Matchbox

Lesney Products’ small die-cast toy cars, sold in boxes the size of matchboxes.

Leslie and Rodney Smith and John Odell started Lesney Products in London, and according to the story Odell's daughter was allowed to take toys to school in a matchbox. That gave the idea of small cars in boxes.

The 1-75 series of 1953 comprised seventy-five models that were replaced and updated. Matchbox was a great success in the 1960s and is now part of Mattel.

Lesney and the model number under the car; the box design gives the date.

• Toys