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1:64 Scale & Smaller
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Topic starter
09/09/2025 11:08 am
Early Matchbox/Lesney Gift Sets.
Many of our more senior members began your collecting getting small Matchbox cars starting in the late 1950s. In 1960 ,, Lesney/Matchbox started selling these in Gift Sets, intended initially for the Christmas market.
Here are Gift Sets GS1 and GS2. GS2 was revised in 1963 and I have shown here both issues.
GS1 Commercial Motor Set.(1960)
First GS2 Car Transporter Set.(1960)
Second GS2 Car Transporter Set.(1961. There were actually 6 varieties , all with the same transporter.)
How many of these vehicles can you identify. All originally came in small matchboxes, hence the name.
09/09/2025 11:13 am
"How many of these vehicles can you identify."
- All of them... except that convertible. Wasn't that an English Ford?
- I've never seen these sets before, but I love them! Those car carriers are so cool!
Thanks David. 😀
Tony Perrone and David Green reacted
09/09/2025 2:18 pm
@chris That was the Zephyr Zodiac convertible Chris, converted from the earlier released sedan. If you look closely you can see the line of the rear door that Lesney didn't bother deleting.
I have all of these in my Matchbox collection but sadly not in the Gift Set form.
11/09/2025 12:51 pm
@chris Thanks for bring back great memories David. I lived and breathed Matchbox growing up. As soon as I got 55c I couldn’t wait for Friday night (grocery night in town)
to walk to Nye’s department store for a fix. It was hard to choose from all of the shiny cars in the clear drum case but I always managed. Our family didn’t have much money back then but every Christmas I got the gift set I wanted. My favorite two were these one’s pictured.
Sure do wish I still had them but sometimes life gets in the way!
This post was modified 7 months ago by kevins
11/09/2025 1:09 pm
@kevins Wow! All these sets are fantastic, but the amazing part is that (as I noted ) I've never seen any of them before.
David Green and Jack Dodds reacted
Topic starter
11/09/2025 5:02 pm
These are too wonderful sets worth quite a bit today. My favourite set was the G-4 Racing Gift set. I no longer have the package but I do have all the items in it, in mint condition.
Great memories.