Hi Jacques,
My Yellow / Brown interior Taxi has no No plate, but, on close inspection it has broken off flush with the bumper, looking at your left hand picture I can just see the edges of the plate, and suggest that this is what has happened, it would not be obvious if the Taxi has been repainted as only the bare cast strip gives it away on mine.
Chris Warr.

Jacques

I too thought I had "discovered" a 40H without a number plate :

until I did a closer examination of one of the additional photographs that accompanied this eBay item :

and under close scrutiny, one can see faint indication of the number plate strengthener, which is quite clear on Jacques' picture which is a very slightly raised section that provides a little more metal for the number plate. One can also see a faint line in the same location where a number plate would have existed. Unfortunately, I decided against bidding on this item "to prove a point one way or other!".

So all this seems to indicate that any broken pieces of the number plate has been carefully filed during the restoration process. Unless one can locate an original that has not been restored or tampered, there has not been any 40H issued without a number plate. The lack of the number plate strengthener and the lack of a number plate will be the only means of confirming the existence of this variation.

Bruce

The real Austin Taxi, as seen at the Oldtimer Festival Huizen (NL), 17 September 2016. A Dinky in this black and blue colour scheme is rare.

Kind regards, Jan 

A few photos of the early all yellow version

     Best regards,  Terry

Here is my contribution to this 40H - 254 Austin FX3 Taxi subject.

I have the following 6 colour variations with the following model numbers:

1) dark blue - black interior, driver and base plate;  without number and 40H

2) light blue - black interior, driver and base plate; without number

3) yellow - brown interior, driver and base plate; 40H

4) yellow - black interior, driver and base plate; without number and 40H

5) yellow/green  - black interior, driver and base plate; 40H and 254

6) black - grey interior, driver and base plate; 254

The very scarce light blue version in my possession.

Dinky Toys Austin Taxi yellow with brown and black interior, driver and baseplate.

I have the following 5 base plate versions:

1) black base plate without model number

2) black base plate with 40H  

3) black base plate with 254

4) brown base plate with 40H

5) grey base plate with 254

Sorry, no place for a monkey.

Boxes:

Besides my shown 3 boxes I found the following boxes of this model (please add pictures when you have them)

Yellow trade box of 6 unboxed models in box with room divider  – 40H

Grey trade box with 6 boxed models – 40H-254

Yellow end flap picture boxes – dual numbered 40H-254 and 254

I add pictures of my Austin Taxi collection including my base plates.

Kind regards to all,

18-4-2017 Jan Oldenhuis

Hello Jan

When you wrote "Here is my contribution to this 40H - 254 Austin FX3 Taxi subject." that would rate as one of the greatest understatements of the year!  You have covered every model/colour scheme/hubs with virtually nothing more to add! 

But one! I did read somewhere (curses on my filing system!) of the existence of a 40h/254 minus its front number plate. I immediately went in search for one, and came across an example on eBay, but with a bad photograph and an equally bad seller who does not answer messages, I gave it a miss. If this variation isn't the figment of someone's fertile imagination, or for that matter someone's expertise in altering things,  then hopefully you will be able to track down an example to add to your fine collection.  Here I was thinking you were only into Bedfords!! (I will reply to your personal email soon.)

This is the sort of Posts that invigorates this website! I really liked your monkey photograph!

Kind regards

Bruce H.  (150)

20170418/1081/1903

Very fine taxi collection, Jan ! As with one of yours, I previously owned a duo tone example, with the old number 40H cast in underneath. This yellow/green finish having been introduced as late as 1956, this means that the old castings lasted at least two years after the official deletion of the old numbering system. Kind regards, Jan W

Jan O, 

I am inclined to agree with your comments. I think I may have also been distracted with Jacques’ comments at the start of this Topic when he wrote “I was not aware of this variation. The early 40H had no number plate in front. The reference number was not engraved on the baseplate either.”Chris later joined the conversation stating that the photograph shown in Jacques’ post has the remnants of the number plate with a subsequent post showing this not being the case. However, that photograph shows the base plate as not having either 40H or 254. I wrote in a later Post, “The lack of the number plate strengthener and the lack of a number plate will be the only means of confirming the existence of this variation.”  So that could very well be the end of the matter. As for the one I saw being auctioned, it may have been Vectis or some other auction house I was bidding on in those days, such as Romney Auction Rooms, Lacy Scott (before Knight was added) or Wallis & Wallis.

I decided to “dig” out my Austin Taxi and add it to this discussion. You will note how chipped it has become over the years. The chipping started very early in its life despite every care I took in handling and playing with the Taxi. It seemed as if the paintwork was not as well baked as other Dinky Toys or the paint was a little too thick, as one only had to sneeze and another chip appeared! A similar thing happened with my 174 Hudson Hornet, and it still has the remains of its box. I looked after that model but found it chipped very easily, whereas other models in this series have survived remarkably well. Of course after I left home, I imagine my mother allowed any little urchin to play with my collection, thus more chipping occurred. My Euclid for instance was pristine when I left home for PNG and not so on my return.

Its base plate has the new sales number of 254 which would indicate a production after the deletion of the 40H sales number as shown below. I seem to recall receiving my Austin Taxi for either Christmas or birthday 1956.

I purchased the following 254 Austin Taxi in November 1995 from Andrew Clark in the UK. It has the old sales number 40H on its base. It was bought to remind me of how my Austin Taxi once looked, before I started sneezing!

In June 2006, I purchased an empty box for a 254 Austin Taxi, and subsequently, it became the box for my original Austin Taxi. Some would say what a waste of an excellent box and it should be used for my very near mint example, but to me, the box means that my original taxi finally has its own box once again that it thoroughly deserves and hopefully, no further chipping will occur!

Kind regards

Bruce H.   (150)

20170419/1082/2234

Some new pictures of a fine black example:

I have got this interesting original colour variant of the austin taxi.
It has the yellow chassis combined with a dark blue top.
Probably a leftover mixture of the two colour variations we all know and see in the poste here above.

That is very remarkable and exceptional indeed!

A very nice find. A rare mix of a brown chassis of a yellow taxi with the body of a dark blue taxi. Never seen before. A nice surprise from Meccano Liverpool. Here is an image from the 1952 and 1953 catalogue.
Jan O

The yellow ones with brown and black interiors together.

[url=https://postimages.org/][img]https://i.postimg.cc/2SqcVSwV/dte254-IMG-80...

[url=https://postimages.org/][img]https://i.postimg.cc/qM6yKhPV/dte254-IMG-80...