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hmmm the pics make it look like an aged blister...was this a trial...i think lesney was more interested in showing the toy over hiding it in a box...i also think this was done many years ago by someone and not factory...but who knows

be interesting to know what exactly is in that box...i think i would open it

I think he has got access to an x-ray machine so will be doing that. Be interesting to see the outcome.

Moyboy wrote:I think he has got access to an x-ray machine so will be doing that. Be interesting to see the outcome.

I wonder if the images will really be sharp enough to determine the boom casting.

Hello Moyboy, Kwakers here. These blister units were originated by Fred Bronner in 1964 for release and marketing in their 1965 dealer sales publications. By the time the Dealer Booklet with all the pre-productions on its cover was printed, the decision to have the larger clear plastic cover showing both the model and its box had been made. In looking over this man's pictures, he seems to have stored away perhaps one VERY early pre-sales item that may have been shipped somewhere as a sample of Fred's "New" (proposed ?) sales tool. I say that because there are no signs of there ever being a larger bubble or its glue ever being on this backing. I believe it to be authentic, BUT, in hand inspection with perhaps even just a picture of such an early blister from Fred Bronner's binder would give it the provenance I am purely speculating on. Hardy would be the source for such documentation from Fred's Ad office in New Jersey, so an inquiry there might be of some help to this collector, or perhaps not, whichever turns out to be the case. It never hurts to try.
Having bought many of these blisters in our "Big Box Stores" in the mid sixties, some of the packs would un-seal quite easily on the floor of those stores, or even at home with the lightest effort. I believe I still may have a few cards that could pass as very nearly unused, and could possibly be re-sealed with any rare box and model anyone else might choose to do after I am gone.....
That much being said, with both the condition of the blister shown, and also the condition of the "Not really so Rare" reverse Wrecker box inside, a $200 value might be in line if the model inside proves to be the later stock coloured Toy (even with the proper gray tow hook on it). There will never be any more of an added value without the Toy being made visible for inspection.
I have given this man's "Dilemma" a day's logical thought now, and in my opinion a photo documentation of the opening of this Lesney King Tut's Tomb after 50+ years would not only preserve its provenance as a Lesney Historical Artifact, BUT, the possible release of an entombed reverse painted Wrecker witnessed by an accepted group of seasoned collectors will assure a very notable (HUGE) increase in the value of this $200 as-is blister. After 53 years of my collecting Lesneys, there is no dilemma here, only pure collector excitement that we seldom get to witness in this modern day of U-Tube Videos...... Kwakers

I've never seen that blister pack before and was unaware they existed in this configuration.

My thoughts would be that it might have been tried as a cost saving measure, but it must be pretty rare for it not to have surfaced before now. I'd like to look that one over in hand before I say much more about it. On the other hand, the odds that it has a reverse color wrecker inside is pretty astronomical.

Interesting. We know the wrecker was issued in 1965. The back of this blister showed the 1965 catalogue and line up, with No.13 Tow Truck. So this is the correct first blister used by the model. And we know there are blisters with clear plastic showing both the model and its box from earlier blister design 1963-1964. Its clear plastic was just exactly the size of the centre white square area, which is smaller than the later big clear plastic. So the subject blister's clear plastic fitting the box alone is very unique. So it's very excited and we look forward to the x-ray result. I wonder if x-rays from airport security can distinguish?

On my second day of thoughts on this blister I suddenly began to compare it to a style of Lottery ticket here in the U.S. that we can buy that are called scratch-offs. The "Lucky" numbers on a ticket you buy are not visible until a wax-like coating is scratched off to reveal them. If the ticket is never scratched off, the Buyer/ Owner will never know whether his ticket is worth anything at all. It could be a $5000 Winner, a $20 Winner, or perhaps an absolutely worthless piece of paper.
Hugh's idea of an X Ray was never even considered by me because paint chips, proper colours, and small casting details we know about for grading the condition of the blistered model cannot be seen through that method. The value difference between a $75 "Custom Mod" Wrecker with faked boom and an ORIGINAL GENUINE early 1965 Reverse Colour Wrecker can never be determined without beginning by opening that blister.
For these two observations to quickly come to mind I only had to consider myself a possible Buyer of this Blister, and then to move on to think about how I can now evaluate its contents in its present blistered state. I can't find any possible way of doing that. Kwakers

i got a reply and the xrays but they were basically crap. All they showed was the model, no colour variation so a waste of time really and won't bother to repost here. He informed me that he will keep it sealed for now but who knows in the future. I would have to open it as I'm curious but not sure how curious he is !

Moyboy wrote:i got a reply and the xrays but they were basically crap. All they showed was the model, no colour variation so a waste of time really and won't bother to repost here. He informed me that he will keep it sealed for now but who knows in the future. I would have to open it as I'm curious but not sure how curious he is !

X-rays wouldn't give your colour (but they might enable you to establish whether two colours were identical or not). The best bet would be to focus on the boom casting and try to determine whether it was thin or thick. However, given the shadowy nature of X-rays, this is probably easier said than done.

As Hugh says, what we were looking for was the lower section of the boom. Reverse colour models have a thin boom along it's length. This was modified to a thicker section at the lower end for strength and if the model is standing on it's wheels in the box and x-ray is looking streight-on at the blister and box, it should show the difference between a thin and thick boom.

Ghosthunter.