The small box behind the Matchbox name

The Matchbox name describes a size before it describes a vehicle. In Mattel’s account of the brand’s beginnings, Jack Odell made a tiny die-cast road roller for his daughter because her school allowed toys only if they fitted inside a matchbox. The brand dates its beginning to 1953.

The tiny vehicles soon had a miniature world around them. Mattel’s anniversary history records the first accessory pack in 1956: a fuel station with pumps, a sign and an attendant. A child could give the vehicles somewhere to stop, rather than simply line them up.

The range also grew beyond road transport. Sky Busters arrived in 1973 with die-cast fighters, cargo aircraft and passenger planes.

Our photograph shows another branch of the range: a King Size K-7 refuse truck in Cleansing Service colours.