Matchbox Cars: How to tell if it is rare

One of the best brands when it comes to producing realistic design at a 1:64 scale are Matchbox cars. Furthermore, with their long brand history, most would have a matchbox car lying in their basement or room. Thus, one question you might have is if these Matchbox cars are valuable or rare. How exactly are you going to know?

The fastest way to know if your Matchbox car is rare is to check if it is a limited edition. These models tend to be rare since their production is limited. Another way is to check the age of your matchbox car since older models tend to be rarer. Lastly, you can check for variations such as different body paint or interior from other models.

I made sure to make this blog post as easy as possible that even someone with zero knowledge of model cars can understand. I will cover things to look for on your matchbox cars to know its worth to marketplaces where you can sell your collection. Whatever your purpose in checking this article, I got you covered.

How can you tell if a Matchbox car is rare?

Let’s start with a brief history of Matchbox cars.

Matchbox cars were originally made by Lesney Products.

Leslie and Rodney Smith founded Lensey Products shortly after World War II and were joined by Jack O’Dell, a tool and diecast maker.

The year 1947 witnessed the inception of the company’s first diecast toy: a road roller. Jack O’Dell made a smaller version of this toy for his daughter to take to school, and it became the first Matchbox vehicle.

Previously, schools had a rule that only toys small enough to fit into a matchbox could be brought into school. The idea of marketing the small vehicles inside a box resembling a matchbox originated from there.

Collectors were captivated by the intricate details that went into creating the original Matchbox cars, which featured dashboards, real-looking wheels, and silver-painted headlamps.

Matchbox’s Models of Yesteryear series, which debuted in 1956, was a fan favorite, particularly Matchbox models of yesteryears such as a 1925 Allchin tractor engine car,  a Leyland lorry, a red London double-decker bus, and a 1929 Le Mans Bentley race car.

That’s where matchbox started and right now, it is still around but being made by Mattel.

But how do we know if a Matchbox Car is rare?

A Matchbox car’s rarity is determined by a number of factors.

• Limited edition
• The number of automobiles manufactured in a specific year and model
• A model was canceled after a limited first run due to technical manufacturing problems
• Year of initial production
• First and last runs of a model
• Any existing variations, such as the use of different color paint on the body or interior
• Any variations in the type of wheels or car body die used
• Overall condition of the car
• Condition, type, and style of the original box

One of the problems you might face is where you will sell your Matchbox car. Knowing that yours might be valuable is just one piece of the puzzle.

Basically, you have three choices on where to sell these collections

1. Pawnshops – A pawnshop can be a good way to sell your models for a quick buck. Here is a guide I made about how you can sell your models in a pawnshop for a higher price: Do pawnshops buy diecast models?
2. Online – There are numerous marketplaces where you can sell your models online. I have made a guide on what these websites are and what you should do in order to avoid scams: Where and How to sell your diecast collection?
3. Offline – Of course, you can join meet ups in order to sell your collection. I also covered this in the article I’ve recommended on where to sell your diecast collection.

I know how hard it can be to decide if your model is rare. Thus, I also included some very valuable matchbox cars here. If you have one of these ones, then consider yourself lucky.

Matchbox has produced a large number of diecast miniatures, which are now highly valued by collectors. Here’s a quick overview of the most expensive, rare, and valuable Matchbox cars ever made.

1. 1953 Aveling Barford Road Roller

The 1953 Aveling Road Roller was launched as part of a three-model set; the other two are a dump truck and a cement mixer.

This 1953 model, though part of a three-model set, is widely regarded as the first and, unsurprisingly, one of the most collectible and valuable Matchbox vehicles ever.

2. 1967 Mercedes Benz 230SL

The 1967 Matchbox 27D Mercedes-Benz 230SL in apple green became one of the most valuable Matchbox cars ever sold when it fetched a whopping $6,765 at auction in 1999.

3. 1966 Opel Diplomat

The sea-green Matchbox car Opel Diplomat cost only 48 cents in 1966, now worth at least $9,000.

4. 1961 Magirus Deutz Crane

Collector Charlie Mack discovered a brown “No.30” crane truck at a neighbor’s garage sale and purchased it for $10 before selling it three years later for $10,000.

Another collector, Jim Gallegos, who is the owner of more than 150,000 diecast miniature cars worth more than $1.4 million, was said to have paid $13,000 for a brown No.30 crane in 2004.

5. 1965 BP dodge Wrecker

The circa 1965 “reverse color” Dodge Wrecker, a diecast truck described as the “Holy Grail” of Matchbox collectibles, sold for $8,499 after a heated bidding war.

Take note: These are just examples. Make sure to use the factors I’ve given since there are lots of rare Matchbox cars for me to cover all.

How to know if my Matchbox cars are valuable?

The easiest way to know if your Matchbox car is valuable is to check its age. Old Matchbox cars especially the ones manufactured in the 1950s are especially valuable. As time goes by, most matchbox cars tend to increase in price. There are also other factors to know if your diecast is valuable such as rarity, variation, and popularity.

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There are six factors that decide if a Matchbox car is valuable:

Age

The age of the Matchbox toy cars is an important factor in determining their value. A model manufactured in standard quantities in the 1950s will be rarer and more valuable today than one produced in comparable amounts in the 1990s.

Rarity

Some Matchbox toys are intentionally produced only in limited quantities to achieve a high initial sales price and/or maintain a high value on the collectors market.

However, sometimes this was unintentional, for example, when a model became less popular for whatever reason.

Variation

Variations are changes in production models, such as changes in materials, dies, or color scheme.

For example, a specific model car may be fitted with different types of wheels, plastic or metal, throughout its series, and one wheel type may be more valuable than the others.

Molds or dies are occasionally changed due to flaws in the final diecast product or production difficulties caused by the die, resulting in fewer toys being produced.

As a collector, you must examine the color change of the model’s entire body, the baseplate, interior, and windows when it comes to color changes.

Condition

The condition of a model determines its value – the better the condition, the higher the value. Typically, the conditions are described as mint, excellent, very good, good, fair, or poor.

Obviously, a Matchbox toy vehicle with chipped paint and broken parts is not more valuable than one in mint condition.

Packaging

Matchbox cars in their original boxes are always more valuable to every collector than those that do not have boxes.

In some cases, a mint-in-box model can be worth up to 100% more than a mint model without a box, assuming all other factors remain constant.

Again some of the boxes that were produced in smaller quantities were even more valuable.

For example, the first seven 1-75 valuable Matchbox cars were packaged in boxes labeled “A Moko Lesney Product,” indicating the business relationship between Lesney and Moko, a company with which Lesney collaborated.

These boxes have become extremely valuable in recent years.

Popularity

The model’s popularity also has an impact on its value.

For instance, if two models were produced in comparable quantities and one model is more famous than the other, the famous one would sell much better and have a much higher value.

However, this would imply that the less popular ones would be found in a mint condition more often than not, rather than the popular ones, which would most likely be played rigorously.

As a result, the value of the popular model would rise because it would be challenging to find one in mint condition on the market.

Source

Hobbydb | Here Are The 7 Most Valuable Matchbox Car