Editing Matchbox (brand) (section)

===Early years: Lesney, the origin of the Matchbox name and the ''1-75'' series===
{{See also|Lesney Products}}
[[File:Road roller Matchbox.png|thumb|left|A 1953-55 Lesney-Matchbox [[Road Roller]], one of the first toys to be produced under the Matchbox name]]
The Matchbox name originated in 1953 as a brand name of the British [[die-casting]] company [[Lesney Products]], whose reputation was moulded by<ref name=Dana2004>Dana Johnson, Matchbox Toys 1947-2003, pp. 6-8, {{ISBN|1-57432-393-8}} (4th ed. 2004.</ref> [[Jack Odell|John W. "Jack" Odell]] (1920–2007),<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/17/world/europe/17odell.html ''New York Times'' obituary, July 17, 2007]</ref> Leslie Charles Smith (1918–2005),<ref>[http://www.fcarnahan.com/pg/lsmith.html www.fcarahan.com]</ref> and Rodney Smith. The name Lesney was a portmanteau of Leslie and Rodney Smith's first names. Their first major sales success was the popular model of Queen Elizabeth II's coronation coach, which sold more than a million models. Lesney co-owner Jack Odell then created a toy that paved the way for the company's future success which was designed for his daughter. Her school only allowed children to bring toys that could fit inside a matchbox, so Odell crafted a scaled-down version of the Lesney green and red road roller. This toy ultimately became the first of the ''1-75'' miniature range. A dump truck and a cement mixer completed the original three-model release that marked the starting point for the mass-market success of the Matchbox series. The company decided to sell the models in replica matchboxes, thus yielding the name of the series.

Additional models continued to be added to the line throughout the decade, including cars such as an [[MG Midget TD]], a [[Vauxhall Cresta]], a [[Ford Zodiac]], and many others. As the collection grew, it also gradually became more international, including models of [[Volkswagen]]s, a [[Citroën]], and American makes. To make such miniatures, the designers took detailed photographs of the real models, even obtaining some original blueprints. This enabled them to make models with surprisingly high levels of detail, despite the small scale.  The size of the models allowed Matchbox to occupy a market niche barely touched by the competition; the associated price advantage made the toys affordable and helped establish "Matchbox" as a generic word for small toy cars, whatever the brand.