Charbens

Charbens was founded around 1927 by brothers Charles and Ben Reid. Its first documentary references identified by toy historian Robert Newson are trade notices from 1928. That year the firm advertised from 34 Mitford Road, north London, as a maker of metal and electro-plated novelties and die-casters. Its advertised lead toys included farm scenes with figures, animals, trees, a bridge and windmill, as well as a horse-drawn roller. In 1929 the address changed to Andover Yard, Hornsey Road, where the factory remained for more than forty years.

Lead figures and accessories remained central to the range. Before the Second World War Charbens also made a small assortment of lead vehicles; some wartime vehicles were made in plaster. After the war, the firm introduced zinc diecast vehicles, made by pressure casting rather than the slush-casting method used for its lead vehicles. A 1953 catalogue listed vehicles including farm implements, horse-drawn wagons, a tractor and road vehicles. In 1955 Charbens introduced its Matchbox-sized Old Crocks or Old Timers series, mostly veteran cars.

Charbens & Co. Ltd. was incorporated in 1943, with Charles and Ben Reid as equal owners. Plastic figures became a larger part of production, and some diecast toys in the 1960s included plastic parts or were made entirely of plastic. Ben Reid sold the company in the late 1960s, and metal toy production ended around 1967, although a few diecast items appeared in boxed sets in 1968. Plastic figure production continued until about 1974, when compulsory purchase of the Hornsey Road premises led to a move to Biggleswade. The Charbens name was later used for craft toys.