A Concise History of Dinky Toys and other Meccano Products

Most children of the Editor's generation have fond memories of Dinky Toys. he notes; 'It is sometimes forgotten today how hard they were to obtain in the days of rationing and in the metal shortages during the Korean War. My grandfather, a local butcher, had to negotiate (with the aid of pork chops) with the nearby Meccano stockist to persuade him to part with a Dinky 25v Refuse Wagon. I was born just a few miles from the Binns Road factory, and during the seven decades since then I have been fascinated by its products'. Down the years many books have been written about Meccano, its inventor, Frank Hornby, and other iconic items from his company; Hornby Trains, Hornby Dublo and Dinky Toys. This slim volume does not try to compete with any of those books in encyclopaedic coverage or detailed lists of how to distinguish every minor variant. Its intention is to offer a 'first source' on the broad scope of all the main Meccano product lines, along with a simplified listing of every major Dinky Toy release.