Lesney was founded in 1947 as an industrial die-casting company by Leslie and Rodney Smith. In 1948 they produced their first die-cast toys, including a model road roller, covered wagon and soap box racer. In 1953 the year of the coronation a Royal State Coach was produced. These early models are now rare and highly sought after. In the same year Lesney launched the hugely successful 1-75 range of models all designed to fit into a matchbox. Lesney continued production of the 1-75 series and others such as Yesteryears until 1982 when they went into receivership.
