Box Rarity Guide

[ChFalkensteiner]

There are very many different aspects, for many of which I do not know myself which are rare and which are not.

E.g. on the early line drawing boxes, some models have several different pictures, showing the models from slightly different angles and/or showing differently shaped lines in the background. Also differently sized model numbers etc.

Differently sized model numbers also exist on some D type boxes.

For E type boxes I think that some are more common in the 1967 form without the "®" attached to the Matchbox lettering, while others are more common in the 1968 form with the "®".

On F type boxes you can look at the lettering on the endflap closers and find some differences which I have not done much research on yet.

Some G type boxes are very rare with the "NEW" on the endflaps omitted, but most people do not care about this at all.

With both G and H type boxes there are some rare combinations with the text "Specification and colour of contents subject to amendment" either present or absent on the endflap closers.

Both H and I type boxes seem to be particularly hard to find with "Not recommended for children under 3" printed somewhere along the top edge of the front faces. I still do not even have full knowledge of which models' boxes exist with that lettering at all. (It is also found on J type boxes, but more common on those.)

Those J, K and L type boxes which were produced until after 1979 have variations of the "MARK" plus number being omitted on the endflap closers and the green cross in blue circle being omitted on the inner endflaps. Depending on when exactly any given model was phased out in relation to the time of those box design changes, some of those may be rather rare.

Finally, sometimes certain boxes from about 1977/78 turn up with part of the small print which is normally found inside the rectangle on one side (introduced in 1978) printed on a sticker label instead. I think that all of those must be rare, as I do not have even one of them myself. They were probably only issued in certain markets (where the law required such small print) and only for a short time period, until the small print found its final place inside that rectangle.

These are just some features which come to mind. There may be many more.

[Taniwha]

Thank you Christian,

I was aware of many of these, and some I care about more than others. But as you observe, without comprehensive information, we can only guess at the rarity of some of them.

There was a post here a while back about G boxes with and without "New" on the endflap. Aside from the five "RW" G type boxes which always omitted the "New", I think pretty much all the others are harder to find without the "New" - well, in my experience anyway. The G boxes also have a variation on the striker sides - the earlier issued boxes have the Superfast logo on an angle, later they were straight.

I'm also trying to collect all the different major picture variations and sub-type (e.g. B1, B2, etc.) of the B boxes. I expect I will never complete this, and that it will be many years before I can guess at which ones are less common. B boxes in general come up for sale in NZ much less frequently than D-E-F boxes (production volumes won't help), and these days it seems that I have all the ones that do come up already...

Cheers,
Gavin

[matchboxkiwi]

Gavin,
I have two box catalogues here to send you if you give me your address.
One was published in 2001 and the other late last century - mid 80's I think.

Cheers Steve
Matchboxkiwi
Don't forget The Wellington Toy And Diecast Fair!
22nd June 2014, St Marys College, 11am start.

[ChFalkensteiner]

Gavin,
I have two box catalogues here to send you if you give me your address.
One was published in 2001 and the other late last century - mid 80's I think.

I would be interested to learn which ones these are.

So far I am aware of only three printed publications dealing with Matchbox boxes: by Graham Ward, Philip Bowdidge and John Hanchet. Each of them appeared in several editions.

My copy of Graham Ward's box catalogue was published in 1978. It describes many details of all picture box types issued up to that date, but does not deal with individual models at all.

Philip Bowdidge's work does not have a publishing date as far as I can see; it appeared around 1990 if I remember correctly, certainly before 1994 (by which time I had my copy). It is the most comprehensive printed work on the subject, but only covers the boxes made for models introduced from 1953 to 1964. Philip never was interested enough to produce a followup work covering more recent models.

My copy of John Hanchet's box catalogue was published in 1995. It deals with D, E and F type boxes made for regular wheel models only.

All information found in those works was incorporated into my own listings, which in turn formed the basis of Pat Rufiange's website. Therefore everything you can find in those catalogues you should also find on his website.

In my own listings I continued the coverage into the Superfast era up to the end of individual picture boxes in 1982. Those listings are still a work in progress, and they are not available in printed form but only as a Word file - free to anyone who emails me (although it may take me a while to process any emails I receive). Now that I think of it, I will make this file available for download on my website soon. It is, however, only a set of listings and contains no pictures. It does not contain any rarity info either (nor do the printed catalogues mentioned above).

The pictures in the box section of my website are intended to serve as illustrations for the listings in this file (i.e. the Superfast era part of it). I have just started a process of scanning boxes in order to replace the old photographs which are presently up on my website. The future scans will show more details than the old photographs. This process is estimated to take about two years or so, but some of the "easier" pages will be updated fairly soon.

Don't hold your breath though...

[Idris]

Philip Bowdidge's work does not have a publishing date as far as I can see; it appeared around 1990 if I remember correctly, certainly before 1994 (by which time I had my copy). It is the most comprehensive printed work on the subject, but only covers the boxes made for models introduced from 1953 to 1964. Philip never was interested enough to produce a followup work covering more recent models.

I don't know when it was actually published, but I do have a photocopy of Philip's draft which he gave me sometime between 1983 and 1986 (probably closer to the latter than the former date) when we were both members of the London Model Club. I would therefore expect publication to have occurred in the latter half of the 1980s. (Post 1990 seems too late to me.)

[ChFalkensteiner]

I don't know when it was actually published, but I do have a photocopy of Philip's draft which he gave me sometime between 1983 and 1986 (probably closer to the latter than the former date) when we were both members of the London Model Club. I would therefore expect publication to have occurred in the latter half of the 1980s. (Post 1990 seems too late to me.)

Yes, there may well be earlier versions than mine. I know I met Philip for the first time in 1990 at the Brussels swapmeet, and I visited him at his home during my 1994 UK trip. Sometime between those dates I got my copy of his box catalogue.

[matchboxkiwi]

I have three then, as I have Phillip's too. It must have been published by 1989 as that's when I picked my copy up on a visit to England.
I have John's up dated one then, printed in 2001 and Graham's one too.

Cheers Steve
Matchboxkiwi

[ChFalkensteiner]

Thanks. It is now done; my Word listing is from now on available for download from the index page of the box section of my website.

Download may take a while, as the file comprises about ninety pages.

[Taniwha]

Gavin,
I have two box catalogues here to send you if you give me your address.
One was published in 2001 and the other late last century - mid 80's I think.

Cheers Steve
Matchboxkiwi
Don't forget The Wellington Toy And Diecast Fair!
22nd June 2014, St Marys College, 11am start.

Cool, thanks Steve,

Just bring them down when you are here next month for the swapmeet - no hurry my end.

Cheers,
Gavin

[matchboxmarcel]

Does any-one know how I can purchase these old booklets made by Philip Bowdidge?
I saw these today at a collectors house and realy would like to buy these copies.

marcel