Our speaker at our April Meeting was Frank Smith (a retired lecturer from Merseyside) who gave us a very interesting talk and slide presentation on The Meccano inventor, Frank Hornby. Frank Hornby ran his Meccano business from Liverpool with his factory being in Binns Road. Frank Smith brought along some working Meccano models which were displayed for us to look at. He told us how Meccano toys used to be what every boy desired at Christmas and birthdays and that they slowly went out of fashion as the technology age took over. He described the Meccano factory in Binns Road and how Frank Hornby introduced other toys and some for girls (a working sewing machine) as the business slowly declined. I remember so well having a sewing machine one Christmas and I thought it was just wonderful.
Hornby cars, trains and planes were what boys and men collected and they were quite expensive to buy. Frank Smith said that should anyone still have any Meccano toys and Hornby toys that they will be worth a great deal more now than when they were first made. The firm was finally taken over by a Meccano enthusiast who lives in Germany and is no longer Liverpool based. It is sad to think that boys no longer want Meccano models or Hornby toys but there are still some very keen collectors (Frank Smith being one of these) and he told us that they meet up each year to talk and discuss their collections.
Hornby cars, trains and planes were what boys and men collected and they were quite expensive to buy. Frank Smith said that should anyone still have any Meccano toys and Hornby toys that they will be worth a great deal more now than when they were first made. The firm was finally taken over by a Meccano enthusiast who lives in Germany and is no longer Liverpool based. It is sad to think that boys no longer want Meccano models or Hornby toys but there are still some very keen collectors (Frank Smith being one of these) and he told us that they meet up each year to talk and discuss their collections.
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