How many matchbox cars have been made

After a few missteps in the early s, Mattel resurrected the Matchbox line in a series of products aimed at collectors. This new line included brand-new limited-edition vehicles and even the resurrection of old favorites using the original molds. By keeping the more fantasy-based Hot Wheels line and the collector-centric Matchbox brand separate, Mattel was able to cater to both consumer bases. Both lines are still going strong today. Daniel DiManna hails from little Sylvania, Ohio.

Date codes are typically found on the base and cards of Hot Wheels vehicles manufactures since The code will be found either stamped into the base or printed with various colored inks.

They are then exported to the United States, where they are sold at stores nationwide. Begin typing your search term above and press enter to search.

Press ESC to cancel. Skip to content Home Engineering How many models of Matchbox cars are there? Ben Davis March 14, How many models of Matchbox cars are there?

What is the rarest Matchbox Car? When did they stop making Matchbox cars? How can you tell if a Matchbox car is rare? What is the most sought after Matchbox Car? Mechanical animals, vehicles with wheels, houses-drawn items, and even a fishing novelty gadget were all tried before the success of wheeled vehicles eclipsed efforts in other directions. Between and , the British government restricted the use of zinc for non- essential products during the Korean War and therefore no die-cast toys could be made.

During , Jack Odell began designing smaller-scale toys. The first were smaller versions of the original Lesney toys. These small toys were enormously successful and were continued to become the series, a concept unchanged to this day! White the growing success of the small series, the larger toys were phased out by By the s, Matchbox was the largest brand of toy diecast cars on the planet, churning out a million of the tiny cars per week.

Most of the cars it produced in those early days were British, leading American children who scrounged change to buy these tiny cars to wonder what a Ford Zodiac, a Vauxhall Cresta or a Foden tow truck in BP livery was all about. In the s, toys like this Matchbox Lambretta TV — produced between and — were typically 39 cents. This one is from a pharmacy in Canada, with a slightly higher price tag of 47 cents, Canadian. By the end of the s, Matchbox faced financial difficulties and ended up in receivership.