555 and 955 Fire Engine with Extending Ladder (1952-70)

Seemingly the same Fire Engine models and boxes, but both do differ from each other, see pictures below. I wonder if there is any chronology attached to the different hubs, smooth and more intricate. And so for the boxes, the blue (under)box belonging to the more intricate hubs version, the all yellow one with the 'smoother hubbed' example ... (neither prices nor stamps present). Kind regards, Jan

Hello Jan Here are some pictures of my 955 which is identical to yours with the black tyres having the same type of wheel hubs. However, the box does have something of interest - a price. The price is 8/11 which was current from at least January 1964 through to at least September 1965. Now all that is required is to seek out any similar boxes and check their prices and see what time frame they fit into and hope the model therein has never been switched. As for the transfer on this model, I thought at first it was of recent manufacture, but comparing it with those on the 259 Fire Engine, I am of the opinion that it is an authentic 1960s manufacture. So what is it doing on this 955 when normally the model carries no transfers. Was it an experiment by Meccano? If so, then there should be others out there. Or did the previous owner have access to a small quantity of transfers for the 259 procured from either Meccano itself or elsewhere - who knows! Warmest regards Bruce (150) 28 February 2016 #805

Thanks, Bruce, for this useful comment! Let's hope more price/stamp/model/box relations for the mid-1960s period will be supplied by others in order to solve this chronology problem (if there is ANY logic at all in this). Your Fire Engine is lovely. The crest adds so much to the attractiveness and realism of the model! Apparently sometimes extra transfers were 'wandering around' in or near the factory. An example of the 443 National Benzole Studebaker Tanker below, as shown in DT&MM page 161 and auctioned as part of the Ashley Collection by Christie's South Kensington 19 May 1992. And another (less convincing) example of the Austin Shell-BP Van. Kind regards, Jan

Hello Jan Continuing this fascinating subject, I went in search of what I could locate through our friends Vectis, and two models turned up, one with a price of 9/11 and the other with a price of 10/1 and each having the same type of wheel hub as shown in both my model and yours with the black tyres. This then pushes the time frame from September 1965 to at least October 1966. This means that this type of hub was in use between at least January 1964 and October 1966, based entirely on prices found on the half pictorial lidded box. With these pictures below, one thing is noticeable immediately - the tyres. Each have the grey type as shown with your other model, almost as if someone in Meccano who was very attached to the grey tyres still wanted to see them being used! Perhaps we should widen our search by including every other Supertoy that was shod with plastic hubs and see if there is a relationship with all the types of plastic hubs used by Meccano and when they were used! Oh by the way, many thanks for your kind words on my 955 - more than appreciated!Kind regards Bruce (150) 28 February 2016 #806

Hello Bruce, my e-mails to you keep being returned as 'undeliverable' so I am trying to contact you via the forum. We recently discussed about me sending you an item from SAS, is this happening, I have heard nothing. Dave

Dave I went you an email at 12.04am (it's now 4.03am here) with a read/receipt and nothing as yet. I will send you a message from another address tomorrow. Cheers Bruce

Just a nice snapshot I made not too long ago of the 555/955 collection in my ceiling displays. Glass window temporarily removed.

Being one of my favourite subjects I cannot help having included this spread in my new private Dinky photobook. (colours also slightly too harsh in this presentation, compared with the original). Kind regards, Jan

Jan, I have seen your beautiful collection of these fire engines in a beautiful setup in your 'display room'. A beautiful collection and an eye-catcher. A pleasure to look at all these variations. Also your fotographing for your book of all these beauties is splendid. Nice to have such a book and to show such a book. Kind regards, Jan Oldenhuis

Thanks, Jan, Dinky Toys are made to play with, aren't they? Kind regards Jan

I recently received this beautiful model 555 with brown extending ladder that I not yet have in my collection. While looking for this model I found something very special that I will explain below. Dinky Toys 555 Fire Engine with brown extending ladder 1st version Dinky Toys 555 Fire Engine with brown extending ladder 1st version with price 9/4 on box. Dinky Toys 555 Fire Engine with brown extending ladder 1st version Dinky Toys 555 Fire Engine with brown extending ladder 1st version baseplate with number 555. Dinky Toys 555 Fire Engine with brown extending ladder 1st version with stamp Mk 10 2 in box. Thanks to Jan Werner's extensive and very valuable contributions I know that model 555 with a brown ladder and blue box with orange/white label is the first version. There is no doubt about that, but during my search for this model I also encountered a 555 model with a silver ladder with the same blue box and with the same price 9/4 on the box. That requires research, I thought. See pictures below. Dinky Toys 555 Fire Engine with silver extending ladder 2nd version - same blue box with same price 9/4 on box. Dinky Toys 555 Fire Engine with silver extending ladder 2nd version - same blue box with same price 9/4 on box. Dinky Toys 555 Fire Engine with silver extending ladder 2nd version with same blue box and same price 9/4 on box. Dinky Toys 555 Fire Engine with silver extending ladder 2nd version - baseplate with number 555. Dinky Toys 555 Fire Engine with silver extending ladder 2nd version with same blue box but stamp WKil 2 in box. I wondered during which period this first model with brown ladder exactly was released, but I could not find information about the production period of the first model with brown ladder. Through the pencil price of 9/4 on both identical boxes, I assumed that the model 555 with the silver ladder must be the 2nd model of release, replaced after the release of the brown ladder. I went looking for the price lists of that time, but could not find the price 9/4 in any regular catalogue or price list, which I found very strange. When I went to search in the Meccano Magazines, I found this model announced for the first time in MM of November 1952 with the price of 9/4. First introduction of model 555 with the price 9/4 in MM November 1952. When I continued searching I found the price 9/4 also in MM December 1952 and January 1953. In MM of February 1953, the price for model 555 was changed in 8/3. The first catalogue price I found was 7/3 in the October 1953 UK catalogue and 6/3 in the October 1953 Export Sterling catalogue. Model 555 still with the price 9/4 in MM of January 1953. Model 555 now with the price 8/3 changed in MM of February 1953. Model 555 on the front page of Dinky Toys catalogue UK October 1953. Model 555 on the front page of Dinky Toys catalogue Export Sterling October 1953. Note the shop stamp Frankfurt am Main !!! Model 555 with the price 7/3 in Dinky Toys catalogue UK of October 1953. Model 555 with the price 6/3 in Dinky Toys Export Sterling catalogue of October 1953. Now I was sure that model 555 with the silver ladder with the same price 9/4 on a same box must be the 2nd model version. In view of the excellent condition of both boxes, I assume that they are absolutely genuine and belongs to the models. According my research about the price of 9/4 can be concluded that model 555 with the brown ladder has been issued for only a period of maximum 3 months (November 1952 January 1953) and probably still shorter, because in that short period a change of the ladder has taken place from brown to silver. I could not find further information about the exactly date of changing the ladder from brown to silver. Through this very short time of release the conclusion may be drawn that model 555 with brown ladder will be scarce. In this case I found the pencil price of 9/4 on both identical boxes but with different model versions in it, for the proof of my research so important that I decided to purchase both models and I am very happy that I did so. Sometimes you have to make such a decision to prevent later regrets. In this forum we have already discussed the presence of a price indication or something like that on the box or the model itself. I have now experienced the usefulness of such a price indication. Now I come to the other question I asked myself when I could not find the price 9/4 for model 555 in any regular catalogue or price list: How do DT retailers know what price they should ask for their received new DT products when there is no recent price list? I think that I found the answer to that question in an example of a Dutch Dinky Toys invoice of 1957, from the Dutch agent / distributor Hausemann & Htte N.V. in Amsterdam to the Toy store Ooievaar in Schiedam. The sales price per DT model is stated in the invoice and the total amount of the order is deducted by 30 % for Dinky Toys and 32 % for Jumbo games. A retailer of Dinky Toys in the Netherlands deserved thus 30 % of the sales price per model. I found it very valuable to establish this. I show these Dutch invoice 1957 and the Dutch Dinky Toys catalogue 1957 with Dutch retail prices and still some pictures of my purchase in Full size. Best wishes to all members, Jan Oldenhuis, 26 September 2017

A wonderful treatise, Jan, and congratulations with these fine acquisitions. I understand that you are a topical collector, preferably collecting models that belong together or somehow add to each other's explanation in a short time span. Very special! I consulted my catalogue in order to see what specifications belong to my first and second issues (at this moment it's rather hard to get them out of the cabinet, together with their boxes). Surprise: the boxes of both examples bear the stamp MK10.2 inside! I have no reason to have doubts about the boxes and models belonging together because no characteristics of models and boxes contradict each other. My first issue's box bears no price (and if it would it might be rather unuseful, because its provenance is Italian), but the second issue also bears the price of 9/4 in pencil, like yours. So these same date stamps could mean that even within the very month of October 1952 the ladder colour change may have taken place. I think we should have some more confirming evidence supplied by fellow collectors. Kind regards, JanP.S.: many years ago a wrote a short article on the version with brown ladder: WERNER, Jan, Dinky Toys Fire Engine with Extending (Brown!) Ladder. In: Auto in Miniatuur 2003:3 pp. 38-41.