It might surprise you to find out that the original matchbox design came from an English product company, and by a co-owner, named Jack Odell. He redesigned the first car for his daughter, from a toy that was sold at the company, except it was a much smaller version. The need for the small car was that apparently, she could not take any toys to school that would not fit inside a matchbox, so this is how the idea of die-cast small cars was dreamed up.

Lesney company, as it was known, marketed and distributed through the Moko Lesney company, and after the Lesney legacy went out of business, all of the rights to the name and design went to Moko. If you want to collect the line of vehicles, then be aware that the original distributing company name will be on the toys.

One of the most brilliant plans for the Lesney line was when they developed a retirement plan for their line for the diecast model cars. Vehicles would taken off the market after a season of production for the buying public. That is why collectors look for them so vigorously, and will pay high prices for originals. Also, production would be limited, which today draws the value of them to high prices on the open market.

If you are looking for the cars, then known that all originals will come in their unique bright yellow little box, in the shape of a box of matches. If a car is trying to be sold without the box, then look for other defining marks on the car, such as the Moko imprint on the vehicles. Popularity and rarity of certain models, like the die-cast caravan, is just one example of what to look for in the little vehicles.

The condition of cars, trucks, and jeeps, and the packaging it came in is very important, when trying to decide if the selling price is worth the cost. As with other vintage or antiques, all of these factors play into the real worth of it. Only you can decide if it is worth that much to own.

Many new collectors of die-casts do not realize that catalogs of the toys in the Lesney/Moko line, are just as valuable. Any price guides that can be found are a collectible too. As with the vehicles condition on both publications does mean a lot, in value and collectability. Do not be surprised to find more vehicles that are in better shape than the books and magazines. Rough handling by kids does not bode well for paper products.

Knowing all of these facts of history about collecting these rare toy cars and trucks, might just keep you out of being taken advantage of by a sly seller. Read more about the fascinating history of collectible cars and trucks from decades past, and fall in love with them all over again, or for the very first time.

The first and primary reason for their overnight success was the wheels. Co-Founder of Mattel, Elliot Handler, had created new wheels that are described as ‘friction-less.’ These new wheels allowed the cars to race at up to 200 mph (for the scale of the car). These ‘hot’ wheels allowed Mattel’s line to quickly surpass all competitors, both car to car and sales to sales. Children simply enjoyed having a toy car that ran much faster down the plastic track.

Mattel’s new line also had a great advantage starting out. The Lesney company (forerunner to Matchbox) started from scratch with a condemned building, limited funding, and grew out of a die-casting company’s slow season. Mattel was the leading company in many toy categories and had highly successful lines of toys like ‘Barbie’ and ‘See N Say’. In fact, when Mattel introduce Hot Wheels, they did so with a $10 million advertising campaign. They also had an advantage in the production of their cars. They had their models build in places like China and the Far East, where labor costs were significantly less than in England, where Matchbox originated.

Another huge factor that caused Mattel’s cars to be successful in America was the fact that it was an American company. Their initial success was limited to the United States and sent Matchbox sales in America plummeting as stated earlier. Matchbox was able to maintain a foothold in the die-cast toy car industry due to its worldwide sales.

Hot Wheels also became widely popular immediately because of the models they chose to produce. Matchbox had primarily produced their cars years after the actual car or vehicle was produced. Mattel’s line primarily used the designs of the American made muscle cars and hot rods of the fifties and sixties. They also tended to customize the cars the way many car enthusiasts did in Southern California, with the rear end jacked up and flames or other graphics painted on the body. These design characteristics helped Hot Wheels succeed in America because kids could now race around the living room with the cars they saw on the streets and their older siblings drove.

In 1969, a year and a half after Mattel introduced its fast wheeled cars, Matchbox themselves came out with faster wheels and more contemporary models. The two companies then remained neck and neck in the toy car world for many years. It wasn’t until the 1990′s that Hot Wheels began to pull away from Matchbox and become the clear industry leader. Ironically, after the matchbox brand was sold to Universal Toys and then Tyco, it was purchased by Mattel.

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