Continental-Aero - Matchbox Series

Continental-Aero Supplier Enrichment

Toys, MatchBox Trucks and Purple Things

Marty Schneider, President of Continental-Aero, likes to say that as he gets older he gets poorer as a child. Seriously, however, he claims to have had very few toys as a kid. The only notable exception was a green plumber's truck with pipes and fittings. He is offering serious money for one of those, if anybody has one. Hence, his love today for trucks and toys. Yes, he stood outside Toy's R Us for Furby...yes he has collected beanie babies, and yes....he refused the burgers from McDonald's for the right to purchase teenie babies. Most importantly however, ....he has sought help for these obsessions.

All of this brings us in a roundabout fashion to the legendary Continental-Aero Purple Matchbox trucks. Marty, the master salesman that he is, claims his inspiration came from his friends at Earnest Machine. These folks bring their original delivery truck circa'48 to trade shows.

Continental-Aero never had a delivery truck, so Marty did the next best thing - he invented one. In fact, he invented many. A problem at trade shows is to get people to take catalogs. Yet, people love the freebies - particularly one with intrinsic value. So Marty came up with the Matchbox trucks.

Matchbox has long made cars and trucks for companies. These are called "promos". Short for promotionals. These are never sold retail, but rather given away as a promotion with a proof-of-purchase. Recently, Kellogg's did one for its cereals Corn Pops and Raisin Bran.

Marty was able to convince Matchbox to produce short runs for him. The initial four trucks are limited to 5000 pieces. Truck #5 was 10,000 pieces and truck #6 is the same. Little did he know that the Continental-Aero purple would become a collectable as well.

Almost all of the trucks are given to customers and prospects at Trade Shows and on sales calls. Hence, there are very few in collectors' hands. Scarcity drives up the prices for the trucks. In addition, there are collectors who collect every truck of a certain model such as the 'Model T' and 'Model A'.

So this is how the toy that is given away becomes valuable and a collectable.

The Nuts and Bolts about the Nuts & Bolts truck:

First Edition - Volvo 1981 Container Truck-Made in China - 1:90 scale
Issued in 1994 or thereabouts. If you know Marty, he is vague about almost everything, so it stands to reason that he is not sure when this came out. A limited-edition of 5000 pieces is unique in fact that it is the only truck that is modern, not a vintage, classic one. It also has paper panels with graphics. All the other truck graphics are directly on the bodies. The Volvo, being a first edition, all first editions of a series are more valuable, is currently worth $75.00

Second Edition - Model T Truck 1921 - Copyright: 1989
5000 piece run. Marty being old himself (57 and counting), decided to focus on classic, vintage trucks. Also, it is easier to put all the necessary graphics on these models. The Model T is the oldest truck that Matchbox produces so it is a natural first choice for the "retro" series. Collectors also adore this truck so it is worth $60.00 today.

Third Edition - Model A Truck - Made in China - Copyright: 1979
5000 piece run. Continuing in the 'retro' vein, the Model A is the natural successor to the Model T. Also, highly prized among the collectors, the Model A is worth $50.00.

Fourth Edition - 1939 Chevy Sedan Delivery Truck - Copyright: 1992 - Made in Thailand - 1:63 scale
The shortest in height but the most stylish and sleekest. This was and is still very popular with Continental Aero's customers. Very few reached the collector's market. Value is assessed at $40.00.

Fifth Edition - 1938 Dodge Airflow - 1:80 Scale - Copyright: 1997
10,000 piece run. A glorious failure in actual truck production, but a major styling success. This is the first truck made by Matchbox for Continental-Are after it was bought by Mattel. The minimum production run is doubled and the cost of the truck went up 50%. Not readily available in the toy stores. This piece is highly valued by collectors and worth approximately $40.00.

Sixth Edition - 1937 Mack Junior - 1:66 Scale - Copyright: 1997
10,000 Piece Run. Worth $35.00. This truck was given out since around 2000. Marty couldn't find anyone at Matchbox to make another edition, so this one lasted four years.

Seventh Edition - 1956 Ford Pickup - Made in China
Took Marty a fair amount of ingenuity to find the "official" Matchbox source for promotional trucks and unfortunately, a great deal of expense. Each truck costs, approximately three times the cost of the first edition. Hence, only 5,000 were made. Worth $25.00 - $30.00. Approximately 500 were made in a wrong shade of purple. These are not for distribution (against our ISO policy). The very few available go for $100.00 in the collectors market.

So, there you have it. One man's obsession with toys he never had. Marty, to this day, doesn't collect matchbox trucks. His taste runs to Hess trucks which are plastic and other gas station Christmas toys. Yet, out of this frivolity comes a major promotional gimmick. At the various fastener shows, 2500 - 3000 trucks are given out. Another 500 go out in Holiday Gift Baskets and an additional 2000 or so are handed out during sales presentations by our sales reps.

Marty is quite pleased by the stories he has told that the trucks are displayed in positions of honor in offices and dens worldwide. He chooses to leave you with one thought "Purple to the People". Being an old hippie who barely remembers the 60's because he lived through it, he just couldn't resist. He is now quietly going to rest before he hurts himself.

If you would like the latest edition of the Continental-Aero Matchbox Truck please contact our "outside" Sales Rep in your territory. They will be happy to truck one over and deliver it to you.