NEWS that one single Dinky toy, just a couple of inches long, has recently fetched £2,125 in auction, has once again focused interest on these popular toys.

Of course this isn't the first time a dinky toy has fetched this sort of sum, nor is it actually a record price, because a year or two ago another Dinky toy fetched over £3,000! However, it has to be stressed that these prices are achieved only for very rare models, and usually in near pristine condition.

The latest example was a red Dinky Holland Coachcraft streamlined van made in 1935. The reason for its rarity is that first all it was made only for that one year, while some Dinky toys were made year after year, and the other reason for its rarity is that after that they changed the design to make it a coach, so the van version is considered highly desirable. But what of the value of other Dinky toys?

Well, it's a big subject and impossible to generalise, for so many factors come into play when assessing value. Condition is of course of paramount importance, collectors just won't pay big money for scratched and scuffed examples. They prefer them to be in near mint condition, and preferably with their original boxes too!

Greatest demand is for pre-war examples, which were manufactured on a smaller scale, and many of them in nice condition will fetch at least £200 to £300. Post war examples were made on a much wider scale, and values come tumbling down, with many popular lines perhaps being just £20 to £30 in excellent condition, though a lot of models from the 1950s and 1960s can be up to £50 to £100, and sometimes much more, depending on exact model, the length of the run, and even the colour scheme. All these factors play a part!

The Dinky toys began production around 1934, a brand name of the more famous Meccano company in Liverpool. Early models were made in lead, but soon a zinc-based alloy was used and the toys proved so popular that hundreds of different models were made over the years.

Production was suspended for a time during the Second World War, but the company took off again from 1946 and flourished throughout the 1950s and early 1960s. By then, increasing competition was giving the company a hard time, and in 1964 they were bought out by the Triang Group. However, Dinky was never to regain its market leadership and in 1981 became part of the Matchbox Group.

In addition to cars, the Dinky Company made army vehicles, buses, farm machinery, aeroplanes, lorries and vans, and even trains, and they all have a different collecting following. Any one with old dinky toys perhaps from their childhood, and wanting to check their values, would be best advised to get hold of one of the many books on the subject. One of the latest is called "Collecting Dinky Toys" by Mike Richardson, and published by Francis Joseph at £16.95. It contains many colour illustrations and lists the values of all the models.