Mettoy Company / Mettoy Playcraft
51 years in operation (1933–1984)
About Mettoy Company / Mettoy Playcraft
Mettoy produced tin toys and later die-cast Corgi toys under the Mettoy Playcraft name after 1956. The Corgi brand launched in 1956 became far more famous than the Mettoy name itself.
Founding
Philipp Ullmann, formerly of Tipp & Co. in Nuremberg, who fled Nazi Germany and founded Mettoy in England in 1933 — later joined by Arthur Katz, also from the German trade.
History of Mettoy Company / Mettoy Playcraft
Mettoy — "metal toy" — was founded by a refugee from the German tinplate industry and brought Nuremberg's manufacturing knowledge to Northampton and later Swansea. Its prewar and early postwar output was lithographed tinplate: cars, buses, aeroplanes, clockwork novelties, in a recognisably continental idiom.
The company's historic significance is Corgi. In 1956, under the Mettoy Playcraft name, it launched a die-cast range built to beat Dinky, and it did so with one decisive feature: clear plastic window glazing, advertised as "the ones with windows". That single detail forced Dinky into a decade of catching up, and Corgi went on to produce the most famous licensed toy car ever made, the 1965 Aston Martin DB5 from Goldfinger with its ejector seat and machine guns.
Mettoy diversified into home computers with the Dragon 32 in the early 1980s, a venture that failed expensively and helped bring the company down. Mettoy collapsed in 1983, and Corgi was bought out by its management and continued independently — eventually, like Dinky and Hornby before it, ending up under the Hornby Hobbies umbrella.
Timeline
- 1933Philipp Ullmann founds Mettoy in England after leaving Nazi Germany
- 1948Postwar tinplate production expands at a new plant in Swansea
- 1956Corgi Toys launch under Mettoy Playcraft with plastic window glazing
- 1965The James Bond Aston Martin DB5 becomes the best-selling toy car of its era
- 1982The Dragon 32 home-computer venture fails
- 1983Mettoy collapses; Corgi continues under a management buy-out
Notable & Best-Selling Toys
- Corgi die-cast cars (via Playcraft)
- Mettoy tin friction cars
- Mettoy tin buses
- Corgi James Bond vehicles
Identifying & Dating Mettoy Company / Mettoy Playcraft Toys
- Tinplate carries "METTOY" and "MADE IN GT BRITAIN" lithographed or stamped on the base; Corgi die-cast bases read "CORGI TOYS" with "MADE IN GT BRITAIN".
- Early Corgi models can be dated by the presence of window glazing, then suspension, then jewelled headlights and opening features, each introduced in a known year.
- Mettoy Playcraft branding on packaging places an item in the Corgi era.
Collector's Notes
- Corgi is the collected part of this story, and the James Bond, Batman and film and television tie-in models are the strongest sellers — complete with their inner packaging, secret instructions and accessory packets.
- Mettoy tinplate is comparatively overlooked and can be good value; it is judged on lithography condition and mechanism like other tinplate.
- Boxes drive Corgi values heavily, and reproduction boxes and inserts circulate. Check printing quality and card weight on anything expensive.
Currently for Sale on eBay
Live listings for Mettoy Company / Mettoy Playcraft toys and collectibles, fetched directly from eBay.
As an eBay Partner, this site may earn a commission from qualifying purchases made through these links, at no extra cost to you. Figures shown are current asking prices on eBay, not appraised market values.
Categories
Frequently Asked Questions
When was Mettoy Company / Mettoy Playcraft founded?
Mettoy Company / Mettoy Playcraft was founded in 1933, based in Northampton / Swansea, Wales.
Is Mettoy Company / Mettoy Playcraft still in business?
No. Mettoy Company / Mettoy Playcraft ceased operations in 1984, after 51 years in business.
What is Mettoy Company / Mettoy Playcraft best known for?
Mettoy Company / Mettoy Playcraft is best known for Corgi die-cast cars (via Playcraft), Mettoy tin friction cars, Mettoy tin buses, among other toys.
Where was Mettoy Company / Mettoy Playcraft located?
Mettoy Company / Mettoy Playcraft was based in Northampton / Swansea, Wales.
What kinds of toys did Mettoy Company / Mettoy Playcraft make?
Mettoy Company / Mettoy Playcraft is categorized under tin toys, die-cast, vehicles.
Who founded Mettoy Company / Mettoy Playcraft?
Philipp Ullmann, formerly of Tipp & Co. in Nuremberg, who fled Nazi Germany and founded Mettoy in England in 1933 — later joined by Arthur Katz, also from the German trade.
How can you identify genuine Mettoy Company / Mettoy Playcraft toys?
Tinplate carries "METTOY" and "MADE IN GT BRITAIN" lithographed or stamped on the base; Corgi die-cast bases read "CORGI TOYS" with "MADE IN GT BRITAIN". Early Corgi models can be dated by the presence of window glazing, then suspension, then jewelled headlights and opening features, each introduced in a known year. Mettoy Playcraft branding on packaging places an item in the Corgi era.
Are Mettoy Company / Mettoy Playcraft toys valuable?
Corgi is the collected part of this story, and the James Bond, Batman and film and television tie-in models are the strongest sellers — complete with their inner packaging, secret instructions and accessory packets. Mettoy tinplate is comparatively overlooked and can be good value; it is judged on lithography condition and mechanism like other tinplate. Boxes drive Corgi values heavily, and reproduction boxes and inserts circulate. Check printing quality and card weight on anything expensive.