BAYKO Sales Aids
By comparison with MECCANO and LEGO, BAYKO's sales aids were on a fairly modest scale, however, quite a few different ideas emerged over the years. |
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Illuminated Signs : BAYKO collecting never ceases to amaze me. I'd never heard of such a thing as an Illuminated Sign, in a BAYKO context that is, nor had other collectors I've spoken to, until this 1950s example appeared on eBay late in 2010. |
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Designed for use either in the toy shop window, or as part of an in-store display, this very simple, but effective advert for BAYKO was made by Burnham (Onyx) Ltd. of Sydenham, London S.E. 26. The much-merged company is now based in Redhill. |
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The rear enclosure [right] of side walls and top [the latter holds the lamp unit], are aluminium, and are angled to reduce the chance of them being glimpsed by shoppers. A pair of lugs on each side wall slots into the top, leaving the structure collapsible, but quite robust. |
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The illuminated glass display [above, left - slide your mouse over the image to 'switch it on'] is slightly convex and measures 12 inches x 9 inches [300mm x 225mm], which is not far off A4. The printing is actually on the inside of the glass, presumably to make it less vulnerable to scratching. The frame is ¾
inch [18mm] wide, and also made of aluminium, this time folded over a slim wooden frame. |
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30 years ago, this example was bought at a toy fair in Pudsey, West Yorkshire, but there the provenance stops. I'm also afraid that all Burnham's historical records of the period have been destroyed, so the research has hit a dead end I'm afraid. |
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If you've any more information about these attractive Illuminated Signs I'd love to hear from you... |
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Window Adverts : BAYKO window stickers joined those from MECCANO, HORNBY, AIRFIX, TRI-ANG and many others in surrounding toyshop windows and doors all over the country. |
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These BAYKO stickers could either be printed on a transparent, plastic medium, or, more commonly, be paper based. |
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The two examples shown here [left] are both from my collection and have been framed to protect them. They are simple, surprisingly flimsy, printed paper banners, which would have been glued to the window or an internal wall... |
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...the top one is from the 1950s... |
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...and the bottom one from the 1960s. |
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The other advert [right] is a plastic based, general MECCANO products advert which has self-adhesive glue on the back and was, therefore, designed to be stuck on an interior wall or similar surface and be viewed from inside the shop. |
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...the edges of the Window / Wall Cards are 'sealed' rather than bare cut card, which strongly suggests that the edges were intended to be visible, from the public's perspective, rather than enclosed in the Retail Cabinet frame. |
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The other obvious difference is that the Window / Wall Card has a pair of holes through which a string can be fastened in order to hang the card either in a window, or against a wall or other surface, such as a cupboard or the edge of a shelving unit. |
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I've no recollection of seeing these in shops, which is in line with the fact that so few have survived. This card is shown courtesy of Robin Throp. |
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If you can throw any light on these Window / Wall Cards then I'd love to hear from you... |
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Fliers : This is the usual marketing term for the sort of leaflets intended to be handed out to members of the public in general and potential customers in particular. |
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The picture to the right shows a variety of fliers including one from 1934 which shows that these were used by BAYKO marketeers right from the earliest days. |
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Unlike the later catalogues supplied with BAYKO sets, many fliers aren't date coded, so we don't know exactly when they were produced. |
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However, individual designs can be found which a range of different prices. |
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I suspect this means they were given out in large quantities and reprinted regularly. |
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Comparisons with price data from elsewhere can help narrow down the date of a particular flier. |
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Display Cards : These were used by many toy manufacturers for display in the window, on the counter or as part of a larger promotional display. |
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Similar in size to today's standard A4 computer printer paper [landscape format!] they were printed on card with an integral hinged, cardboard flap to enable them to stand up. |
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Display cards made of other materials can also be found, though I don't have one to show you. |
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I don't know when they were first introduced, but they were certainly in common use in the 1950s and '60's - I saw them! |
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MECCANO era BAYKO Display Cards and other similar items may well have been designed by Leon Goodman Displays Limited... |
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Shelf Cards : These were certainly used during the MECCANO era [and possibly earlier], sitting over the edge of the shelf to add colour to the toyshop's stock of BAYKO sets. I'm afraid I have none to show you. |
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Display Models : These existed and are discussed separately elsewhere... |
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Display Shelving : These too existed are also discussed elsewhere... |
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Retail Display Packs : These are likewise detailed elsewhere... |
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Retail Cabinets : These held the retailer's stock of separate BAYKO parts and were made of either wood or cardboard. |
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They were designed to sit on the counter [though many retailers often had different ideas!] where the colourful parts display on the back could attract the customers. |
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I can remember the eager anticipation I felt on regular Saturday morning trips to The Pram Shop in my home town of Blackburn as the drawers of their cabinet slid open. |
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These too are discussed in full elsewhere... |
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Most toy shops probably wouldn't have had the space to do large, spectacular displays of BAYKO sets - I know, unbelievable isn't it!? |
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Your average toy shop would simply display their stock of BAYKO sets on their standard shelving... |
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...and, like many other manufacturers of the day, Plimpton offered their retailers small price stickers to fit on their shelves to attract attention to the world's finest construction toy. |
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This method of pushing the product was evidently regarded as being effective, as MECCANO continued to use them in the 1960s [below]. |
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The examples shown here are made from thin card and measure 5 x 2 inches [127 x 50 mm]. |
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The actual colours shown here are not strictly accurate as both the yellow and red inks were 'day glow', which just doesn't show up on today's scanners. Non-the-less the colours shown here catch the brightness [garishness?] of the originals. |
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The prices shown on the cards only applied from either April 1959 [based on a dated Retailers Card] or July 1959 [based on 'MECCANO Magazine' adverts] until some time after the MECCANO takeover. I suggest that publishing deadlines account for this discrepancy and that April start date is correct. |
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If you would like to find out more about the price of BAYKO Sets over the life of the product... |
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...not least because there are no prices on them! |
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The five shelf stickers, including set #15, shown here are all from the MECCANO era, and therefore date from between 1962 and 1964... |
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...unfortunately, as you can see from these five images, they contain no helpful price data whatsoever. |
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This probably says more about the price volatility which was creeping into the U.K. market place in the early 1960s, and also, perhaps, reflects the parlous state of MECCANO's finances... |
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...either way, the retailer clearly had to do the pricing job him or herself. |
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For those, like me, who are candidates for visiting Nerd's Corner, the internal MECCANO admin code for these stickers is 71717/06. |
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I hope you found this interesting - it's probable that Plimpton and MECCANO used other BAYKO Sales Aids : - |
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Below here are links to related info : - |
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Click on any of the links below for related information. |
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Latest update -
May 21, 2013
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