Some trade boxes for one model only:
Kind regards, Jan
Not strictly a "Trade Box", but if one looks carefully at the price label, the retailer sold this either as a box set for one shilling and tuppence (1/2) or individually at seven pence each, which works out the same price for each model.
Kind regards
Bruce
With the mirror image camouflage
Dave
Greetings all,
in a previous post I mentioned an unusual Trade Box recently acquired, for the 687 Trailer for 25-pounder Field Gun. As you see from the first picture, it has labels applied at each end of the lid (look carefully and you can just see the edges of the label):
However, on removal of the label from one end, the direct printing is for the 686 Field Gun itself, as shown:
This raises some questions:
1 Has anyone seen any previous reference to the Field gun being sold from a Trade Pack, rather than being individually boxed?
2 If it was sold from the trade pack, how on earth did they fit six models into it? The 'blast shield' stands quite a bit taller than the sides of the box base, and in any case (having tried with some of my 686 models) it seems impossible to fit all six in.
3 I have also experimented with some of my earlier 162c 18-pounder guns, and they do fit (albeit a rather tight squeeze) as they are smaller and have a lower 'blast shield' - so could this have been an Export-only (USA) box for the 162c, and an intention for the 162c model to be re-numbered to 686? My research seems to indicate that the 162c was exported to America until 1955 - but infuriatingly, the quality-control rubber stamp on the inside of the lid (4 digits) reads "E - 6 5?" (June 195?) the last character being unreadable! There is no evidence of a 'Hudson-Dobson' label on the box, however the lid does have a handwritten price, 1.00.
4 I would not have thought trade boxes for the 686 would have been printed in error, but who knows? Dave B, you have a wealth of knowledge on military matters, any ideas?
Over to you!
Regards, Adrian (141)
Adrian
Never seen this one before but Meccano does not surprise me any more.
The hight of the box is not a problem if the dividers were those of the gun.
There must be a way to fit the six guns in the box, overlaping each other two by two.
I have not yet seen a yellow box for the amunition trailer (is there one ?).
The yellow box for the gun can be dated to 1958 because the drawing shows the gun with treaded tyres. So there is a short gap between the issue of the gun in July 1957 and the issue of the yellow box some time in 1958. The tradeboxes must have been used during this short period.
The prices seem right for the USA :
1.00 for the gun
0.47 for the trailer
1.28 is left for the tractor
2.75 is the price of the full unit in the 1958 USA catalogue.
Hello Adrian
I have the trade box for the 687 Trailer but the box with a label for the 686 Gun is completely new to me. This is both a conundrum and a complete surprise.
I have also tried to fit guns into my trailer box and it certainly is not easy.
The suggestion of oversize dividers is questionable as that would mean the box lid would not fit properly to the base, this is something Meccano did not do as it would make the boxes unstable when they were stacked on shelves.
I suspect that this is another mystery which may not ever be solved.
I guess we could write a book about these mysteries there are lots of them.
Dave
Hello Adrian,
Welcome to the Forum and thank you for your post. Indeed a mysterious and interesting trade box! I have never seen it before and I think Dave is right. Dinky Toys will keep surprising us all. If only your trade box would not have been empty.......
Kind regards,
Rob
G'Day Adrian
Your first post on a trade box and you come up with this?!! What's next??!
As Dave correctly states, we will never know, unless some old former Meccano employee brings out a copy of a factory memo that provides us with the answer!
Until then, we are left to ponder. One suggestion in view of you having tried to fit six x 686 25-Pounder Field Guns inside and they do not fit unless drastic action is taken to reduce the height of the model (tyres supplied separately!) perhaps the box was a sample that originally had a larger base. When the decision was made to sell the 686 in its own box, the lid of the sample was given a printed label and a base to suit the 6 x 687 trailer. As I said in some previous post somewhere, Meccano never threw out anything if it could be modified, adjusted or whatever and as we are yet to see another similar trade box that only leaves it being a sample.
Just a thought.
In any case it is a very rare 687 Trade Box, and congratulations for having acquired it.
Kind regards
Bruce (150)
L.S.
Meccano had many misprints or errors on the boxes. Sometimes it was corrected with just a new sticker over the wrong information.
The box for pre war No 50c H.M.S. Effingham was initially printed Battle Criuser. As this was not correct a sticker was stuck over the text with just Cruiser.
This box has no date code printed so a very early issue.
John.
L.S.
Sometimes a model was altered and previous boxes were still in stock. So Meccano altered the boxes and stucked a new sticker on the box.
This is a Singapore Flying boat box. Still printed with only the name of the plane. When a roller was added to the model this information was printed on a separate sticker and stuck at both sides of the box.
See the picture with separate sticker.
John.
L.S.
The Company who made the boxes sometimes had serious errors. Not clear if this was just a fault in production or wrong information on dimensions of a box by Meccano.
In my collection a box R.A.F. planes No 61. When I bought the box you could see there was a label underneath the paper on the lid. As there was a chance that this was a unkown label for set No 61 I steamed off the paper. Underneath a label for set No 24 and not a 61 label.
Mistery solved! I have found more of these boxes with hidden label but now I keep them original.
John.
When you do find a box with a second label like John's 61/24 box the label underneath is usually in wonderful condition as it has been covered since new.
Here is a conundum in my trade box collection.
I have two trade boxes for the 30SM Austin Covered Wagon - the Military export version.
One has the reference number 50158 and the other 50148, I have not been able to conclusively determine which is the good one and which is the rogue, if anyone has any positive information I would welcome it.
Dave
Dave, I have recently purchased a Trade Box No 687, with contents, for the Trailer 25 Pdr Field Gun but the separators are obviously not original. Do you have an original in your extensive collection that I might be able to take the details of. Regards Malcolm
Hi Malcolm
I have a 687 trade box but mine has no dividers, however, I found this on the Vectis website:
It is four pieces of card to prevent movement in the box.
I hope this helps, Dave
Thanks for the prompt reply Dave, I shall try and copy the card shown and see if it is any better than the one I have already made. Ref your query on the trade box for the Austin Covered Wagon No 30SM, Abbey Models have a yellow one on ebay numbered the same as yours, 50148, for
Hi all,
Last week I received a trade box with 5 62G Long Range Bombers. The tail section of three of the models are covered with a silver colored paper to protect the tail transfer. One of the models carried the whole protector. I also found a loose protector on the bottom of the trade box. On one of the models the protection is a bit loose and it showes the transfer partly. I am sure the transfers will be damaged by removal of the protection, so I will leave them as they have been for more than 60 years.
Anyway, I have never seen this protection before and I am curious if anyone has.
Kind regards,
Rob
Hello Rob,
I have seen many trade boxes including some very rare ones but this is the first 62 G and this is a very nice one.
I doubt very much that the protections are original, they are not necessary as the tail fin transfers are protected from rubbing on the box by the rudder and elevators.
Great buy.
Jacques.
Hello Rob,
Very nice box. This brown cardboard box was used from 1945 to 1948 as production of the Boeing bombers stopped. So a rare box and they are not often offered for sale. I have one in my collection.
Recently two were for sale on the well known auction site and you bought one of them I presume. I have never seen the silver protections but these could be original as Meccano used a lot of different protections for models in tradeboxes.
Your bombers still have the pre-war prop pins and this means the models are probably from the first production in 1945. Later Long range bombers have the disk type pins. On the drawing the name Flying Fortress changed to Long range bomber 20-6-1945.
A box with original models is a great find and a nice addition to any collection..
John.
That is an absolute belter Rob, well done on this acquisition
Dave
hoort wrote:
"Hi all,
Last week I received a trade box with 5 62G Long Range Bombers. The tail section of three of the models are covered with a silver colored paper to protect the tail transfer. One of the models carried the whole protector. I also found a loose protector on the bottom of the trade box. On one of the models the protection is a bit loose and it showes the transfer partly. I am sure the transfers will be damaged by removal of the protection, so I will leave them as they have been for more than 60 years.
Anyway, I have never seen this protection before and I am curious if anyone has.
Kind regards,
Rob "
Rob
I too have never seen a protective covering similar to those in your trade box, which incidentally, is a wonderful acquisition, and full marks go to you!
One thing I found unusual in looking at one of your pictures, the rudder appears to have been given an outline. Then I came to the realization, that someone has "converted" the C/D model on which the Dinky 62g is based, to an E model which had an extended dorsal fin and enlarged tail unit, totally different to the earlier model B-17. It is certainly not factory fitted, as it would have involved too much time for the ladies to insert this type of "protection". Besides, once inside the box with its dividers there would be no need for this type of protector to exist, when tissue paper would have done the same job which makes me think my supposition is possibly correct.
One other thing I noticed it appears as if most of these models have been displayed outside the box, as the National Insignia are quite faded.
Still, the box and models are an excellent acquisition, and I hope it did not break the bank!
Kind regards
Bruce (150)
I already had a Trade Box Set for the Field Gun Set No 162/691 but the contents were not identical. Recently I bought another Box Set 162/691 for the Field Gun Set at Sandown.The Guns and Limbers are mint and now I must source the Dragons to complete the set. I suspect it will take some time to find identical ones! Malcolm
I wonder can anyone tell me about the dividers in a Trade Box of 29f Observation Coaches? I have just had the good fortune to win one online but it has no dividers. I have made a search for photographs but am not certain that what I've seen is original. Were the dividers simply rectangular pieces of cardboard that fitted loosely between the models? Thanks for any info.
PS. For those who perhaps haven't seen the listing, there is the following printed on the underside - CN850
John
John. I started searching the internet and found these photos on the internet with the following links: https://www.ebid.net/uk/for-sale/6-no-rare-vintage-dinky-toys-no-29f-observation-coaches-in-trade-boxed-1840-145365200.htm and on Vectis auction 14 May 2013: https://www.vectis.co.uk/lot/dinky-no29f-observation-coach-trade-pack-containing-6-examples_489324
Jan O.
Jan, I don't know why I haven't seen this post before or, if I did see it, why I don't remember it.
Thank you for taking the trouble to search for images. It would appear that the dividers were loosely inserted rectangles, or possibly L-shaped pieces that the wheels of the coach could hold in place while the upright kept the coaches apart. I think the former would make economic sense but the latter a more practical one. Tantalisingly, one coach has been removed but the photo is not taken from a useful angle so we are left in the dark, unless another member or collector can help.
Some fantastic trade boxes shown here as well as information I was not aware of.
Any or all the information about the trade boxes would be greatly appreciated.
The list would be good as well as the list of the date and codes on the sides of the prewar trade boxes.
David
This is a third type of tradebox for the 27D
Land Rover, it has the double numbering
and the reference number 50 032 has gone.
Just been reading the back issues of the Journal and come accross a request back in the July issue of 2010, which refers to the trade boxes for the figures. The numbers that it states as known are:- 50021, 50022 & 50036.
I have photographed and listed the examples I have.
This does however highlight question and that is these trade box reference numbers have been used else where, the table I have added shows the duplication.
Was anybody aware of this duplication and the boxes I have registered.
Another question is that what is the number of each of the other figures.
Photos to follow to big for upload.
David
Trade Box refereeces | |||||
Model Ref. | Trade Ref. | Model | Trade ref. | Model Ref. | Model |
50021 | Pigs | 50021 | 25m | Bedford End Tipper | |
50022 | Sheep | 50022 | 25p | Aveling Barford Road Roller | |
50023 | |||||
50024 | |||||
50025 | |||||
50026 | |||||
50027 | |||||
50028 | |||||
50029 | 50029 | 27a | Massey-Harris Tractor | ||
3e | 50030 | Newsboys | 50030 | 27b | Halesowen Harvest Trailer |
50031 | 50031 | 27c | Massey Harris Manure Spreader | ||
4b | 50032 | Fitters | 50032 | 27d | Land Rover |
50033 | 50033 | 27f | Plymouth Estate Car | ||
50034 | 50034 | 27g | Opperman Moto-Cart | ||
1c | 50035 | Conductors | 50035 | 27h | Disc Harrow |
5c | 50036 | Hotel Porters | |||
1 | 50168 | Station Staff | |||
2 | 50169 | Farm Animals | |||
3 | 50170 | Passengers | |||
4 | 50171 | Engineering Staff | |||
5 | 50172 | Train and Hotel Staff | |||
6 | 50173 | Shepherd Set |
Trailer Caravans
Austin Van 470
Meccano Liverpool pricelist French F.A.S. Tarif Exportation 1957
2024 AGM
2024 AGM
2024 AGM
2024 AGM
-274 - A.A. Mini van
Dinky Toys books
2024 AGM
--40h and 254 Austin FX3 Taxi (1952-59)
--40h and 254 Austin FX3 Taxi (1952-59)
-066 Bedford Flat Truck (1957-60)
-066 Bedford Flat Truck (1957-60)
--40h and 254 Austin FX3 Taxi (1952-59)
--40h and 254 Austin FX3 Taxi (1952-59)
--40h and 254 Austin FX3 Taxi (1952-59)
--40h and 254 Austin FX3 Taxi (1952-59)
DTCAwebsite upgrade 2023
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--30p and 440 Studebaker Petrol Tanker 'Mobilgas' (1952-61)
--30p and 440 Studebaker Petrol Tanker 'Mobilgas' (1952-61)
--30p and 440 Studebaker Petrol Tanker 'Mobilgas' (1952-61)
DTCAwebsite upgrade 2023
--30p and 440 Studebaker Petrol Tanker 'Mobilgas' (1952-61)
--30p and 440 Studebaker Petrol Tanker 'Mobilgas' (1952-61)
--30p and 440 Studebaker Petrol Tanker 'Mobilgas' (1952-61)
--30p and 440 Studebaker Petrol Tanker 'Mobilgas' (1952-61)
--30p and 440 Studebaker Petrol Tanker 'Mobilgas' (1952-61)
--30p and 440 Studebaker Petrol Tanker 'Mobilgas' (1952-61)
--30p and 440 Studebaker Petrol Tanker 'Mobilgas' (1952-61)
DTCAwebsite upgrade 2023
DTCAwebsite upgrade 2023
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