BAYKO and the 1962 Stockholm British Trade Fair

According to page 317 of 'MECCANO Magazine', August, 1962, [right] MECCANO was one of hundreds of British firms who attended the British Trade Fair in Stockholm in May, 1962. Unfortunately, the article makes no direct mention of BAYKO. I'm getting used to that, however, if you look at the second photo [below, left], BAYKO is very clearly, if not exactly prominently, displayed on the 'BAYKO Wall' at the back.

Many thanks to Paul Mountford [the BAYKO Collectors Club's Auctioneer in residence] for taking the time and Corvid 19 affected trouble to unearth this article for me, on the www.meccanoindex.co.uk. [Timothy Edwards MECCANO Index]

Primarily because the 'MECCANO Magazine' article doesn't go so far as to mention the world's first, and finest, plastic construction toy at all, I'm not going to replicate it here. However, there is certainly one interesting detail. The 1962 Stockholm British Trade Fair, attended by Sweden's King and Queen, as well as their Prime Minister, was "the largest ever", and BAYKO was there, no matter how coyly presented. The historians among us will remember that there was a massive export drive in play at the time.

The key photograph here is shown in the bottom left hand corner of the page and, despite the fact that her majesty has turned her royal back on it, clearly shows the BAYKO display on the back wall, with a couple of BAYKO sets and a retail display sign clearly visible. Click on either of the two pictures to show a larger version of the image.

And that, as they say, is that! Full marks to Mr MECCANO for attending, but, my personal view is that, not for the first time, he missed a trick…

…there are no actual BAYKO models on display…

…surely the Scandiwegian market was ripe for the [then] recently retooled, bang on trend, BAYKO models - and the public were admitted!!!