THE RISE & RISE OF THE DINKY

Almost everyone was astonished at the heights to which Dinky values rose in the 1980s, so when prices first staggered and then began to decline it looked as if the bubble had burst.

Amazingly, it proved to be a temporary lull and within a very short time values had resumed their upward march. In mint condition and boxed, these small die-cast models, which were originally sold in toy shops for a few shillings, can now make hundreds of pounds – and in some cases even thousands.

The first Dinky toys were manufactured in 1934 following the success of a range of small models imported from America and called Tootsietoys. These original Dinky cars were lead based and die-cast, an inexpensive process in which very large numbers could be produced from a re-usable mould, on a scale of 1:43.

Apart from the style of the vehicles, there are a number of things that usually help to identify models dating from before the war, including: undetailed metal wheel hubs, silver plating on the wheels, white tyres, the absence of a model name or number on the base plate or chassis, the presence of wing mounted spare wheels. Another pointer is the fact that in these early days cars and lorries were boxed in sets – never individually.

After the war the Dinky began to face competition from other die-cast toys. In 1953 the Lesney company began producing its Matchbox Miniatures which did very well at the time but, so far as modern collectors are concerned, have never had the appeal of the Dinky.

In 1956 Mettoy issued the first range of Corgi vehicles, an innovative range that were the first to have windows, independent suspension and opening bonnets. This was shortly followed by Tri-ang’s ‘Spot On’ series in 1959.  For a number of years Corgi were a poor relation of the Dinky, so far as collectors were concerned, but that situation has changed and both ranges are now considered equally collectable.