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| Above: Front and rear view of a 1950s 6-drawer dealers'
display cabinet. This was used to hold the dealer's stock of spare
parts for sale to the public; with the display card facing to the front and
the drawers to the back. This cabinet has been restored and
restocked by Greg Rahn using red and green parts in
their original packaging, as far as is possible. The
cabinet is 23 1/2" wide and made from oak. Earlier versions
of this cabinet from the medium red & green period up to about 1954 were
painted in a maroon colour and slightly smaller, but the light red &
green version was left in a natural oak finish. The parts display
card shown here is c.1956/7. A light red/green version of this
card was never produced, as by the time the new parts of 1962 came along
the dealers cabinet was just about obsolete. By this time there were
very few new dealers who wanted to stock a comprehensive range of spare parts;
and a simpler self-service dispenser was introduced. See
here. (Photos G. Rahn)
Below: The six drawers stocked up with mint parts from the medium and light red & green periods. |
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| See the 5-Drawer French Dealers Cabinet | |||||
Below: Another dealers' cabinet from the late 50's, stocked with parts. (Photos Börje Thelin) |
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| Layout card from a 1953 cabinet, showing the official layout of the parts. Note that there is no space for the 167b, and no space for any parts over 12 1/2" long. Click on the thumbnail image to see a larger picture (Courtesy Börje Thelin) | Layout card from a 1960 cabinet, showing the official layout of the parts. Long Angle Girders are now stored diagonally in the bottom drawer, as in the new No.10 cabinet. Click on the thumbnail image to see a larger picture (Coustesy C. Weston) | ||||
| These handsome wooden dealers' cabinets now bring back many nostalgic memories to Meccano enthusiasts. During the 50's and 60's a visit to the Meccano shop would be a real treat. Many happy hours would be spent there drooling over this fabulous cabinet packed full of shiny new Meccano parts, and trying to decide what to buy with last week's pocket money. | |||||
1958 Dealers' Box |
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| During the 1950s, a smaller dealers' box was also available
for use by dealers not wanting to stock the full range of spare parts.
This box was painted a maroon colour. In 1958, the box was finished
in a natural wood colour, and the thin hardboard top and bottom were replaced
by stronger plywood panels. The 1958 version of this box
was also sold to the general public, for the storage of Meccano parts.
See the 1958 advert.
The two dealers' boxes in the photographs are packed with Meccano parts,
mostly from the light red and green period, and have a display card on the
lid showing medium red and green parts. A light red and green version
of this display card was never produced. |
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