Rarity

[soisjack]

It's often talked about,but is there a definitive guide to rarity of models and boxes ? It would be very interesting to see a star rating for example to define rarest through to most common of each in an easy to follow format . I would imagine opinions will vary on this subject also ?

[nickjones]

Not as far as I know but like you say what is rare in one country may not be rare in another.

[Brad Pittiful]

as Nick said...rarity could depend on where you live...we talked about the #59 galaxie police car...all labels model is harded to come by in europe and the blue stakes #4 stake truck is harder to come by in the states...its location location location

and how cool would it have been to be in south africa as a kid in order to get a #62 cream cougar

[johnboy]

as Nick said...rarity could depend on where you live...we talked about the #59 galaxie police car...all labels model is harded to come by in europe and the blue stakes #4 stake truck is harder to come by in the states...its location location location

and how cool would it have been to be in south africa as a kid in order to get a #62 cream cougar

Or in Oz, to try and catch a green bus

[kwakers]

The problem with any rarity Guide we may try and establish is that it works against each of our personal interests Soisjack. If there are only 40 known survivors of a particular variation with 100 keen collectors coveting one for their collections, by publishing it's rarity we may then have 500 pursuing one. Harold Colpitts tried a trade value grade in 1976, but in it's only having a one through ten rating system, was a dismal failure. We have discussed what member's thoughts and opinions have been on specific rarities in threads here on this Forum, so ask away to get free advice that you may interpret for yourself. kwakers

[Wolfie Ginsburg]

Brad

The chances are that if you were a kid in South Africa you would have played with your cream Cougar and scratched it. It wasn't special.

I grew up in Cape Town

I bought my one for 23 cents - today about 1800 cents equals a pound

I was already collecting Matchbox by then so kept mine in its box. Of course I only bought one of each as they were issued.

It was only about 15 years later that I found out that it was rare





But I would really like a green No 5 bus

[Brad Pittiful]

Brad

The chances are that if you were a kid in South Africa you would have played with your cream Cougar and scratched it. It wasn't special.

I grew up in Cape Town

I bought my one for 23 cents - today about 1800 cents equals a pound

I was already collecting Matchbox by then so kept mine in its box. Of course I only bought one of each as they were issued.

It was only about 15 years later that I found out that it was rare





But I would really like a green No 5 bus

wow that is awesome Wolfie...and youre right...if i got one asa kid i wouldve played with it...it was a toy!

[motorman]

Wolfie, that cougar is just magic, it has to be one of the ultimate must haves for any Matchbox enthusiats collection

[kwakers]

I love your Cougar also Wolfie, but have a question on it. After you had found and bought the single one in cream, did they continue to be that color for very long in your area? Your story is simply amazing, because when the green #68 Mercedes Bus arrived with the orange ones mixed in in 1965, we bought several of each because I knew about variations by then. You as a kid knew enough to keep your Cougar Mint, but had no idea that trading with Lesney collectors who needed variations that were common in your area was even possible. One point is that as any Lesney was released, no one had any idea a color was rare until they saw another in a different color. Once that happened, it was trips to several stores to check the stocks and find out which model might be more plentiful. How 'Rare' was a certain color? It might take months to determine that, and by that time we would have traded off most of the rare spares with collector friends we knew locally. The cream Cougar is definitely one of the 'Key Variations' in Lesney regular wheel models that few of us have in our collections........ kwakers

[Wolfie Ginsburg]

Kwakers

In 1968 when the Cougar was released I was sixteen and living in Cape Town

I thought that I was the only person in the world who loved and collected Matchbox toys

Every Sunday night I got my pocket money and every Monday, after school, I walked down to Stuttafords, a major department store in the city. The ladies in the toy department kept one of every new model for me.

Once I had one of each as it was issued that was that - I wasn't interested in what the shop had any more - till it was reissued in another colour

It was only a few years later that was introduced to Harold Colpitts in America and joined AIM. That was when I became aware of other collectors

Even then I didn't know the cream cougar was rare till much later

There may have been may on the shelves at Stuttafords - who knows?

Even when Harold Colpitts came to South Africa a few years later he was on the lookout for South African manufactured Dinkies - not cream Cougars

I wasn't interested in SA Dinkies as they weren't Matchbox!! Another opportunity lost!