BAYKO Trade Papers

This section shows, in chronological order, various documents which were used by Plimpton or MECCANO to communicate information about BAYKO to their retailers and / or to receive orders from them.
Most of these documents, certainly during the Plimpton era, are functional rather that attractive, but they contain a wealth of information, so I hope you enjoy them.
 
If you have any other trade leaflets that I'm not displaying here, either for sale or to lend, then I'd love hear from you so that I can add them to the site...
 
1948 - Plimpton Era Spare Parts Cabinets Introduction
This excellent document is shown courtesy of Peter Crook.
Outside Rear
Outside Front
Centre
The Rear and Front Covers of the Spare Parts Cabinet announcement leaflet
The Interior of the Spare Parts Cabinet announcement leaflet
This leaflet was sent by Plimpton to their BAYKO retailers, almost certainly in 1948, to announce their new "spare part service".
The leaflet is a simple sheet, printed double sided, and folded to produce its four page booklet format.
For a more detailed discussion on these Cabinets in general, and this leaflet in particular...
 
1955 - Plimpton Era Wholesale Set Price List
This small price card - 150 x 100 mm - is dated October 27th, 1955.
It shows the prices which Plimpton charged their retailers for their supplies of BAYKO sets.
Wholesale BAYKO set price list dated October 27th, 1955
With a little bit of simple maths, you can work out the retailers' profit margins...
...don't forget, Retail Price Maintenance was in force in the UK, so the margins were the same for everybody.
149 mm x 102 mm = 5.9 x 4 inches
 
April 8th, 1959 Plimpton Era BAYKO Price List - Wholesale
Wholesale sets and accessory packs price list - April 8th, 1959
The date of this medium sized - 200 x 120 mm - price list again makes it interesting as it falls right in the middle of a period of price chaos as far as BAYKO is concerned.
Again, unusually for the period, this card too has no printer's details - perhaps, as I said before, a sign of the confusion prevailing in Plimpton at the time.
The list also includes prices for full and half Spares Cabinets and Accessory packs.
Again I can't be sure, but it is likely that this is the last flier from the Plimpton era of BAYKO production as the MECCANO takeover was only 5 months away.
An interesting feature of this card is that you can work out the profit that the retailer could expect to make on these key BAYKO items.
This card should be viewed in conjunction with the BAYKO Flier of the same date, which is the retail equivalent, and shows the prices which "children of all ages" had to pay for their new BAYKO sets...
It still looks odd to me that the prices are all quoted in shillings and pence rather than £.s.d.
120 mm x 198 mm = 4.75 x 7.8 inches
 
Early MECCANO Era Confusion
Page 22 of the 1960 MECCANO brochure / catalogue
The 'Confused Flier' dated September, 1960
This early MECCANO Trade Brochure [above], which can also only date from 1960, is clearly even more confused as you can see...
This early MECCANO era flier [above], which can only date from 1960, is clearly more than a little confused as you can see...
 
May 1960 - MECCANO Dealers News Letter
This document [right] is a News Letter, sent, by MECCANO, to its dealers, and is dated 30th May, 1960...
...presumably sent to retailers by MECCANO in June 1960.
The BAYKO section is the bottom third of the front of this double-sided document.
 
The script is simple, if, with hindsight, a little optimistic!
BAYKO BUILDING OUTFITS
It has been decided to number the four new Outfits 11, 12, 13 and 14. The Accessory Outfits in the new range will be 11c, 12c and 13c.
First supplies of the new Bayko are expected for September/October despatch, and in the meantime we are able to accept orders for the existing sets numbered 0 to 4 and 0x to 3x.
 
There was further optimism in that the prices quoted here for conversion sets 10C [7/6] and 11C [9/-] finally actually emerged as 8/3 and 10/9, respectively!
Click anywhere on the image to see the BAYKO section in more detail.
MECCANO dealers news letter dated May 30th, 1960
203 mm x 304 mm = 8.0 x 11.9 inches
 
January, 1961 MECCANO Trade Leaflet
Front of the MECCANO Dealers Leaflet, January, 1961
Rear of the MECCANO Dealers Leaflet, January, 1961 showing the new set 13
Front showing DINKY TOYS
Rear showing BAYKO
This MECCANO Trade Leaflet, date coded January, 1961, took the form of a four page booklet. Shown here are the front cover [left] and the back page [right] showing the [then] new BAYKO set #13 alongside other new members of the MECCANO product range.
You'd better be careful who you tell about this leaflet - after all, it is marked "CONFIDENTIAL TO MECCANO DEALERS"!
It is shown courtesy of Mick Burgess.
 
MECCANO Trade Bulletin April, 1962
MECCANO Trade Bulletin, April, 1962 Front
MECCANO Trade Bulletin, April, 1962 Rear showing BAYKO Display Unit
Front - MECCANO DINKY products
Rear - BAYKO Display Stand
Presumably this was one of many MECCANO Trade Bulletins, in this case dated April, 1962 and print coded the previous month. Unfortunately, I've never seen any of the others for comparison.
Clearly the headlines for the month were all DINKY related, except for the announcement of the availability of the "new and attractive Bayko Dispenser and Display Unit". If we take MECCANO literally, then that successfully dates the display stand for us.
Given that set #15 was launched just five months later, the decision to exclude it from the stand must surely have been deliberate...
...perhaps the set #15 box was too big, and would have needed the stand to be too large.
...then again, there's always the cock-up theory alternative!
The full BAYKO related script is as follows : -
Dispenser and Display Unit for Bayko
Our photograph shows a new and excitingly attractive Bayko Dispenser and Display Unit which is now available for delivery.
Holding approximately 50 Bayko Outfits and measuring 65" in height, the over-all base dimensions being 28" square, this Unit is a MUST and is offered to dealers at only £5, plus packing and carriage - well below cost to Meccano Limited. Finished in polychromatic scratchproof silver, a most striking header board is also incorporated. This is a stock-holder, display and dispenser unit any up-to-date shop cannot afford to be without.
Please mark the top of your Dinky Toys order-form "no. 3/62 Bayko Dispenser Required"; your request will receive our immediate attention.
255 mm x 205 mm = 10 x 8.25 inches
 
1963 - MECCANO Trade Leaflet
This really is an information-rich document...
...sent to retailers by MECCANO in 1963.
►
Firstly, it shows details of the display rack for the 6 different Retails Display Packs...
►
Secondly, it also shows the Display Shelves for retailers to display their stock of BAYKO sets #11 to #14 [no set #15!] - yours for just £5/15/-...
►
Finally, it shows 6 Display Models, one from each set [but 2 from set #15] which retailers could buy to enhance their in-store BAYKO promotion...
How could BAYKO retailers resist this document...
...a shame MECCANO killed BAYKO the next year!
Chris Reeve's important document which MECCANO used to update their retailers with the latest information.
Chris Reeve's excellent document is not date-coded, but is clearly from 1963.
 
Below here are links to related info : -
 
Click on any of the links below for related information.
Other BAYKO Literature
 
BAYKO's Printers
     
 
The 'Flaming BAYKOMAN' site logo
  
     
   
     
 
Latest update - July 5, 2011