Ray Bush

The Two-line Jacobs Story

I had thought of holding over a Models of Yesteryear page, but must admit that I would never feel the site was complete unless it contained a reference to the most significant group of models I ever found.

This is what the 'Two-line' Y-7A Jacobs Van looks like next to a standard model.

Some notes I wrote about this model were printed by Ray Bush in the UK Matchbox magazine, volume VI, number 5 for December 1982.  The following is a slightly revised version of that item.

It was while teaching in Kenya under the British Government Overseas Aid Scheme that my interest in toys began.  One day in 1970, when looking round Nairobi, we spotted a few toys in the window of Dhanani's Bookshop in Kimathi Street, so we went to look.  At the back we found them - some loose in old boxes, some stacked on high shelves - the remnants from a toy shop once owned by Dhanani's brother.  The Matchboxes , mainly first series Yesteryears and second series 1-75s, took up relatively little space.

There were some twenty Y-7 Jacob's Vans, among them thirteen without the Royal appointment on the transfer.  Being new to the hobby, I did not buy more than two or three at my first visit.  I took the lot later!  These thirteen had their transfers (decals) cut with scissors roughly along the black lines.  The upper and lower portions had been applied in their usual positions with a space in between.

Why did these models appear like this?  It has been suggested that one of the Lesney out-workers was anti-Royalist and removed the centre line before application or that damaged transfers were being used up.  Neither of these theories is likely - and does not account for one other model found in Spain at about the same date which had a single transfer on each side, but with the centre line blank.  My suggestion was that they made up trial models without the Coat of Arms in case the Lord Chancellor refused permission for its use.  Ray Bush thought it more likely that, as no one was producing transfers for railway modellers when the model was first made in 1957, an out-worker might have 'pinched' them for his own use!  He noted that similar examples of a key part of a transfer being missing had been found on a few 1-75s.  Owing to the circumstances of its original purchase, it can be stated that, almost certainly, the unique one-piece variation was a pre-production sample.

I have tried to maintain a record of the whereabouts of the thirteen 'Nairobi' models, but my list is now very much out of date.  I would like to hear from anyone who owns one of them.  If you know where any of these models are, please ask the owner to contact me.  I should add that some of them were originally passed to collectors who were never in the limelight.  These models could turn up anywhere but it is very unlikely that, knowing their rarity, anyone would have removed the numbered sticker on the base.

Enjoy!

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