390 - Lot of 27 model cars in Matchbox collector's case "Carry Case" 1971, including Siku and Schuco

Lot of 27 model cars in Matchbox collector's case "Carry Case" 1971, including Siku and Schuco Die-cast metal and plastic, lot of 27 model cars in the collector's case "Carry Case" by Matchbox, Lesney Products, London, 1971, also including models by Siku, Schuco and Darda. Case dark blue with light blue inside of the lid, yellow carrying handle and metal clasp, lid label "MATCHBOX" and "Carry Case", inscribed "LESNEY PRODUCTS & CO.", "LONDON", "1971" and "PRINTED IN ENGLAND", inside two yellow inserts with twelve compartments each. Including three VW Beetles, one of them with mounted engine and rear wing, yellow VW bus (Siku), ambulance "AMBULANCE", rescue vehicle "NOTRUF 112" and "UNFALL RETTUNG", Ford Transit estate as ambulance with blue lights and loudspeaker (Siku), police coupé "POLIZEI" with identification "4563" and tyre lettering "SIKU", VW Passat (Schuco), jeep with red cross on the bonnet (Darda racing car), pick-up truck "TRANSIT" with double cab, red vintage vehicle with ladder superstructure, livestock transporter with two animal figures, three tipper lorries, tractor, crane, dragster with horse head figure, racing car with starting number "9", further cars and lorries. Played with, with signs of ageing. Case 27x32x9 cm (LxWxH). Lesney Products & Co. was founded in 1947 by Leslie Smith and Rodney Smith as a die-casting business in Hackney Wick in East London. In 1953 the toolmaker Jack Odell designed a scaled-down road roller for his daughter that fitted into a matchbox; this idea gave rise to the Matchbox series, whose name derives from the matchbox-like packaging. The 1-75 series grew from three models in 1953 to 75 models in 1960, and from 1969/70 the Superfast models with free-running wheels followed as a response to the American Hot Wheels. Collector's cases such as this "Carry Case" were offered by Lesney from 1957 into the 1970s so that children could store and carry their toy cars of the 1-75 series. After Lesney's insolvency in 1982 the brand passed to Universal Toys, in 1992 to Tyco Toys and in 1997 to Mattel.