MECCANO General Products Price Lists
Including BAYKO

These lists contain comparatively little in terms of reference to BAYKO, non-the-less they are full of useful, interesting information, particularly on sets and Retail Packs. There are also four catalogues, which contain far more information. Together they give an indication of how BAYKO was regarded by Mr. MECCANO during his tenure.

These Price Lists would have been handed out, by retailers, to their customers to encourage them to part with their hard earned pennies…

…they are unusually consistent compared with the way that so many other MECCANO era documents evolved.

The catalogues fulfil the same role, but were generally charged for. They are set out at the foot of this page…

This is the 1960, MECCANO General Products Price List this document which went to press, in July, 1960. As far as I can tell, this is the first to include BAYKO - here proudly displayed bang in the middle of the front cover. This position continued for quite a time. The “NEW” descriptor is interesting.

There is an element of ambition, if not over optimism, in this document. Sets #11 and 12 didn't arrive until just before Christmas 1960. Set #13 certainly was nowhere near being available at the time, emerging early in 1961, and set #14 only emerged a few months later!

This four page, folded leaflet format became MECCANO's standard for both the domestic and export markets. It was used regularly, though not exclusively, for several years.

An obvious point of interest with this particular version [right] is the inclusion of the Hamleys logo and address, preprinted in the bottom section. Compare this with a less favoured MECCANO products retailer, i.e. smaller local toy shops, who would normally have to add their own rubber stamp.

145 mm x 228 = 5.7 x 9.0 inches

Click here to see more about BAYKO in Hamleys.

This is the 1961, MECCANO General Products Price List, which, again, includes BAYKO, proudly displayed bang in the middle of the front cover.

The element of ambition in this document, compared with the previous year [above] is less pronounced, because set #13 was certainly now available at the time this document went to press, and set #14 emerged during the year covered by this Price List.

This four page, folded leaflet format was MECCANO's standard, for both domestic and export markets, being used regularly, though not exclusively, for several years.

The key point of interest with this leaflet [right] is the inclusion of the Hamleys logo and address, preprinted in the bottom section. Whereas a less favoured retailer, i.e. smaller, local toy shops, would invariably have to add their own rubber stamp.

145 mm x 274 = 5.8 x 10.8 inches

Click here to see more about BAYKO in Hamleys.

This is the May, 1963, MECCANO general products price list as issued by Hamleys.

This, apart from the specific Hamleys branding, is one of a long line of such documents produced by MECCANO.

Click here to see more about BAYKO in Hamleys.

The BAYKO entry stays bang in the middle of the front page of this four page, folded leaflet, which is dated 1963. There is a printers code on the back page which narrows this down to May.

Given that mainstream BAYKO production stopped in less than a year, it's interesting to see that BAYKO was still given such a prominent position.

Left is the 1964, MECCANO general products price list as issued by Hamleys. This, apart from the specific Hamleys branding, is one of a long line of such documents produced by MECCANO. Click here to see more about BAYKO in Hamleys. The BAYKO entry stays bang in the middle of the front page of this four page, folded leaflet, which is dated 1964. There is a printers code on the back page which narrows this down to September. Given that mainstream BAYKO marketing and production stopped in 1964, it's interesting to see that BAYKO still took such a prominent position, albeit, as far as I can determine, for the last time… …frustratingly, PLAY-DOH had pushed BAYKO down slightly.

This is the 1965, MECCANO general products price list - well, almost…

…this particular version was specifically printed for Hamleys, a large toy store in London.

This document appears to confirm my suspicion that, though removed from the market in 1964, BAYKO was still made available, perhaps through 'selected' (?) retailers, for some time afterwards, but without any marketing support…

…milking it in other words.

Click here to see more about BAYKO in Hamleys.

By now BAYKO has now been relegated to the top of page two of this four page, folded leaflet, which is dated September, 1964.

The prices shown on the sheet are still unchanged.

This is a general MECCANO products price list with BAYKO, perhaps not altogether surprisingly, relegated back to the inside pages…

to the middle of page two in fact.

The document is a simple, folded, four page format and is dated July, 1966.

Surprisingly enough, more than 2 years after MECCANO ceased production of BAYKO, they had the brass neck to actually put up the prices of their residual stock!

This is a basically identical to the standard version [above], but this time with the commercial details of Hamleys, a large, London based, toy shop added to the bottom of the front page.

Click here to see more about BAYKO in Hamleys.

The document is a simple, folded, four page format and is dated September, 1966.

This is almost the last piece of MECCANO era literature that I've been able to get hold of which makes any reference to BAYKO, which, if nothing else, makes it something of a sad piece.

This is a general MECCANO products price list with BAYKO again relegated to the inside pages - page two in fact.

The document is a simple four page format and is dated January, 1967.

Rather cheekily, MECCANO put up the prices of their residual stocks of BAYKO again!

This is another version of MECCANO General Products Price List, contemporary with the one above. This too, is one of the last, I've been able to get hold of which makes any reference to BAYKO.
This is a general MECCANO products price list with BAYKO again relegated to the inside pages - page two again.
The document is a simple four page format and is again dated January, 1967.
There are two discernable differences from the previous document : -
	► The colour of the paper.
	► The missing “UK” from the top right hand corner.
The latter may have some significance, but, if it has, I'm not aware of it I'm sorry to have to admit.

There is a MECCANO General Products Catalogue which set out the product range for 1960, and, as such, may well have been available late in 1959. In a BAYKO sense, it appears to be extremely confused, and, I believe, warrants a page to itself…,

The U.K. version of the 1964 MECCANO Products Catalogue, shown here, provides the basis template from which the other, export versions were created.

However, unlike the 1963 equivalent, the actual design details of the front cover [above, left] varied according to the product range carried in each market.

The BAYKO page shown here [above, right] is produced on the inside of the front cover, which was not standard for all markets, though the actual page design was.

The BAYKO prices [left] appear on the first page [of two] of the pull-out price list section. Again this was not standard for all markets. Click anywhere on the image for a larger image of the BAYKO set prices.

This catalogue, its export equivalents, and the slightly later version [below] represent the last form of direct marketing for BAYKO.

I have two export versions of this catalogue : -

Click here to see the Canadian edition.

Click here to see the South African edition.

Superficially, this MECCANO General Products Catalogue is the same as the earlier 1964 version above. I say this is the later version, as it now includes PLAY-DOH, which didn't get mentioned elsewhere before 1965. However, I have to admit that the pricing page [left] still says 1964.

The main difference which has been made to the Front Cover [above, left] is the inclusion of the PLAY-DOH box as the cow-catcher of the locomotive.

As far as I can tell, the BAYKO page shown here [above, right] is identical to its predecessor.

The BAYKO prices [left] again appear on the first page [of two] of the pull-out price list section. Here the BAYKO prices have remained unchanged from the earlier version, but the price list itself now also includes the PLAY-DOH prices for the first time.

This catalogue, and its export equivalents, represent the last form of direct marketing for BAYKO, though BAYKO was still mentioned in MECCANO General Products Price Lists as you can see in the various examples above.