DIECAST MODEL VEHICLES

Catalogues

Like many other boys (and some girls I imagine, though not reflected in period advertising) grewing up during the decades after World War II, I played with my "Dinkys". Of course, I had Corgis, Teknos and other makes, but the household name for all those, at least in Sweden, was Dinky (Toys) - the leader in the field of diecast model vehicles in Europe. Those shown below were all acquired 1954-61 and have been treated like the toys they were intended to be - played with both indoors and outdoors. (The only exception is the Peugeot 203, which has been handled as a "collector's item", although some of its hubcaps have become rusty from damp storage.)

With age you get more and more nostalgic and I am no exception. I traded some of my model vehicles for works of art in the 1980s, which I now kind of regret - not that the art isn't nice or maybe even valuable, but for the fact that you can't really value nostalgia, and I do miss those I traded. The remaining, in varying degree of decay, are still in my storage. I have photographed some of them, including some plastic models, and put them on this page, mostly for my own fun I guess. Still, to those of you who find this page: I hope you like viewing my little collection although many of the vehicles are worn and some repainted or even ready for the scrapyard.

Björn Larsson
(The photos may not be the best. I have no decent camera, so I have used my mobile phone - which may not be the best either. The lighting should have been better, too.)

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CIJ
Corgi Toys
Dinky Toys (France)
Dinky Toys (United Kingdom)
Lenyko
Lincoln International
Lion Car
Märklin
Matchbox
Mercury
Norev
Tekno
Vilmer

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The years refer to the model year of the "real thing", not when the model vehicle was issued by the maker.

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CIJ
(Compagnie Industrielle du Jouet, France)

This is the first CIJ edition, from 1959, of the Alpine A106, which was based on Renault 4CV.

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Corgi Toys
(Mettoy Playcraft, United Kingdom)

Circa 1955 Austin A40 Cambridge



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Circa 1960 Fiat 1800


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1959 Morris Mini-Minor

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Dinky Toys
(Meccano, France)

Circa 1955 Peugeot 203 (No. 24 R)


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Four new tyres and this one is back in business!
A repainted circa 1955 Citroën 11 BL Traction Avant (No. 24 N)

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1954 Ford Vedette (No. 24 X)


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Circa 1957 Renault Dauphine (No. 24 E)

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Dinky Toys
(Meccano, United Kingdom)

The numbers within brackets are from the new numbering system which began to be implemented in Dinky Toys catalogues from 1954.

Circa 1948 Standard Vanguard (No. 153)


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Circa 1953 Jaguar XK120 (No. 157)


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1957 Studebaker President (No. 179)

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Mid-1950s Volkswagen (No. 181)

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Circa 1954 MG Midget (No. 108)

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1955 Vauxhall Cresta (No. 164)


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Circa 1953-54 Austin "Nestlé" Van (though the once golden text has disappeared) (No. 471)


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1958 Dodge Royal (No. 191)


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Circa 1949 Austin A40 Devon (No. 152)


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1949 Ford Fordor (No. 170)


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Circa 1954 Ford Zephyr (No. 162)


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Circa 1950 Hillman Minx (No. 154)


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Circa 1955 Austin A30 (No. 160)


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A repainted and one-eyed circa 1948 Triumph 1800 (later known as Renown) (No. 151)


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Bedford Pullmore Car Transporter (No. 982)

.......................................................................................................................Leyland Comet Wagon (No. 932)

Bedford Refuse Wagon (No. 252)

Commer Breakdown Lorry (No. 430) and Field Marshall Tractor (No. 301) with Land Rover Trailer (No. 341)

Fordson Thames Flat Truck (No. 422) and Daimler Ambulance (No. 253)

The Refuse Wagon, Breakdown Lorry and Ambulance were in the 1950 catalogue.
The rest were issued within the next four years.

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Lenyko
(Sweden)

1957 Volvo PV 444

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Lincoln International
(New Zealand/Hong Kong)

This plastic car is marked "Packing Case Series" and "Empire Made". A search on the Internet reveals
that it was apparently produced by Lincoln International, a company based in New Zealand, though made
in Hong Kong. (In the 1950s/'60s, "Empire Made" was often synonymous with "Made in Hong Kong".)

Circa 1955 Jaguar 2.4 Litre


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Lion Car
(Lion Toys, Netherlands)

Lion Toys licensed the manufacturing of some of its earlier models to Tekno and Vilmer
in Denmark, hence the models below are marked "Made in Denmark".

1956 DKW 3=6


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1956 Opel Olympia Rekord

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Märklin
(Germany)

1957 Ford Taunus 15M


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Matchbox
(Lesney Products & Co., United Kingdom)

Ford Prefect, Trojan "Brooke Bond Tea" Van (no text left), Ford Fairlane (repainted, was yellow),
Beford Milk Delivery Van, Wolseley 1500, Ford Thames "Singer" Van (no text left), Morris Minor,
Hillman Minx with Sports Boat on Trailor, Morris J.2 Pick-Up Truck. All were included in the 1958
Matchbox catalogue, but I believe all are earlier models.

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Mercury
(Italy)

Circa 1955-56 Fiat 1100


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Norev
(France)

Circa 1955 Peugeot 403 (which misses the radio antenna that came with all my Norev cars)


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The scrapyard of "our dreams" ("nos rêves" = Norev):

Ford Vedette Versailles, Dyna Panhard Z, Simca Aronde, Renault Frégate, Citroën 15 Six Familiale

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Tekno
(Denmark)

Circa 1957 Ford FK 1000 (later Taunus Transit)

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1950s Dodge "Carlsberg Breweries"

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Volvo (above and below)

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A well-used 1950s Volkswagen

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Vilmer
(Denmark)

Circa 1955 Renault 4CV


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I could have shown copies of these Dinkys, Corgis, Märklins and Teknos as well... hadn't I been persuaded to sell them.







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This page last updated April 14, 2023.

© 2014-2023 Björn Larsson