Matchbox Cars

About Vintage Matchbox Lesney Collectibles

The Matchbox line of miniature diecast vehicles was unofficially launched in 1953 when British toymaker Lesney Products created a 15 3/4-inch-long replica of Queen Elizabeth’s coronation coach. The coach came in either silver or gold, and was pulled by a team of eight white horses and four red-jacketed riders. Lesney’s coronation coach sold well, but a miniature, 4 1/2-inch version sold even better.

Coincidentally, around the same time, Lesney partner Jack Odell had scaled down one of Lesney’s first toys, a road roller, for his daughter Ann, whose school only permitted children to carry toys that were small enough to fit into a matchbox. Ever the engineer, Odell made his daughter a matchbox-compliant cast-brass road roller, which he painted red and green. Naturally, all of Ann’s friends wanted one, too, and by the end of 1953, Lesney had trademarked the name Matchbox as the brand for its new line of 1:75-scale cars and trucks...

The first Matchbox vehicles sold poorly, in part because shopkeepers could make more money off larger toys that sold for higher prices (they were loath to fill their shelves with goods that would generate less revenue). But kids loved Matchbox toys, and they were priced low enough that many children could afford to buy them with their own pocket money. The line’s slow start was soon forgotten—by 1960, Lesney was producing approximately 50-million Matchbox vehicles per year.

Contemporary collectors love these vintage Matchbox toys. Models from the first year included green-and-red cement mixers, road rollers, and dump trucks. The orange milk wagon featured a black horse with white fetlocks and a metal milkman riding up on top. Cars were also offered, from a red-and-white Vauxhall Cresta sedan to an all-white MG Midget TD.

Even though the objects were small, Odell lavished lots of attention on their details. Cars had dashboards, and their wheels looked like real wheels, not just generic discs. Headlamps were spray-painted silver—later, molded plastic would be squeezed into the interiors. Some of Odell’s most ambitious re-creations boasted more than 100 die-cast parts.

The next Matchbox series was called Models of Yesteryear. Launched in 1956, these nostalgic toys included a 1925 Allchin 7-NHP Tractor Engine, whose green body offset its red, spoke wheels. A traditional red London double-decker bus, patterned after one from 1911, was also released in 1956, as was a London Tramcar from 1907. A brown-bodied, white-roofed Leyland Lorry with a "W. R. Jacob" decal on its side came out the following year, and in 1958, Matchbox offered a 1929 green Le Mans Bentley racecar.

The Models of Yesteryear series continued until 1982. Between 1960 and 1974, silver or gold versions of 1911 Model T Fords, 1906 Rolls Royce Silver Ghosts, and 1923 Type 35 Bugattis were also sold.

Matchbox Major Packs was another series from the 1950s. Slightly larger than the regular 1:75 Matchbox line, these vehicles continued Odell’s interest in heavy machinery and trucks. The inaugural pieces were a yellow Caterpillar Earth Scraper, with silver metal wheels and black plastic tires, and a Bedford Ice Cream Truck, whose light-blue cab pulled an off-white trailer advertising "Wall’s Ice Cream." This series continued until 1966.

For collectors, Matchbox cars in their original boxes are always more highly prized than loose ones. Another wrinkle to watch for is cars made from 1954 to 1960, whose boxes bear the phrase "A Moko Lesney Product." This refers to the business relationship between Lesney and Moko, a company Lesney partnered with to help with Matchbox’s marketing and distribution.

Without a doubt, the greatest challenge to Matchbox’s dominance of the small-die-cast-toy-vehicle market was the 1968 launch of Mattel’s Hot Wheels. It is generally agreed that Matchbox was slow to respond to these faster cars, waiting a full year before introducing its line of miniature Superfast Wheels. In 1970, the Major Packs were retooled as Super Kings, and a line of Speed Kings was sold from 1971 to 1978.

But that was not enough. Lesney went bankrupt in 1982, after which it was run by various business enterprises from the mid-1980s through the early 1990s. Ironically, perhaps, it finally became of part of the company that had been its undoing, Mattel, in 1997.

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Lesney Matchbox Collection W/ Display Case 1960s & 70s$610.00 Ends in 15 hours 9 bids 33 watchers
52 Pc Matchbox Lesney Speed Kings 1:43 Scale W/50 Boxes$565.55 Ends Sunday 16 bids 32 watchers
36 Pc Matchbox Lesney King Size Lot W/ 25 Boxes$500.00 Ends Sunday 11 bids 49 watchers
95 Pc Matchbox Lesney Vintage Car Boxes Only No Cars$407.00 Ends Sunday 16 bids 51 watchers
36 Pc Matchbox Lesney Vintage Superfast Cars W/boxes$404.00 Ends Sunday 13 bids 39 watchers
1970s Matchbox Superfast#75 Ferrari Berlinetta Mib #c$375.00 Ends Sunday 8 bids 51 watchers
Matchbox Lesney Red Toe Joe # 74 Rare And Mini Mint$350.00 Ends Monday 1 bid 3 watchers
Matchbox Superfast #53 Ford Zodiac Mk. Iv Blue Green D$306.23 Ends Monday 5 bids 41 watchers
Large Lot Of 40 Boxed Matchbox Superfast Some Very Rare$300.82 Ends Sunday 25 bids 44 watchers
18 Pc Matchbox Lesney King Size Lot W/ 13 Boxes$295.00 Ends Sunday 15 bids 39 watchers
1983 Matchbox Display Case With 1978 1-75 Superfast Set$286.92 Ends Sunday 5 bids 30 watchers
31 Pc Matchbox Lesney Vintage Cars / Trucks W/ 26 Boxes$275.00 Ends Sunday 14 bids 36 watchers
29 Pc Matchbox Lesney Vintage Battle Kings W/ 27 Boxes$266.00 Ends Sunday 17 bids 24 watchers
Matchbox Lot Of 28 Lesney Superfast Cars" Mint In Box"$224.72 Ends in 22 hours 14 bids 27 watchers
Mint Vintage Matchbox Lesney 40 Cars W/ Case$207.50 Ends Sunday 4 bids 21 watchers
17 Pc Matchbox Super Kings Trucks W/ 15 Boxes Lg Scale$188.50 Ends Sunday 9 bids 27 watchers
1970 Matchbox Superfast 64a Mg1100 In Green F Box$169.53 Ends Monday 7 bids 40 watchers
Matchbox 56a London Trolleybus.. Rare Black Poles. Vnm $144.60 Ends in 12 hours 16 bids 16 watchers
Lot16 Matchbox Moy Fire Engine Series Collectibles Etc$140.55 Ends Sunday 8 bids 12 watchers
26 Pc Matchbox Super Kings Construction Lot W/25 Boxes$132.50 Ends Sunday 13 bids 24 watchers
72 Pc Matchbox Lesney Cars W/ Storage Case$132.50 Ends Sunday 10 bids 37 watchers
35 Pc Matchbox Lesney Vintage Cars/trucks W/case/29 Bxs$130.50 Ends Sunday 23 bids 14 watchers
48 Vintage Matchbox By: Lesney With Carry Case 1966$128.50 Ends in 8 hours 3 bids 8 watchers
92 Pc Matchbox Lesney Military Vehicles W/ Case$127.50 Ends Sunday 13 bids 30 watchers
Old 1960's Rotating Matchbox Display Case With Cars$125.00 Ends Monday 1 bid 26 watchers
1960s Matchbox #32 Aral Tankwagen In Original Box$122.50 Ends Tuesday 6 bids 24 watchers
Matchbox Superfast #38 Honda Motorcycle W/ Trailer #b$117.50 Ends Saturday 16 bids 29 watchers
Matchbox 75 Wall Mount Display Case Large$117.20 Ends Sunday 5 bids 14 watchers
28 Pc Matchbox Super Kings Car Lot W/ Boxes 1:43$116.50 Ends Sunday 6 bids 17 watchers
80 Pc Matchbox Lesney Fire Rescue Space Vehicles W/case$112.50 Ends Sunday 11 bids 21 watchers
Very Rare 1960s Matchbox #43 Tractor Shovel Mib$108.50 Ends Tuesday 4 bids 11 watchers
Matchbox Fred Bronner Display Set W/ 5 Cars Sealed 1969$104.49 Ends Sunday 3 bids 10 watchers
Matchbox Superfast G-3 Racing Specials Giftset Mib !$104.00 Ends Saturday 7 bids 42 watchers
Rare 1962 Matchbox Regular Wheel 2c 'muir Hill' Dumper$103.05 Ends Sunday 6 bids 15 watchers
Lesney Matchbox Fire Chief Car # 59 Sealed Blister Pack$102.75 Ends Sunday 5 bids 9 watchers
Matchbox 46 B-4 Pickfords Removal Van Bluespw Ex+ D Box$102.50 Ends Sunday 2 bids 4 watchers
Ef Viking Johnson Kw Matchbox Ham Radio $102.50 Ends Tuesday 4 bids 58 watchers
8 Pc Matchbox Dinky Great Tanks Collection W/ Boxes$102.50 Ends Sunday 11 bids 11 watchers
Lot Of 8 Robotech Matchbox Toys Exo-squad Macross Alpha$100.00 Ends Sunday 40 bids 33 watchers
Matchbox Lesney Vintage Lot Of 48 Cars/trucks & Case$100.00 Ends in 17 hours 1 bid 18 watchers
Matchbox Superfast #38 Honda Motorcycle W/ Trailer #c$98.00 Ends Saturday 15 bids 32 watchers
11 Pc Matchbox Super Kings Lot Cars Trucks W/ 10 Boxes$97.00 Ends Sunday 12 bids 33 watchers
Matchbox Across America$96.00 Ends in 19 hours 6 bids 4 watchers
94 Pc Matchbox Lesney Construction & Trucks W/ Case$95.00 Ends Sunday 7 bids 21 watchers
1970s Matchbox Superfast #41 Ford Gt White Body #a Mib$91.00 Ends Saturday 10 bids 21 watchers
Matchbox 8 Ford Mustang Car Mib #13318$90.00 Ends in 22 hours 13 bids 32 watchers
Huge Lot Of Vintage 60's Redline Cars And Matchbox 67$90.00 Ends Saturday 7 bids 14 watchers
Matchbox Lesney # 39 Pontiac Convertible With Box $89.00 Ends Tuesday 9 bids 15 watchers
Matchbox Superfast # 19 Road Dragster Scorpion Mib$89.00 Ends in 18 hours 4 bids 10 watchers
1970s Matchbox Superfast#75 Ferrari Berlinetta Mib #b$89.00 Ends Sunday 7 bids 15 watchers
72 Pc Matchbox Lesney Cars W/ Storage Case$87.00 Ends Sunday 8 bids 19 watchers
Vintage Matchbox Lot 42 Black&grey Wheels W/1966 Case$86.53 Ends Wednesday 7 bids 11 watchers
19 Pc Matchbox Lesney Yesteryear W/ 2 Yesteryear Cases$84.00 Ends Sunday 6 bids 14 watchers
62 Pc Matchbox Race Cars + W/ Storage Case$81.00 Ends Sunday 6 bids 17 watchers
26 Pc Vintage Matchbox Lesney Cars Trucks W/ 24 Boxes$81.00 Ends Sunday 13 bids 21 watchers
62 Pc Matchbox Lesney Pickups Vans Motorcycles W/ Case$81.00 Ends Sunday 6 bids 16 watchers
Matchbox Lesney Major Pack 1 Caterpillar Earthmover New$81.00 Ends in 20 hours 6 bids 13 watchers
Vintage Matchbox Cars In Boxes : Group Of 15 $76.99 Ends Saturday 7 bids 11 watchers

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