Lesney Products - Non-Matchbox Lesney Toys

Non-Matchbox Lesney Toys

Although the name Lesney became synonymous with Matchbox, the company produced several toys previous to and into the Matchbox era which were not sold under that famous moniker. Today, these are highly collectible items. They include:

• Road Roller (1947), later scaled down to become Matchbox no. 1*
• Cement Mixer (1948), later scaled down to become Matchbox no. 3*
• Caterpillar Crawler (1948), later scaled down to become Matchbox no. 8
• Caterpillar Bulldozer (1948), later scaled down to become Matchbox no. 18
• Milk Float (1949), later scaled down to become Matchbox no. 7; this was the 1st toy made in Lesney's second factory at Barratts Grove
• Soap-Box Racer (1949)
• Rag & Bone Cart (1949)
• Prime Mover & Trailer (1950), used in different scales later as Matchbox 1-75 and Major Pack models
• Jumbo the Elephant (1950), a clockwork toy (marketed by Moko)
• Muffin the Mule (1951), a puppet animal based on a TV show (marketed by Moko)
• large Royal State Coach (1951 & 1952); the 1st version included figures of king and queen; the horses were cast by competing company Benbros
• small Royal State Coach (1953), first big seller, provided capital for further ventures
• Massey-Harris Tractor (1954), perhaps the finest Lesney toy, later scaled down to become Matchbox no. 4
• Conestoga Covered Wagon (1954)