Chad Valley Diecast Model Toys


Chad Valley, the world famous makers of wooden jigsaw puzzles and family board games are also fondly known by collectors as manufacturers of high quality die cast model toys. The company produced its first model toy vehicle in 1932 and enjoyed great success until the final model toy was boxed in 1955. Today seasoned collectors keenly compete for many of the more desirable Chad Valley model vehicles, especially those particularly fine models from the company’s last few years of commercial production.

You can usually identify the year of manufacture of a Chad Valley diecast model car by its vehicle licence plate. A very collectible Chad valley Petrol Tanker with the number plate ‘CV 1949’, for example, means that the toy was made in the year 1949. If you have one of these vehicles or the matching Milk Tanker in their original boxes, then they are generally worth about $200 each in mint condition. Other CV collectibles from this era include a classic design red Double Decker Bus, a Timber Wagon, a Tower Repair Wagon, a Breakdown Lorry, a Dust Cart, a Fire Engine, a Milk Float, a Commer Avenger Coach and a Cable Layer. All of these diecast model toys are worth in the region of $200 on today’s collectors market.

The company’s good reputation with die cast model toy collectors rests, however, on a particularly fine series of well made model tractors that Chad Valley produced in the early to mid 50s. Beginning with an excellent dark blue clockwork 1:16 scale 1952 Fordson Major E27N (currently valued at $300) Chad Valley tractors are the stuff of collectors dreams. The most valuable model in the series is the 1955 grey Ferguson with a hydraulic lift at the rear – currently valued at $1200 - $1500 retail in mint condition. Other Chad Valley ‘starter pieces’ can be picked up for far less money. A really nice early 50s Routemaster London Bus (where you jump on and off the bus at the rear) can be picked up for about $200 – or a classic Rolls Royce Razor Edge Saloon car can generally be found for even less, say about $150.