Brimtoy / Wells Brimtoy
55 years in operation (1910–1965)
About Brimtoy / Wells Brimtoy
Brimtoy produced affordable tin and later die-cast vehicles for the British market. After merging with Wells Toys in 1932, the combined company continued producing tin and die-cast road vehicles including a popular Pocketoy series.
History of Brimtoy / Wells Brimtoy
Brimtoy — the name contracts "British Metal Toy" — was founded to do domestically what Britain had been importing from Nuremberg: cheap, bright, clockwork lithographed tinplate. It produced trains, buses, lorries and novelty toys through the 1920s from premises in London.
In 1932 the firm combined with A. Wells & Co. to form Wells Brimtoy, which became one of the largest British tinplate makers of the interwar and postwar decades. Its best-remembered product is the Pocketoy series — small, inexpensive clockwork and friction tinplate vehicles sold in individual illustrated boxes, aimed at the pocket-money market and produced in large numbers and many liveries.
Wells Brimtoy is a useful index of postwar British manufacturing constraint: the toys got simpler, the tinplate thinner and the plastic content higher through the 1950s, and the operation did not survive the arrival of cheap imported plastic in the 1960s.
Timeline
- 1910Brimtoy begins making British-made lithographed tinplate toys
- 1932Merger with A. Wells & Co. forms Wells Brimtoy
- 1948The Pocketoy series of small boxed clockwork and friction vehicles is introduced
- 1955Plastic components increasingly replace tinplate in the range
- 1965Production ends
Notable & Best-Selling Toys
- Wells Brimtoy Pocketoy vehicles
- Wells Brimtoy tin bus
- Wells Brimtoy clockwork cars
- Brimtoy tin transport set
Identifying & Dating Brimtoy / Wells Brimtoy Toys
- Look for a "Brimtoy" or "Wells Brimtoy" mark lithographed on the toy, frequently with a Nelson's Column device, and "MADE IN ENGLAND".
- Pocketoy boxes are marked "Wells Brimtoy Distributors Ltd." and carry a series number, which is the most precise way to identify a given vehicle.
- A "Brimtoy" mark without "Wells" generally indicates pre-1932 production.
Collector's Notes
- Pocketoys are collected by livery and variation, and the small illustrated box is worth as much as the toy. Boxed examples are the ones to buy.
- Larger prewar Brimtoy clockwork trains and buses are scarcer and more valuable than the postwar output, and are where the serious money in this marque sits.
- Check the clockwork before purchase and check the tinplate tabs; repeated dismantling of these toys wears the tabs until panels no longer sit tight.
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Frequently Asked Questions
When was Brimtoy / Wells Brimtoy founded?
Brimtoy / Wells Brimtoy was founded in 1910, based in London / Holyhead, Wales.
Is Brimtoy / Wells Brimtoy still in business?
No. Brimtoy / Wells Brimtoy ceased operations in 1965, after 55 years in business.
What is Brimtoy / Wells Brimtoy best known for?
Brimtoy / Wells Brimtoy is best known for Wells Brimtoy Pocketoy vehicles, Wells Brimtoy tin bus, Wells Brimtoy clockwork cars, among other toys.
Where was Brimtoy / Wells Brimtoy located?
Brimtoy / Wells Brimtoy was based in London / Holyhead, Wales.
What kinds of toys did Brimtoy / Wells Brimtoy make?
Brimtoy / Wells Brimtoy is categorized under tin toys, die-cast, vehicles.
How can you identify genuine Brimtoy / Wells Brimtoy toys?
Look for a "Brimtoy" or "Wells Brimtoy" mark lithographed on the toy, frequently with a Nelson's Column device, and "MADE IN ENGLAND". Pocketoy boxes are marked "Wells Brimtoy Distributors Ltd." and carry a series number, which is the most precise way to identify a given vehicle. A "Brimtoy" mark without "Wells" generally indicates pre-1932 production.
Are Brimtoy / Wells Brimtoy toys valuable?
Pocketoys are collected by livery and variation, and the small illustrated box is worth as much as the toy. Boxed examples are the ones to buy. Larger prewar Brimtoy clockwork trains and buses are scarcer and more valuable than the postwar output, and are where the serious money in this marque sits. Check the clockwork before purchase and check the tinplate tabs; repeated dismantling of these toys wears the tabs until panels no longer sit tight.