Dinky News
AUSTRALIA'S INTERNATIONAL NEWSLETTER FOR DINKY TOY COLLECTORS
Dinky News has been in print since June 1998. The newsletter was started on the suggestion of several Dinky Toy collectors in Brisbane, Australia, as a means of disseminating information on Dinky Toys that has been acquired by many collectors over a number of years. It has since become a forum for discussion, and as a means whereby collectors of Dinky Toys can communicate with like-minded collectors throughout the world without the need of joining a formal club.
Since its inception, the newsletter has more or less followed the same format;
- Editorial
- Serialised Production History of Dinky Toys 1946 - 1964
- Made in France (written by Guy Girod, President of the Dinky Toy Club of France
- Snippets (little known aspects about models, boxes, catalogues, etc)
- Dinky Snapshots, an irregular feature that selects a particular model for an in-depth discussion
- Old Meccano Magazine advertisements
- Auction prices realised, both traditional and through the Internet
- Letters to the Editor
- Questions and Answers
- Free Classified Advertising
Progressively, changes have taken place in response to readers' comments. The Production History, in Issue 1, consisted of each model in chronological order, with the colours available. Now, it includes a picture of the model, details of the boxes in which the model was originally sold, colour schemes, sales number changes, variations, and deletion date. As of Issue 13, we have now reached the year 1952.
Past issues have discussed the red and yellow plain printed boxes that came out in 1960; the catalogues issued post-war, and lately, several readers are now making their contributions with stories on various models. It is these articles written by fellow enthusiasts that is now making the newsletter more diverse and interesting.
One of the most popular segments are the auction prices realised through UK auction houses and through eBay. These if anything provide a more comprehensive and accurate guide to the value of Dinky Toys than published price guides and often reflect the vast difference in prices realised for identical models.
The newsletter comes out four times a year, June, September, December, March, although the publication date can change due to pressures within my home! At present it is in photocopy format, and the last two issues have seen a colour page added. The newsletter has not been purposely "prettied up" with glossy paper and excessive colour pages, as the costs could become unsustainable.
At the present time, DINKY NEWS is the only regular newsletter in English throughout the world, following the Dinky Toy Club of America's newsletter now going onto the Internet. The only other regular publication dealing mainly with French Dinky Toys, is from Club Dinky France, and that naturally, is in French.
The cost is US$20.00 cash per four-issue year, or US$25.00 per personal check or cashier's check, made payable to Bruce Hoy. Australian subscription is AUD$20.00.
P O BOX 249
ASPLEY
QUEENSLAND
4034
AUSTRALIA
Telephone/Fax: +61-7-3264-4227
email: dinkynews at yahoo dot com dot au