“Spot On” Diecast Toys – Daryle Lambert's Antiques and Collectibles Blog – Something New

" Spot On " Thanks to gasolinealleyantiques.com

It never stops amazing me when I discover something that I didn't know existed before. Usually this happens when there is an item from a company that I have researched. It appears and it is new to the market. However, I can't recall when a company was presented to me that I had never even heard of.

Have you heard of a company called Lines Brothers from Northern Ireland? Neither had I, but their subsidiary, Tri-Ang, produced diecast toys named Spot On starting in 1959 to compete with Corgi and Dinky toys. Their models were 1:42 of scale and more expensive than Dinky's. Their popularity only lasted until 1967, when they quit production. With only eight years of production, you will find that they don't have the variety of Corgi or Dinky and the collectors for their models are fewer than for the other two.

I was doing my research for the blog on Dinky's, when I stumbled onto the name “Spot On”, and couldn't resist learning more about this company. Checking eBay, I found that the numbers of models being offered by Spot On were very limited. With only 64 listings in comparison with 3,844 for Dinky, you have an idea of the difference in the number of pieces out there from each company. There is a listing for a Volvo 122S listed now on eBay for $475 and several priced over $100. However, one car by Spot On is very popular because neither Corgi or Dinky produced one and it is called the Morris Minor 1000. The highest price that I found for that automobile was $611, from an auction in London. The rarities from Corgi and Dinky could sell for many times that amount.

One thing that I have learned over the years, is that for the collectors to maintain their interest in any collectible, there must be a large enough quantity so that the collector can hope to put together a collection for themselves. For example, it is practically impossible for an artist to become very famous if he has only painted one painting. I believe that, next to the beauty of Tiffany items, the fact that there were so many made was a major factor in their popularity with the collectors.

Here is a tip. If I hadn't heard of Spot On toys, you can bet that there are an awful lot of other people that haven't either, so I would think you might slip upon some of these pieces that could be purchased rather reasonably. Yes, rarity is an important element in the price of an item, but it isn't the only one. Where rarity is the most important is when it is rare within a certain group that is already highly collected, such as a rare piece of Tiffany or a rare Rookwood vase. If you can find a Spot On toy you might say you’re spot on. 

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