New arrivals

Jan, Your 2CV illustration reminds me of a Christmastime nearly 40 years ago when I was living in London. My wife, mother, a family friend, and I rode in my 2CV (green, not red) to Dover and made the day trip to Calais, where we loaded the car to the gunwales with cases of beer, wine, and whatever else we could think of to enhance our holiday cheer. Unfortunately, no new Dinky Toys to be had in France any more! The return trip was cheery but definitely not speedy. I'm glad to say that though a move sadly required giving up that car, I did own another 1:1 French Dinky later, a Renault 4L. My son was very nearly born in the Renault, but that's another story ... Cheers, J

With the Christmas greetimgs being posted I thought this would be a fitting photo to share. Our daughter still enjoys the Elf on the shelf during December. With my wife recovering from surgery last week I had to take over the changing the Ekf scene nightly for the next morning so I incorporated toys, what better! Attached is a photo with my childhood Dinky Foden dump truck and Mercedes truck and trailer. I included a second photo and its non Dinky but a fun photo with a 1959 Tonka State HI Way dragline and low bed traiiler set. Enjoy and Merry Christmas to all!

Very nice, Mark! Meanwhile my new Dinky snow plough arrived here after its safe, 5500-mile journey from Latvia. Unlike so much of the country, we do not have really wintry weather here in California, but as you can see, I did my best to make it feel at home. -- J

I like it! Glad to see it made the long trip safely.

On the doorstep to 2023 I have been drawing up the collecting balance over 2022 today. Of the 45 wonderful items added in the past year, the ones shown below are my top-10. The additions 1-3 were the easiest to list, they are in very nice condition and scarce, each in its own right. The lower the rating the harder to make a difference in happiness: they are all so very nice. And that goes even more for the absent nos. 11-45! With this little Dinky Toys snow diorama I wish everyone a Happy 2023! 1. 32aj Panhard semi-remorque Kodak (type 1, 1953-1954). 2. 27ac Tracteur Massey-Harris et remorque pandeur dengrais (coffret cadeau, 1950-1950). 3. 980 Express Horse Van (US export issue, 1954-1957). 4. 24n Traction Avant (type 1b, 1951-1953). 5. 511 Guy 4-ton Lorry (red/grey, 1950-1952). 6. 60t Douglas DC3 Air Liner (1938-1941). 7. 171 Hudson Commodore Sedan (turquoise/red, 1956-1958). 8. 34c Loudspeaker Van (green, 1948-1950). 9. 172 Studebaker Land Cruiser (cream/beige, 1956-1958). 10. 24xt Taxi Vedette (1956-1960).

That's a wonderful collection, Jan. Wishing you and all DTCA members successful collecting in 2023. John

Jan, thank you for the lovely New Year's scene and the wishes for 2023, which I entirely reciprocate. I managed to add quite a few models this year, despite running out of space. I could not have done so except that I wa able to add three factory displays to my 'toy store' -- two 48-car carousels and one 24-car carousel. All are now full (and I have no more space!). It is a little tinged with sadness because the displays and many of my new models came from the collection of a longtime friend who has fallen on hard times and needed to sell them. I acquired three or four models during December, but I will not photograph them because they have already been squeezed into displays, from which extraction would be perilous. In addition to the snow plough recently pictured, they are: a 175 Cadillac Eldorado in the pretty, less common blue; a 1401 Alfa Romeo Rallye car; and a 935 Leyland Octopus truck (green version). The latter two are lovely models whose prices, however, have been hit hard by the Atlas replicas. Almost forgot -- I also obtained a 754 starter unit. Its model number is the same as my DTCA membership number, hence my new picture ...

Very nice Jan. Happy New Year!

What a wonderful scene to end up our year with! You had a very successful year in collecting, and you've added so many beautiful models.......and I love your display here. I want to wish you and your family a very Happy and Prosperous New Year! Best regards, Terry

Thanks for your post, Mark. You have managed to raise a number of interesting points. I was not aware of the different wheels on the Foden, but then I don't have this model at all. These larger later models are wonderful toys (some collectors who denigrate them forget that this is what they were meant to be -- toys) but their size does mean it is hard to house many of them. I sure would not be without the Foden tanker in its Burmah and (slightly rarer) Shell versions! Regarding the Brinks truck, I hope I will be excused for being pedantic about this model since it is an all-time favorite of mine. The initial Brinks promo version has darker grey doors, a brighter blue base, and the wheels are black, not blue (though it is true that they are shown as blue on the box). It is the one with lighter wheels and doors, plus a darker base, that was sold in stores, although the promo version is not hard to find. Obviously Brinks had many made and gave them out freely to employees -- my own sample was purchased from a Brinks guard -- and customers. There were no later promotional versions, by which I mean that the later models distributed by Brinks were just the same as the ones sold in stores. Only the white box itself is special. There is also, of course, the Mexican 'Panamerico' version. Because of the unfortunate combination of plastic tires and plastic wheels, these suffer the melting problem most grievously. I actually did not realize that the earlier black-wheeled version can have this problem too. I will have to haul my armored cars out this week and hopefully contribute some improved photographs to the Brinks Truck thread here. Regarding the massive AVA displays I have, as well as a smaller countertop display I am aware of, pilferage was obviously seen as a more important concern for U.S. shopkeepers than it was in the U.K. The AVA displays were designed to keep models behind glass, under lock and key, so a customer would have to get help from an assistant if they wanted to purchase a toy. In contrast -- this is my impression, at least, and recollection from occasional visits to newsagents and the like -- UK retailers simply displayed the later large models on open shelves for self-service. The 'newest' display I have in my collection that was actually supplied by Binns Road is a rotating 48-car display that does have the post-1971 Dinky logo along with the orange/black colors. Ironically its cubbyholes are too small to hold many of the larger models that were being introduced at that time. I am not aware of any later 'factory' displays (except for a wire rack offered in 1980 for the 1/64-scale 'Dinky' miniatures Airfix sourced from Hong Kong), but would love to be made aware of such ...

My recent new arrivals. I have wanted but avoided purchasing a regular issue Brinks truck for years due to the often chipped and very poor condition of the water slide decals and, melted wheels if you find a blue wheel version.. This example was on ebay and its decals are near perfect. The more common grey wheels were also on the real trucks whereas the blue ones were not. The Brinks company USA promotional was a welcome find as well and I have avoided purchasing one due to the often high price but this one didnt go that high. The big Foden dump truck with white hubs is a scarce late run version and it came from Germany. Its pictured with the usual yellow wheel version that was purchased for me by my mom in 1978 through the mail order section of the AVA run USA Dinky Toys collectors club newsletter. I was a member of the club as a child until it folded around 1981ish. It was fun to send away for models through the club and anxiously await the day the UPS or mail truck pulled up to drop them off. I found an original box which is pictured behind. The truck survived my childhood remarkbly well and it hasnt had a box in 45 years. Both trucks look real nice together and I need to dig out by Atlas excavator to pose with them. As a child in the 1970's the big size/scale of Dinky toys was the only size I knew and I lioved it. They were big, well made and heavy just like a diecast toy should be! Though I will admit thier size and heft does lead to display issues in my limited space. No wonder why Dinky/AVA redesigned the retailer display case in 1974 to be so big and heavy as it had to accomodate these large models. Ask Jon he will tell you how massive those cases are.

Jon, Thank you for the imformative commentary and its always welcome. I knew you would like this pair as I think the Brinks truck is perhaps your favorite. Interesting you should mention the Foden tankers. This Burmah version was also was a new addition over the past month and it has the scarce red wheels instead of the usual white which I have never seen. Another big heavy Dinky of the late 1970's. I have the Shell and Burmah pair with the usual white wheels but they are at my moms and, havent seen the light of day for 30 years. I acquired them around 1989 and they are still somewhat of a tough find in the USA. I rarely saw these tankers at shows or in the stores when I was a teenager whereas many other Dinky toys were still in the stores into the 1980's. Mark