Battered old car was much loved

P. McRae's toy car. Photo Supplied.

In the latest effort to reunite families with long-lost items, we turn to the world of Dinky Toys.

The 1959 Humber Hawk belonged to one P. McRae, but everything else about its original owner is a mystery.

In the latest effort to reunite families with long-lost items, we turn to the world of Dinky Toys

It's seen better days, this toy Humber Hawk.

The die-cast alloy toy is chipped and scratched, its formerly striking cream and maroon paint job is worn and peeling, and the windows are foggy and dull.

But while the car is unlikely to be the object of frantic bidding at a vintage toy auction, it may have value beyond any monetary measure.

Etched in a faltering hand, with a school compass perhaps, the car's underside reveals it to be the property of one P. McRae. The production details are imprinted beneath the spidery signature - Humber Hawk, Dinky Toys, England, Meccano Ltd.

We don't know anything about P. McRae. It's assumed he is a boy - gender-neutrality wasn't de rigueur when this particular toy was new - but his age and other details of his life are a mystery.

This particular toy (No165 in the range) was released to the market in July 1959, so it is likely the young Mr McRae got the toy in the 1960s.

The scratched signature indicates he was the proud owner of this particular car and wanted to protect against car theft.

Nigel Boyle runs the Toy and Model Collectors Market in Christchurch. He says Dinky Toys were manufactured in Liverpool from the 1930s until 1979; models made from the 1950s into the 1960s are most popular with collectors.

"There was a fantastic range with new cars released every month. These were announced in tempting colour on the rear of the popular in-house Meccano magazine. Many New Zealanders subscribed to it to get their regular fix of things Meccano," he explains.

Dinky cars were more expensive than Matchbox toys, which were far more common in New Zealand. He says careworn models often languish at the bottom of toy boxes and have little financial value - though good examples can make sellers some money.

Mr Boyle says model 165 is relatively common and can be found easily on online auction sites: "They are not too hard to find in decent condition on Trade Me or eBay," he says.

"Prices for a very good, unboxed model start at around $30 and go up to about $65-$70 for a near-mint example. Boxed models can be double the price, depending on the condition of the box.

"Specialists like us buy collections and this is generally how they come to the market," he says. "We recently bought a collection of nearly a thousand Dinkys from a long-time North Island collector who once had a vintage die-cast model display at his home on Waiheke Island."

While the Humber Hawk may have little financial value, P. McRae must have treasured this little car; you can sense his imagination piqued by its sturdy, no-nonsense British design and striking paint job.

Nearly 60 years on, the young owner of the prized car may now be in retirement, with grandchildren of his own. While the future of the car remains unwritten, there is a chance one of P. McRae's descendants may still find delight in this battered old car.

• Published as part of a content partnership with Public Trust.