LEGO in Australia....

[LEGO Historian]

LEGO in Australia....

It all started on a North Sea ferry boat in the late 1950s... when Godtfred Kirk Christiansen, the new Senior Director of LEGO Company was on one of his infamous ferry trips where he often made history (such as the 1954 trip where a department store owner gave him an earful that sparked the LEGO System)...

But in 1958 it was an executive of Courtauld's Ltd., a British Textile and Chemical company. This gave Godtfred an opening for marketing LEGO in Britain and Ireland.... and later in Australia.

When the first LEGO sets were sold in Britain and Ireland in 1960... British LEGO Ltd. (the Courtauld's subsidiary LEGO licensee name) imported the first sets from Denmark in 1960 and 1961. Then by 1962 British LEGO Ltd. had their Wrexham Wales (Courtauld's) plant come online with LEGO moulding machines. 1962 was also the year that LEGO sales in Australia were introduced via imports from British LEGO Ltd.

The first LEGO catalog in Australia was this 1962 catalog.... note... the Australian Pound (in Pounds/Shillings/Pence) was still in use before Australia switched to the dollar in 1966...

One of the first sets sold in Australia... was the 810 Town Plan set... (the one on the right was the Britain/Ireland/Australia version (1962-66)... the one on the left was continental Europe/Japan version).

And then there's the 700K wooden box set variations... the top and middle sets (from Denmark) were sold in Britain in 1960 and 1961, and the British LEGO Ltd. made bottom 700K wooden box was sold in Britain and Australia (1962-66)... as seen in the 1962 catalog....

And also starting in 1962 there was this unique 600/1 British/Irish and also Australian Basic set (not sold in continental Europe)... It was only sold in continental Europe as a 700/1 set (same parts only red/white)...

Here is a very interesting little parts pack boxes. From 1960-63 all European and British parts pack boxes were produced as 2 piece boxes... with a sleeve on the outside, and a drawer box on the inside. In 1963 TLG switched to 1 piece "Kliklok" boxes for continental Europe, but Britain, Ireland and Australia kept the 2 piece boxes until 1966. So TLG likely shipped leftover 2 piece boxes to Britain to fill for British LEGO Ltd. boxes. And some of these were shipped to Australia as well. In 1964 small plates were introduced to Britain, Ireland and Australia (they were introduced in cont. Europe in 1962, USA/Canada in 1963)... and rather than come up with new boxes for these... British LEGO Ltd. used the leftover TLG boxes and put a sticker on the 2 ends of the boxes for many of these sets.

The irony of this 509 yellow plates parts pack box is that they used (bottom of box image)... a 210 small store set box (from the design on the bottom) and put stickers on the sides to convert this from a $150 value box... to a $15 value box!!

I half seriously suggested to the Aussie owner of this box.. that he try using a hair dryer to heat up the ends to see if the 509 stickers could come off clean... there's plenty of common vintage parts available to remake this into a 210 box....

And finally there are these very unique... Australian wooden boxes from the late 1960s and 1970s. The upper right box (#90 Super Set) was also sold in Britain/Ireland, but the other 3 blue and white boxes are unique to Australia, and may have been produced there...

All images are from my LEGO DVD/download Chapters on LEGO Town Plans, LEGO Basic Sets, LEGO Parts Packs, LEGO Wooden Boxes, and LEGO Counterfeits vs. The Real Thing. Australia is very well represented!!!

[howie28]

Thanks for this information on Lego in my home country! It was very insightful.

[snibber66]

I have one of the yellow and black lego system boxes shown above. It has lots of assorted lego bricks inside, along with a full catalogue similar, but with some small differences, to the one shown above. Mine doesn't have the prices at all and some of the images are in different locations.

I'm wondering if there is an inventory list available somewhere for this box? I understand these wooden boxes are quite difficult to trace.

Thanks for the info - great stuff!

[LEGO Historian]

You are most welcome howie28! I've had a run of my LEGO DVD/download purchases in Australia as of late... (all states... including Tasmania and Capital Territory... just not the Northern Territory)... so my way of saying THANKS to all my LEGO friends down under!

Here are some very interesting variations of old LEGO parts only found in Britain, Ireland and Australia...

Top left:..... Australian flag with (1966-72) tapered base... only found in Britain, Ireland and Australia 442A and 442B spare parts packs.

Top middle:.... the (1956-66) continental European/USA/Canada Esso sign/pumps upper middle/lower right and the (1962-66) Britain, Ireland and Australia Esso sign/pumps lower middle/lower left.

Top right:...... The 939 (1973-79) Stickered Flags/Road Signs/Antenna Parts Pack flag stickers for continental Europe these came with only the 2 large sticker sheets. For the 939 of Britain, Ireland and Australia... they came with the same 2 large sticker sheets, but also the small sticker sheet with the Irish and Australian flag.

Middle:..... Britain/Ireland/Australia (1966-72) road signs (432 parts pack)... with road signs with white base.

Bottom left:.... Britain/Ireland/Australia (1965-66) very shortlived 4x8 curved plates with 2 notches (a feature of all future curved plates). These were not found in any sets outside of these 3 countries. All other 4x8 curved plates of all countries (1955-66) had no notches.

Bottom middle:... Flagpole top variations... Left side (rounded top) 1957-65 all countries and 1966-72 continental Europe. Right side (flat top) 1966-72 all different tapered base flags sold in Britain, Ireland and Australia have this flat top. Only found in these 3 countries starting in 1966.

Bottom right:..... Britain, Ireland and Australia street lights. Elsewhere, silver girder streetlights sold... from 1962-66 these sleek street lights were sold only in Britain, Ireland and Australia. From 1962-64 these were spray painted silver. From 1965-72 they were unpainted gray in color. This type of street light was only sold in these 3 countries.

Enjoy!

Gary

Edited April 12, 2013 by LEGO Historian

[LEGO Historian]

I have one of the yellow and black lego system boxes shown above. It has lots of assorted lego bricks inside, along with a full catalogue similar, but with some small differences, to the one shown above. Mine doesn't have the prices at all and some of the images are in different locations.

I'm wondering if there is an inventory list available somewhere for this box? I understand these wooden boxes are quite difficult to trace.

Thanks for the info - great stuff!

Welcome to posting on the Eurobricks Forum snibber66 !!

Wooden box sets are very difficult to identify. And the reason for that is that over 95% of them have no identification on the outside of the box. Usually a Contents List (with an inventory of the parts) was the only way to identify these wooden sets. And most of the time that sheet of paper got lost. Your description of the LEGO catalog that you mentioned could date it as early as 1966 or as late as 1970 (in 1971 the had a new format). Your set is likely an Educational wooden box set... such as the 700K. I've also heard that Australian wooden boxes were known as "A2" for sets going into the 1970s.

The other larger booklet shown in my 4 box image is the Building Ideas No.2... otherwise known as the 238 Building Idea Book (it came in 12 different variations throughout the world).

Some things help date wooden box sets... such as if your tires are gray... that dates to 1967 and before... black tires dates to 1968 and later. Also your windows is a good measurement... if there is a protruding window sill in front of the windows... the date to 1969 and before... if they have no sill... that dates to 1970 and later. So there are quite a few little clues to look for in dating old LEGO sets.

Here are the contents lists from 3 old wooden box sets... (left to right)... a German 700 wooden box... a German 700/K Educational wooden box, and a Belgian 700/K wooden box... they all have different part counts... and where there is a number (instead of a descriptive) that usually means parts pack number where the parts are available in.

Cheers,

Gary Istok

P.S. My 2800 page DVD/download chapter on wooden box sets, identifies and shows 80+ different ones. No online LEGO database has more than 10!

____________________________________________

Edited April 12, 2013 by LEGO Historian

[Paul B Technic]

Thanks for all the information on LEGO in my own country. I have posted a link to this topic on various groups and forums I am a member of.

[snibber66]

Thanks Gary,

Awesome information much appreciated.

[lightningtiger]

Well, I never an Aussie flag on a sticker sheet !

Thanks for the information 'LEGO Historian'......any more do you have....one of my interests is the history of retailing in Australia......(now you know how I know what to make in my MOC's ).

[LEGO Historian]

Thanks all... glad I could be of help...

Speaking of LEGO retailers... the British LEGO Ltd. model shop created this beauty in the 1960s for LEGO retailers in Britain and Australia... the west front of York Minster... largest medieval cathedral in Britain...

And here is a 1963 UK Magazine ad showing a LEGO display. The model shown were actually built UK/Australia models... I know a Dutch collector who has these actual glued models (the buildings and the London Bus).

This was the first "Palace Cinema" building... with the new 10232 modular Palace Cinema being the 2nd one!

And here's another LEGO set that was only sold in Britain/Ireland/Australia... the very rare 380 Village Set of 1971....

And here's a 1979 Weetabix Cereal Ad for the 1589 Town Square Set from British LEGO Ltd. Unfortunately this one was a UK only set... but it is still a beauty!

Edited April 12, 2013 by LEGO Historian

[LEGO Historian]

Here is a glued display models from the early 1960s showing the Houses of Parliament Clock Tower, now known as the Elizabeth Tower, which houses Big Ben. This tall model was likely available in Britain and Australia as a traveling model....

Edited April 13, 2013 by LEGO Historian