Plastic Toy Cars of the 1950s & 1960s: The Collector's Guide

DIVRecent auction results indicate a growing interest among collectors in plastic toy cars made during the 1950's and 1960's in Britain, mainland Europe, the USA and Hong Kong. This book is the first to take a systematic approach to a neglected area of toy collecting, providing valuable background information on the companies that made these toys and enabling collectors to identify many previously unknown items. Among the many famous toy companies examined are Tri-ang and Brimtoy (Great Britain); Norev and Minialuxe (France); Gama and Siku (Germany); Ingap and Politoys (Italy); Rico and Paya (Spain). In addition, light is shed for the first time on the history of many smaller and more obscure brands of plastic toy cars. More than 250 photographs of rare and unusual plastic toy cars are included, together with an indication of the prices these items are currently fetching on the antique toy market./divDIVThe history of Dinky Toys, Corgi Toys and other makers of diecast metal cars has been covered in great detail in many books and magazine articles; by contrast, information on plastic toy cars is much harder to come by. Yet collectors are taking an increasing interest in plastic cars, particularly as the rise in the value of early diecast and tinplate models has put many of these out of reach of the average enthusiast. For the first time, this book aims to provide a systematic introduction to the vast number of plastic cars made during the 1950s and 1960s. Years of research have enabled the author to uncover many fascinating facts about the companies who made these toys. Some were major players in the toy industry, like Tri-ang and Brimtoy in the UK, Norev and Minialuxe in France, Gama and Siku in Germany and Ingap in Italy. Many others, though, were more obscure, and some only modeled one car before disappearing without trace. More than 250 photographs of these toys are included, with the emphasis being on the most colorful and realist