A quick guide to these lovely toys. I'll make no attempt to go into colour variations etc, as you could spend a lifetime collecting nothing but 25's and not see them all.
The Dinky 25 Series of roughly 00 scale lorries was introduced in the Meccano Magazine of April 1934, and listed for sale from the following month. Sold prewar as a boxed set of six models, or pre / postwar,as individual models from a trade box of six models of the same type. The 25 Series never had an individual box, and, being dropped prior to 1953 was never re- numbered to a 3 digit code.
25a Wagon.
And with 25 Series trailer:
25b Covered Wagon.
(This is of course 25a with a tinplate tilt, the tilt in this case is not original, as it should fit the bed right up to the edge, it's one to look out for, a 25 lorry with a 30 Austin tilt)
25c Flat Truck.
25d Petrol Tanker.
25e Tipping Wagon.
25f Market Gardeners van.
These models were updated into four main types, 1 2 3 4 :
Type 1,
1934 - 1937.
Very rare now. These were fitted with a stamped tinplate radiator grille, with no headlamps,
There is a slot cast into the leading edge of the bonnet to fix this grille:
It has smooth hubs, thin axles, and an open, 3 triangle, cast chassis:
It has black, or coloured hubs, and white tyres.
Type 2.1 1937 - 1940. Type 2.2 1945 - 1946.
The Type 2 is split between Pre War, and Post war issues, I will call these 2.1 and 2.2.
Type 2 now has a new radiator with cast in headlamps:
Type 2.1 has exactly the same chassis, hubs, tyres as Type 1, type 2.2 has thicker axles and black tyres:
Type 3. 1946 - 1947.
Type 3 now has postwar ridged hubs, and a closed chassis with a central hole:
Type 4 1947 -1950.
Type 4 has a whole new chassis, with front bumper, and drivetrain details underneath:
Variations.
There is only a single body casting variation, and that is the Type 1 Petrol tanker. The very first run of these had cast open side and rear windows,
As far as I am aware these were only ever on plain red models, mine has been repainted.
The prewar tanker came in many liveries, a few of which were re-introduced postwar.
The covered wagon also came with both "Meccano" and " Carter Patterson" lettered tilts in a variety of shades. All of these are now very hard to find.
The hardest to find of the 25 series are the open window tankers, and type 1 flat and covered wagons. Of the last two I have only ever seen these in blue, and blue with cream tilt, I think these two were only available in the set of six, and not sold individually.
As regards values if Type 1 be regarded as 100%:
then let type 2.1 be 80%,
type 2.2 75%,
type 3 50%,
and type 4 30%.
Happy hunting! A few more pictures...
CW.
.
