What are the rarest Matchbox toys?
Major Quarry Truck Many claim this is both the rarest Matchbox car in existence and the most valuable. It is the true Holy Grail of Matchbox cars. The company never put the actual truck into production. However, chief model maker Ken Wetton built between six and eight prototypes. The road roller ultimately became the first of the Matchbox 1-75 miniature range; a dump truck, a cement mixer, and a Massey Harris Tractor (labelled 1a, 2a, 3a, and 4a respectively) completed the original four-model release.In 1953 the first Matchbox Cars were made. Introduced in 1953 were MB1 Diesel Roadroller, MB2 Dumper and MB3 Cement Mixer. Each year new models were added, with some being replaced, until there were 75 in the range – thus the range was kept to 75 models at any one time, and was known as the ‘1-75 range’.
Is it worth collecting matchbox cars?
Whether driven by childhood nostalgia or simply by their inherently collectable nature alone, the desirability of Matchbox cars has an undoubted influence on their value. However, as with any range of collectables, some are more valuable than others. Matchbox is older and make more realistic vehicles. Hot Wheels came after, designed to be faster on their race tracks with bolder, more exagerated shapes.