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There’s a problem, though, with some repro boxes. Repros can be,
and sometimes are, passed off as originals. “The real problem comes
when less experienced collectors do not realize they are buying a repro
box and this leads to people being conned,” says collector Andrew
Ralston of Glasgow, Scotland. Given what original boxes generally sell
for, this is a mistake nobody wants to make.
Some would say it’s a case of buyer beware. I get that. But there’s a
relatively easy way to avoid this happening, and that’s full disclosure by
the maker of the repro box. Reproductions of toys, as well as other
kinds of antique reproductions, often carry some kind of mark or notice
that indicates the item is, in fact, a reproduction or reissue. A box
should be no exception; as Andrew Ralston has told me, “All these
boxes should carry some discreet marking to show they are
Side by side: Original mid-1950s Dinky Toys Riley with its original box on left, reproductions.” For some reason, though, box makers often include no
next to a reproduction box made by D.R.R.B.
such notice. DRRB is one that does. The box for the Corgi Ford
D.R.R.B. Reproduction Boxes (DRRB) in Lancashire, England has Consul shown here has a notice, clearly stamped in black ink inside,
been a player in the repro box market for a number of years. The stating “Another top quality reproduction box by DRRB.” Barlow says
owner, Robb Barlow, tells me that a high-quality box starts with that his company no longer uses the ink stamp, due to it being fairly
measurements. “The first stage of my reproduction process is to easy to remove with tape. “All [of our] boxes now have the embossed
measure the original dimensions exactly so I get the right size on the letter ‘R’ on the inside of the glue flap (which can’t be removed),” says
repro box. I then tweak various settings until I get a match on all the Barlow. “There is also another marking hidden within the artwork on
colors. This is not a five-minute process and it’s effectively trial and every box, albeit in different places on each box.”
error, but I often finish up re-drawing most of the artwork in order to
get all the colors matching.” DRRB produces sharp-looking boxes that
compare well with originals. It seems to me that the text characters on
DRRB’s boxes—on those that I’ve purchased, at least—print a little
more heavily, and a close examination shows that the artwork on these

D.R.R.B. used to mark its repro boxes with an ink stamp notice inside (Corgi box),
but transitioned to embossing the letter “R” inside on the glue flap (Minic box),
to indicate it’s a repro.

I asked Barlow why he includes the mark that’s hidden in the
artwork, and he told me, “Its location is known only to us, not to the
customers. It’s there because I occasionally get asked if a repro box is
one of mine, and it serves as an additional check that I can do to
confirm or deny whether it is one of mine.”
The Charlie McCarthy box and the Major Matt Mason backing
The box art for the Saunders 10-inch long “Sportster” convertible (late 1940s) is a board repros shown here both are sharp, good quality repros. But
great example of mid-century graphics. neither of them has a repro mark of any kind. When I asked the
seller why they don’t include a mark, they told me, “Sorry, we
boxes isn’t quite as sharp as on an original. But it’s a quality product at forgot to stamp reproduction on them. Please write it on the inside.”
what I think is a reasonable price, ranging from around $15 for standard Hardly an effective solution to a problem that the box makers should
Corgi and Dinky boxes, up to more than $50 for more elaborate boxes. resolve themselves.
Some repro box manufacturers don’t go to such lengths when it
comes to color matching and good preparation of artwork. The box for
the GAMA Opel Kapitan shown here, produced by a German maker,
appears to have been scanned from an original box that had
considerable wear and damage. The maker didn’t bother to clean
up/correct the scrapes and dings before printing the repro box, so the
damage shows on the repros.

The maker of this repro The maker of this colorful Charlie McCarthy tin toy box and
box for Gama’s Opel didn’t even bother to Major Matt Mason backing card didn’t include any kind of
clean up the damage/wear before offering it for sale. mark indicating they’re reproductions.

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