Home / Arts and Entertainment / Rare Yellow Matchbox Car Smashes World Record at Auction
Rare Yellow Matchbox Car Smashes World Record at Auction
23 Jan
Summary
- A rare pale yellow Matchbox Mercury Cougar sold for a record £22,000.
- The toy car was expected to fetch up to £4,000 but sparked an international bidding war.
- This specific model is rare due to its unique first-issue pale yellow color, not the standard green.
A rare, pale yellow Matchbox Regular Wheels 62c Mercury Cougar has achieved a remarkable world record price, selling for £22,000 at Vectis Auctions. This diminutive toy car, measuring just three inches long and in excellent condition, far surpassed its pre-auction estimate of £3,000 to £4,000.
The unprecedented sale was driven by the car's unusual 'first issue' pale yellow hue. This color was produced only briefly before Matchbox standardized on a metallic green body for this model. The presence of clear windows without a windscreen wiper or rear-view mirror further confirmed its early casting status and originality, contributing to its desirability among collectors.
The sale has been hailed as a potential new world record for a Matchbox toy Mercury Cougar. The final price, including auctioneer fees, represents a significant return for a toy that would have cost approximately £2,200 in its real-life counterpart form when released in the US in 1968. Matchbox toys, originally introduced by Lesney Products in 1953, became a global phenomenon.
