |
| Browsing through the diecast models being offered | | | | It may have been that the Corgi models in the |
| on e-bay over the Christmas period, I was shocked | | | | Thorneycroft and Mack range of vehicles in this scale |
| and saddened to see the "buy now" prices for the | | | | were quite large and therefore difficult to display, but |
| Corgi 1/43rd scale range of old commercial vehicles. | | | | the Ford range of vans although little bigger than the |
| For an investor these models have got to be the | | | | cars, are still for some reason not attracting the |
| biggest diecast bargains on e-bay ever.. | | | | buyers. |
| The models were made in Britain before all the big | | | | It is difficult to believe that the size of the model |
| names in model manufacturing shifted production to | | | | was a problem. Corgi seem to have had little difficulty |
| China.. They were beautifully painted, well detailed, | | | | in attracting collectors to their 1/72nd scale models of |
| and well presented in good quality boxes with | | | | Lancaster and Halifax bombers which are presented |
| viewing panels. Most importantly the scale was | | | | in far larger boxes than the Classic commercial |
| constant. They are now for sale on e-bay at less | | | | vehicles. |