Peppermint_M Posted January 28, 2013 The Guardian, marking the anniversary of TLG filing patent on the LEGO brick has a look back on the toy as reported by themselves. It's a good read for anyone interested in that sort of thing. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
LEGO Historian Posted January 28, 2013 (edited) LEGO was licensed to Britain via Courtauld's Corp. , a UK chemical/textile company, in 1960. It started production at their Wrexham Wales plant, which produced LEGO for Britain, Ireland and (starting in 1962) Australia, under the name British LEGO Ltd. This licensing agreement ended in 1992, when TLG bought the license back from Courtauld's. From a Eurobricks Forumer... that plant still exists in Wrexham, but no longer for LEGO production. Here is a (1962-65) 600/1 Basic Set, only sold by British LEGO Ltd. Note: early LEGO sets were sold hand packed in flat boxes with the bricks arranged in an attractive checkerboard arrangement... British LEGO Ltd. also had their own model shop, and here is one of their grander models... the west front of York Minster, largest medieval church in the UK.... These images are from my 73 chapter 2,800 page LEGO DVD download... from chapters on Town Plan, Early LEGO Basic Sets, LEGO Display Models, and LEGO Sales History by Country. Edited January 29, 2013 by Fugazi split post Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jargo Posted January 28, 2013 That's really interesting. I can't recall ever seeing anything with British LEGO Ltd. on it. I suppose I must have done but just didn't pay it any attention. So if Courtauld's Corp. had a license until 1992 when did they actually cease producing Lego? I know sometimes having a license to produce doesn't always mean that a product is actually in production. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
LEGO Historian Posted January 28, 2013 (edited) That's really interesting. I can't recall ever seeing anything with British LEGO Ltd. on it. I suppose I must have done but just didn't pay it any attention. So if Courtauld's Corp. had a license until 1992 when did they actually cease producing Lego? I know sometimes having a license to produce doesn't always mean that a product is actually in production. Actually you are correct in your recollection.... British LEGO Ltd. was NOT on the LEGO boxes... only on earlier catalogs. And that's one of the odd things about that... in USA/Canada Samsonite (the licensee for USA 1961-72, for Canada 1962-85) had "Made by Samsonite" on top of the boxes until the 1970s, while British LEGO... did not. Also the cardboard Town Plan boards were produced for British LEGO Ltd., by Waddington's, a British game board maker. From 1966-72 British LEGO Ltd. used this unique nomenclature for their parts pack and model set boxes... "THE BUILDING TOY".... in USA it was "MODEL MAKERS"... in continental Europe it was just the "LEGO Systems". http://www.peeron.com/inv/sets/431-1?showpic=10041 Edited January 28, 2013 by LEGO Historian Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
LEGO Historian Posted January 28, 2013 (edited) I did notice that the base boards were the same thick card covered by paper construction as board games boards. There's a fold in the middle. When I first started working on my 2,800 page collectors guide 6 years ago... I learned a lot about European driving habits. Besides Britain and Ireland, Sweden also drove on the left side of the road. But on the 3rd of September 1967, after years of preparation, everyone in Sweden switched sides of the road to follow the rest of Continental Europe... (makes for some interesting reading)... ----------------------- "On September 3, 1967, at 04.50 in the morning, the traffic everywhere in Sweden was directed over to the right side of the road and stopped. Everything stood absolutely still for 10 minutes, and at 05.00, when it started again, all road users in Sweden from heavy trucks to cyclists were already on the right side of the road, and they have stayed there since." ------------------------ So from 1960-67 (the years that cardboard Town plan boards were sold)... there was a right driving board for the rest of continental Europe, USA and Canada.... (see heavy white lines at intersections)... A left driving board for Sweden and (starting in 1962)... Japan... (heavy white lines on the left at intersections)... And for Britain, Ireland and Australia (starting in 1962)... a different left driving board with roundabouts... Chapter 3 - Town Plan Sets and Boards.... of my LEGO DVD download... have all this information and pictures and way more! Edited January 28, 2013 by LEGO Historian Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
