Evolution and sizes of Corgi boxes, 1981–84

From left to right:
Mettoy, © 1981 (copyright on base), size C, rectangular window, slots for header card
Mettoy, © 1983, size A, tapering window with rounded corners, slots for header card
Corgi Toys, © 1983, size B, tapering window with rounded corners, no slots for header card
Corgi Toys Ltd, © 1984, size B, tapering window with sharp corners, no slots for header card
Corgi Toys Ltd, © 1984, size BZ, same except slimmer

1983 - with header card removable slot but did NOT have a header card!

First box with a barcode and still has slots for inserting a header card (although the DB5 for 1983 did not have one). Box window tapering to the rear with rounded corners on box window.

As you can see the DB5 in my box has the light interior and also the same paint on Bond like the 1981 issue. I don't know for sure but I think the car is original to the box, I think Mettoy used painted Bond figures until the receivers came in October 1983.

I have only ever seen blue Bond figures in early blue 1984/85 boxes, but blue Bonds are not seen often.

Leftover plinths of discontinued models were overprinted with current issue numbers during the time of receivership from October 1983 and also after Corgi Toys Ltd was formed on March 29, 1984.

The plinth for the James Bond Aston Martin came from the 370 Ford Cobra Mustang (you can see the “g” from Mustang below the black line on one of the plinths). It was not done to black-out a James Bond reference as is always written when one comes up on eBay!

The 1983 box with Corgi Toys is very unusual – I have only ever seen three or four of these (with any model, not just the 271). Usually the 271 with blacked-out name is seen in the 1984 Corgi Toys Ltd box. But as this box is so scarce I think it is original to this 271 (when I bought the car I wanted to swap the box with one from 1984 until I saw the address).
I guess these boxes were reprinted during the receivership after the remaining Mettoy size B boxes were used up. I have never seen this address on another size.
Note that the window corners are still round but the box is simplified as it has no slots for a header card.

I think these boxes were then used up after March 29, 1984 by Corgi Toys Ltd. I assume that both these 271 are from around the same time from April, May 1984 (not one from 1983 and the other from 1984), soon after the new Corgi company got started.

Barcode and side numbers are overprinted, too. 271 numbers are printed on lighter yellow cards and inserted on both sides. Includes instructions on a white paper slip that reuse the illustration from the 1983 Mettoy issue (but with a different font used for the numbers).

Both have medium brown unpainted figures, except the baddie in the 1984 box is blue. Dont't know if this is original to the issue but the blue is darker and a bit more turquoise than the usual blue baddies.

This 1983 box didn't say The Mettoy Co. 1983 as usual but “Corgi Toys 1983” (Corgi Toys without “Ltd.”!) so must be printed after October 1983 and before the start of Corgi Toys Ltd. on March 29, 1984. I have seen a few of these in the meantime but these boxes are extremely rare, and I think were only printed in size B and no other sizes.

The blacking out is not for erase any James Bond reference! These were produced using up already printed plinths from other cars after the Mettoy failure. As there were no size B Aston Martins produced before they didn't have to overprint any James Bond reference. In reality these plinths can also be found for other cars, and the ones used for the DB5 say “370 Ford Cobra Mustang” when examined closely.

Inner display has been incorrectly labelled as 260 James Bond... This was done by a previous owner - the labels have been stuck on and difficult to remove. Passenger are reproduction with wrong paintwork !

This one with the “260 James Bond” stickers is a terrible fake which I wouldn't even show: the barcode number 10499 shows that the box is from a 499 British Telecom Ford Escort van! 5 GBP for a used DB5, 5 GBP for an Escort box, and then sold the whole thing for more than 60 GBP! What a ripoff!