Labour of Love by Ann Evans
I tend to go to a
lot of toy fairs, memorabilia events, dolls house shows and toy
museums. It's not that I'm a collector it's just that I write on
these subjects for various toy magazines and it never fails to amaze
me when I see the dedication of these collectors. Some will have
collected all their lives; others have come back to the joy of owning
toy cars, trucks and trains in latter years, some become collectors
when they reach retirement.
Having talked to so
many collectors over the years, I always admire their passion for
their subject and they really know their stuff. They will know the
history of each model's manufacture, they will know all about the
different variations, and what makes one model rare or noteworthy and
another that looks the same just run of the mill.
While the only thing
I collect is dust and rejection slips I love the nostalgia element
regarding these old toys. Often you will spot items that you played
with as a child and the memories come flooding back.
Who doesn't
remember Dinky, Corgi and Matchbox cars? And quite a few of us will
remember tin plate toys. There's something really delightful about
toys that don't need batteries to make them move, you simply wind
them up.
But what I
particularly like, is the fact that some of these aficionados take
their hobby that little bit further, or in some cases a lot further,
by writing detailed and technically accurate books so as to pass on
their knowledge for posterity.
Out and about on my
travels, I've met a number of dedicated writers who have organised
their knowledge, planned their books and honed their writing skills
to produce some lovely illustrated books for toy enthusiasts.
Nick Jones
who runs Vintage British Diecasts launched his first book –
Matchbox Toys in September of this year. He has chronicled the
history of toy manufacturer, Lesney and its famous Matchbox toys.
Another big toy
collector is Michael Driver who is chairman of the Dinky Toy
Collectors' Association and publicity officer for the Maidenhead
Static Model Club. Michael is the author of The Toy Jaguar Book: A
look at the history of Jaguar cars through the world of toys and
models; and co-author of
Collecting History with Mike
Richardson.
And
Adrian Levano also of the Maidenhead Static Model Club who released
his first book in August of this year. His passion is for Blue
Light Models and his book is all
about collecting scale models of emergency service vehicles.
The
amount of work and research that has gone into producing these books
is enormous, and they really are true labours of love.
Thank
you Rob Tysall of Tysall's Photography for the photos.
Please
visit my website: www.annevansbooks.co.uk
Comments
orgis of my childhood, but what I loved most was the model railways. I spent a large part of my childhood and early teens planning the model railway to end all model railways But some of those lovely locomotives cost nearly £10, so I could only dream. The whole toy world still has a deep fascination for me and this post filled me with nostalgic pleasure. That Inter-State bus is classic!