| Matchbox toy cars have never gone out of style. | | | | year, when a new car came out, an older one was |
| These diecast collectibles are hotter than ever in toy | | | | removed from the series. This same practice is still in |
| collecting world. The Matchbox car toy series was | | | | place today with the toy car series. |
| created in 1952 by Jack Odell when he cast a small | | | | The Mattel toy company started to compete in the |
| metal miniature of a Road Roller and inserted it in a | | | | die-cast car market in 1961 when the production of |
| matchbox container so his daughter could take it to | | | | their Hot Wheels brand was introduced. The Lesney |
| school with her. More than 50 years later, the | | | | company went bankrupt in 1982 and sold the rights |
| Matchbox brand is still known to collectors and | | | | of the Matchbox brand name to Universal Toys. In |
| children alike for its high quality, model diversity and | | | | 1992, the the Matchbox brand name was then sold |
| affordability. In many retail outlets, Matchbox cars are | | | | to Tyco Toys whose toy division was ironically |
| still sold for around a dollar a car and each year more | | | | bought out by the Mattel toy company in 1997. |
| than 100 million of them are sold to collectors and | | | | Throughout all the years, Matchbox toy cars |
| kids alike. | | | | remained widely collected and traded. With the birth |
| The first Lesney series of Matchbox toy cars | | | | of the internet and the start of eBay in 1995, it |
| measured up to eight inches long. It was during the | | | | opened up a wider outlet for collectors all over the |
| 1950's that the Lesney Company began to focus | | | | world to buy and sell cars in their collection. On any |
| mostly on miniature sizes of the diecast cars. The No. | | | | given day, their are thousands of the toy cars |
| 1 Diesel Road Roller, No. 2 Dumper, and No. 3 Cement | | | | available on eBay and the Wal-Marts of the world too |
| Mixer were first released in 1953. Lesney then | | | | have a very large selection to choose from. |
| decided that the vehicles in this beginning series, | | | | Matchbox toy car collecting is both fun and profitable |
| known better as the 1-75 series, would be limited to | | | | and a great hobby for both young and old. It is |
| only seventy-five different makes and models. | | | | never too late to start collecting both new and rare |
| Though new models and makes were made each | | | | Matchbox cars. |