Up until 2-3 months ago I had lived life for several years a happy man with just one single example of the 61a Ferret Scout Car on my collection shelves. And then about 2-3 months ago, our very own VBD "nearlymint"/Jason offered an example of the 61a for sale or trade. It was an example with black paint on both the top and bottom of the diecast base. Heck, it was a variation I never knew even existed so I accepted Jason's offer and my 61a collection doubled!
And then came Christmas Day 2016! As is the case every single year I came away from Christmas Day with much more love and fuss than I deserve. It was at the very end of the day when my wife, Lynn and I took a seat at the kitchen table with the last gift of Christmas from beneath the tree. We have friends we met a couple of decades ago through my Matchbox Toys pursuits. We exchange a Christmas parcel each year with these friends and, it was that box that found a place on our table at day's end.
Inside we found six small wrapped packages; two for Lynn and four for me (sometimes life isn't fair Lynnie). One of the packages was clearly marked "Open Last". I set that one aside. Inside the 2nd to the last package I opened was a handsome, nearly mint trio of 61a Ferret Scout Car models. Each was a different variation! I opened the "Open Last" pouch and there inside was a trio of collapsed boxes to house the three models. Immediately, then and there on Christmas night, I went for my trusty daily use Stannard Guide, the one I write in. I went upstairs and grabbed the two examples I already had and quickly determined that none of the three new models were duplicates! I had gone from one measly 61a Ferret Scout Car to FIVE of them in the matter of 2-3 months. Truth be told, I've become a veritable Ferret Scout Car tycoon!
It was in studying these five models that I've made some observations I want to share and I'll close with one vexing question at the end. Bottom line is that I need your help and learned guidance.
1. One of the examples that arrived on Christmas night is a very early example with crimped axle ends. I noticed that this model, relative to all of the other four, had a rather matt/flat body paint.
2. Two of the three boxes that were collapsed within the "Open Last" package have braille adhesive stickers attached inside an end flap. Somewhere out there we have/had a visually impaired member of our collecting community. I've never seen anything like this before! Anyone else? I often wonder with some of these toys, just how many custodians have cared for them since they rolled off the Lesney line. Never was that wondering stronger than it is with these models.
3. The variation guides list all of the wheels for the 61a model as having 12.5mm diameter. Three of my five examples have the earlier coarse 30 count treaded BPWs. Of those three models TWO of them have wheels with 12.0mm diameter. I mentioned this back when Jason's model arrived at my house but now that I've found a second example within my personal tycoon sample size I've gotta believe there are a bunch of models out there rolling on 12.0mm coarse 30 treaded BPWs.
4. And now for my question! My very first example of the 61a was a relatively early example with coarse 30 treaded BPWs, a Stannard Code 3. It came to me housed in a lovely crisp "D" type box.
One of the three models that I opened on Christmas night is a later casting (Stannard Code 8) rolling on the fine 40 treaded BPWs. That model is equipped with a "B" box. So in summary I have an early model paired with a later "D" box, and a latter casting paired with an early "B" style box. Part of me thinks I should conduct a simple box swap. Part of me thinks I should leave the two models with the boxes they were connected with when they arrived in my collection. So what do you think? These five models are sitting on top of the refrigerator and my wife is giving me dirty looks. I can't put them away until I can assign boxes to the models. HELP!!
