Trade Boxes

Following type 1 are the type 2 -- the are 'Salmon' coloured and type 3 - Beige coloured. They have no date or coding but some do have the retail price written of the ends. The upper surface of the lid is plain unlike the type. These are the examples that I have. David

Have come accross this trade box of 6 station porters, unfortunatly missed the bidding so cannot as yet find out the 50,000 number on the reverse, perhaps somebody already knows. Have contacted the auction house and trying to contact the buyer but will have to be patient. We are at least now aware of its existance. David

Type 4 prewar trade boxes are also yellow but without any printing on the upper surface of the lid. Most but not all have the date code on the side, all 38,39 or 40. They all have the distiguishing perferated line on the box lid, surrounding the description of content at each end and company name on the long sides of the lid. Type 5 - Aircraft issued in blue trade boxes in usually six, but most of the larger aircraft sold in individual blue boxes. The blue colour, mainly used for the aircraft, military, AA, RAC, Police, and Postal service gift sets. They are high effected by light and therefore many are found heavily faded. Type 6 - Again not really trade boxes but gift sets found in green, Accessary Figures, series 33 gift set. David photos will follow to big.

The 25h was a number missing as I have the privilage of having a full box, albeit filled it myself. Have in excess of 300 post war trade boxes and 60-70 prewar trade boxes and continuing to increase I hope. Also managed to speak to David Cooke on the telephone who has asked me to send him by post my list of haves and havenots, so will be sending him that list soon. He has many more than I but like me many duplicates and does the same by filling them with the different colours that turn up. Have found that the Ramseys list now requires up dating as there are many I have that are not listed. Also, have wondered why 'Type 1' is the only category for the prewar trade boxes when I think there should be at least five. Yellow coloured with printed upper surface of lid Yellow coloured but with plain upper surface of lid Salmon coloured Beige or cream coloured Blue coloured Also have noticed that some models, like the covered wagon has boxes that have models stored vertically and on there side as well as the colour diferences. Have purchased but awaiting arrival is a trade box of 12d Telegraph Messenger's but on the picture it did not show any 50000, s number reference, will updated when received. Do you think that is likely that there is a Trade box for each of the figures which would perhaps surgest that the intervining numbers represent the elusive boxes. Bought some back numbers of the Journal via eBay and noticed David Cooks advert in the wanted section appealing for trade boxes, so might continue with his challenge and request via adverts. David David

I would imagine that printing blocks for the one label dinky boxes were assembled in compositor's frames which would be knocked out and recycled after every job. If a Dinky model was still selling, of course there would be another production batch and the required artwork recomposed as needed. It would not be exactly the same since no two compositions are ever likely to be a match. Eventually there might be changes of elements and fonts according to some corporate branding requirement.For post-war boxes, the conventional understanding is that the small logo labels are earliest , then the slug logos, then the all yellow textured boxes with code numbers , then yellow boxes without code numbers, then finally yellow boxes with dual numbering. Additionally, all 28 delivery vans are post war since the pre-war delivery vans were numbered either 28/1, 28/2, 28/3 (type 1-3 casting) suceeded by 280 (more type 3 castings). So I'd say your top 28 box is an early post war type and the bottom two are later post war types, although from different print and production runs.

Am not sure what you mean by 'slug' logo's, my understanding is that the yellow textured boxes without the 50,000 reference number (type 3) preceeded the the boxes with the reference number (type 4) then followed by yhe dual number boxes type 5, Type 6 boxes being the boxes that carried the renumbered models. Your comment reinforces my view that there are distinctions within each type of box and can be noted for future reference, the with or without the cartouche for example is already noted. If boxes are found without the A..... prewar reference ie shallow labels with shallow box lids then clearly this needs to noted as a type 2 box. David

My most recent purchase may give us a clue to more accuratly date this type of box as it has a label on the lid referring to the importer to America. As of yet not researched this label, but expect some of you will recognise immediatly. David

The yellow textured boxes without numbers succeeded the boxes with numbers - as far as I know - but I could be persuaded probably. The cartouche logo is a slug - in mediaspeak, any text in a bar is a slug.I don't know if there are any prewar boxes without A**** numbers. At least I don't have any reference of any. 200 - 5th Ave NY was the address of the Meccano importer to the USA from about 1913, initially trading as The Meccano Company of America Inc. Labels from 1938 start to replace MCoA Inc with H Hudson Dobson, the name of the trader himself. The history is shadowy but his activities eventually wound up as the 60s began.

Does that therefore date my latest purchase tpo pre 1938? David

The first mention of H Hudson Dobson is said to be on the cover of the 1938 Meccano Catalogue USA edition. You'll probably recall that these catalogues have a space to overprint the address of the local dealer.Your taxi box is the kind we associate with war austerity - although we only assume that austerity was why the boxes were simplified. And we don't really know how long it took Mr Dobson to use up all his old labels - if there was a war on, he might not have wanted to waste any. I'd speculate the taxi box was towards the last of the prewar production.

Thanks for your good comments, Al. I was going to chime in but I didn't recall the date of when H. Hudson Dobson was first mentioned. All these years later, we still don't know why the Meccano Company of America -- which H.H. Dobson was already running -- was renamed for the man himself. Did it represent Dobson taking more of a financial stake in the distributorship, or was there some other legal reason? In any case, the address remained the same, and I think you are quite right that the Meccano Company of America labels were simply used until they ran out. I agree with you that they stayed on boxes through the last of the prewar production. Indeed, as anyone seen an 'H. Hudson Dobson' sticker on a prewar box? I think items may not have been labeled as such until after the war ...

Dobson was a British emigree ... a Liverpudlian who arrived in New York as a young man before WW1 and told the US draft board that Meccano was his employer. Was he some kind of representative on mission for Meccano even on that first crossing? I had a look through my reference images and did not find any prewar red labels with Dobson... they are all Meccano Co until after the war.