FoMoCo Forty Nines...

Franklin Mint 1949 Ford Woody Surfer Wagon:

Danbury Mint 1949 Mercury Woody Surfer Wagon:

top shelf pro pictures Tony........the (real life) production of models so bright and wholesome,coming just 4 years after the war (fill in your own thoughts here)

Posted by: @john-barry

top shelf pro pictures Tony........the (real life) production of models so bright and wholesome,coming just 4 years after the war (fill in your own thoughts here)

Thank you John. Even though only 2 at the time, I recall some of these '49 cars. Dad, and his 5 brothers, were all WWII vets who returned to enjoy new cars; and for most of them, '48's and 49's were the tickets! 

@perrone1  I was -2 .......I recall almost nothing of it 🤔 

the surf wagons look mighty fine....I saw one a day or so back on e*ay......they seem to be holding their value pretty well.....

Nice pics!  I have the cream Ford convert and beige Merc woody and love them.....perfect colors.

Tony, Again great photos.  I only have the Yellow Ford Convertible.  Wish I had the others.  I do have the two 49 Woodies from FM though.

wonderful series of photos, thanks Tony. Wonder why the mints did a number of 49 cars, as opposed to any other year?

Tony, your photos really POP those models.  Glad I have them on my shelves.  Great work!

Posted by: @geoff-jowett

wonderful series of photos, thanks Tony. Wonder why the mints did a number of 49 cars, as opposed to any other year?

Great question Geoff. We were given a few, really nice, '47's and 48's (ie, Buick Roadmasters, Chevy AeroSedan, Chrysler's and the Ford Sportsman). But pickings were slim prior to that back to 1941 due to the war effort and lack of auto manufacture. Then, I guess, getting into the abundant fifties supply involved a whole new generational dynamic. 

Posted by: @geoff-jowett

wonderful series of photos, thanks Tony. Wonder why the mints did a number of 49 cars, as opposed to any other year?

I've always wondered why the mints seemed to overlook certain years of cars all together or at best very minimal output.  Three automotive years that come to mind are 1952, 1953 and 1954.  Are we to believe that during those three years there were no cars that deserved to be produced? 

And certainly too, there are some cars that seemed ignored as well.  Wouldn't a nice replica of a Kaiser or Frazer be nice on our shelves?  And surely Hudson and Packard could have been honored with replica's more than they were. 

It's probably safe to assume that the usual sentimental and cult favorites like Chevy's, Ford's, and Cadillac's were produced in huge numbers because the mints could rely on a vast audience of buyers, so getting an abundance of these brands in model form were understandable. 

I always wondered what type of research went in to producing one brand over another, as in the case of the Danbury Mint '49 Oldsmobile 2-door coupe and station wagon.  Why that particular year and not a '52, '53, or '54 for example?  I mean, who wouldn't want a '49 Pontiac, '49 DeSoto, or '49 Plymouth in their collection?  And what about '40's and '50's Dodge's?  We got none!  

And then there are cars that were produced by the mints that were "concept" or "non-production" cars, like the '55 Chevy Nomad on the Corvette body format.  Was their research done that led the mints to believe they would sell better than a certain model year of a regular production car?  These questions and many more would be interesting to hear about.  

good questions George. My biggest question though was why did the mints produce so many models of the same cars, or near same cars when collectors would have jumped on those and others you've suggested. It just never made business sense to me as well, how big was the market for 1946 Chev wagons for example?