Code 2s and MOY" First Series repainted in gold.

[Tinman]

Addition by Site Admin: This thread has a somewhat abrupt start because it originally followed on from the first post here.

Some of this stuff makes me feel like I've been locked in a bunker for years, isolated from the real world. Is this some kind of real limited edition stuff produced by Mattel with new castings? Or is this a group of vintage castings that have been repainted and stuck on a plaque with a perspex cover over the model and a peel & stick label as a fundraiser for a club or profit for some third party business?

Being a resident of the "New World" and never having been a member of MICA, most of this stuff is completely "out of the blue" for me.  Some explanation or history of these code 2 models would go a long way towards explaining their reason for being (and/or what they are all about).

Any insight or explanation would be helpful to understanding what these models really are. I'll withhold any guess or presumptions in hopes of getting some accurate answers.

[YYS4BOB]

It's a case of each to their own. Personally, I don't go anywhere near this kind of stuff. I could go to a swap meet/toy fair/boot fair and buy up a load of battered 1st series for a pittance, a tin of cheap gold paint and knock these out by the dozen. Just cash cows. The perspex box is probably worth more than the model.

[Tinman]

It's a case of each to their own. Personally, I don't go anywhere near this kind of stuff. I could go to a swap meet/toy fair/boot fair and buy up a load of battered 1st series for a pittance, a tin of cheap gold paint and knock these out by the dozen. Just cash cows. The perspex box is probably worth more than the model.

So they are a bunch of repainted second hand (probably play worn) models??

[charliep]

Hello Tinman,

Sorry to hear that you missed out during the years when MICA operated April 1985 - September 2013. That is almost 30 years.
It was fun time and the hobby was at its heyday. Many conventions were held annually in various locations such as USA, UK,
Europe & Australia and to commemorate (& raise funds) code 2 models were produced for whoever wanted to buy them. As Bob
said: "It's a case of each to their own". No one ever forced me to buy any of them. I made a decision that they are fun to collect.

In hindsight I wish I paid more attention to the code 2s. earlier on instead of the code 1s. I think I can still recover most of my
money if I decide to sell the code 2s; not so sure about the code 1s, with the exception of the rarer ones.

Regarding this gold painted set, it was released in 2006 to commemorate the "50th Anniversary of Models of Yesteryears"
1956-2006 hence the title. Who released it? More likely MICA UK. Why they produced it? Probably to raise funds for the club.

I am not sure what else is there to know. Whether they were battered first series models prior the paint job, that is not possible
for me to know and neither do I concern myself about it.

I read some of these posts and notice how excited fellow collectors get when they find a model that has a minor variation such as a
couple of extra wheel threads; even though one may require a magnifying glass and a steady hand to actually notice the difference.
Personally that is not my cup of tea but I do feel happy for them. Life is short, enjoy while you can. No one knows their number.

Charlie

[YYS4BOB]

I think I can still recover most of my
money if I decide to sell the code 2s; not so sure about the code 1s, with the exception of the rarer ones.

Personally, I collect what I do because I like them. I doubt very much if my offspring will recoup anything like my expenditure when they have to dispose of them when I'm no longer here to enjoy them. I care not. I collect for enjoyment, not investment. If I become less enamoured with any of the collection, it's sold on to fund a new venture (like the Kingsize, for which I find your section invaluable) that spikes my interest. Doesn't matter if it's sold at less than I paid, I'll still have had years of pleasure out of it, and that's what collecting is about, not monetary gain. That's business, not pleasure.

[charliep]

Hello Bob,

Bingo! That is exactly my point. I used to collect all the ranges of Matchbox but my focus was on the larger models mainly Major Packs/Kings/Superkings.
I also managed to accumulate a large number of MOYs/DYs code 1 & 2s. Although most code 1 models have depreciated significantly, like you I still treasure
them as I enjoyed collecting them & used to get excited checking the boxes of my millennium edition.

Unlike some other collectors, I intentionally did not keep record of what I paid for my models over the years. Maybe that is a good thing & when the time comes
when my off spring or myself decide it's time to pass them to some one else, no one will ever know if I made out or not. Like you said, it was for the
enjoyment of collecting.

BTW, Thanks for the kind remarks regarding the Kingsize series. It was a project well worth it.

Charlie

[francipe]

It's a case of each to their own. Personally, I don't go anywhere near this kind of stuff. I could go to a swap meet/toy fair/boot fair and buy up a load of battered 1st series for a pittance, a tin of cheap gold paint and knock these out by the dozen. Just cash cows. The perspex box is probably worth more than the model.

Having bought some of these from the RICARDO CORTES-MONROY IV COLLECTION - PART TWO I can state that the cost of these was far more than the cost of the perspex box. A model's worth is obviously a different matter and I was bitterly disappointed that the bidding for these models was extremely strong as this prevented me from acquiring the complete set.
As you know I have a collection which covers most aspects of the Models of Yesteryear range except Code 3 models, which I won't allow under my roof.
These models celebrating the 50th Anniversary of Yesteryears were produced by the Matchbox Club with approval from Mattel (who did very little to honour that landmark) and generally the donor models were sourced from the parent company not the second hand market. Most likely this range of models would exceptionally have been bought from public auction sales of unboxed models and thus in all probability not raised much profit for the Club. The only beneficiaries in financial terms are the dealers profiting from the recent surge of interest in Code 2 models like these.
In the eyes of Code 2 collectors like Charlie and me Mattel's approval sets them apart from the Code 3 offerings to be found providing profit to whoever produces them.

[YYS4BOB]

I intentionally did not keep record of what I paid for my models over the years. Maybe that is a good thing
Charlie

Totally agree. Saves a lot of guilty feelings at the end of the day!

[Moyboy]

The models were done tongue in cheek as an answer to all those ludicrous plated models shown in the later MICA mags in shades of anodised purple, green and red etc. Not sure who posted them either Kevin or Stewart but there was an argument between them that those models would never have been made by Lesney. I think Horace and co came up with the idea so show what was possible to repaint and became a bit of a joke.

[YYS4BOB]

Weren't they from Alexander(Sascha) Goldscheider? Used to be on E-Bay as "Romantic Robot"