1960s - MECCANO Era General Products Flier |
This document appeared on eBay in October, 2012. Sadly I failed to acquire it, however, the winning bidder and the seller agreed to provide me with scanned images of the document which has allowed me to present them to you. My sincere thanks to Mike Croft for his efforts. |
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The exterior of the leaflet [above] shows a number of products, with BAYKO included on what is the reverse of the folded document. |
Click anywhere on the image to see a close up of the BAYKO house. |
The leaflet was designed to be folded twice, if you slide your mouse over the image, and leave it there, you will see how it was folded. |
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The document was actually bought for Bob Field [by whose permission this leaflet is shown] by Andrew Lance, who managed to provide me with a basic translation of the BAYKO script. Thanks guys. |
The full BAYKO script is in the bottom left hand corner of the interior of the leaflet [above] and appears similar to images in other documents and adverts, used in the U.K., though this time in black and white. |
If you click anywhere on the image [above] to see a larger version of the BAYKO entry from the interior of the leaflet. |
Based on Andrew's translation, the paraphrased script reads as follows : - |
Building Constructors |
BUILD BETTER WITH BAYKO |
Bayko sets are entertaining for the architect and constructor of plastic model buildings, both girls and boys. Playing with them is simple and hygienic. It gives you the ability to build strong, models. A printed manual contains easy-to-follow plans of interesting models of various buildings. Houses, cottages, shops, high-rise apartment buildings, hotels, airports and office buildings - these are models that eager young builders can build from standard Bayko constructor parts. |
Bayko components are beautifully designed in coloured plastic with realistic details - opening doors, glazed windows, aerials for television, give a realistic appearance to the construction. The parts can be assembled and dismantled many times making different models. |
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Sadly there is no date code anywhere on the document, so I'm afraid I can't be specific about the date. However, it is thought to have been linked to a trade fair in Moscow, and there was such a British Trade Fair, in Moscow, in May, 1961… |
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On the other hand, there is no mention of any BAYKO set numbers, which surely there would have been if the document dated as late as the August, 1962 launch of set #15, and conversion set #14C. |
This gains further credibility, because there is also evidence of when MECCANO moved into the Polish market. This is unlikely to have happened without Russian approval, given the politics of the day. |
An item in 'The Times' on March 26th, 1962 confirms that BAYKO was to be sold in Poland… |
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