At the end of his presidency, Harry S. Truman received one of his greatest honours. Winston Churchill, a man not known for false praise, told Truman that he, more than any other man, had literally saved western civilization.
Though most historians only recognized Truman's greatness long after he left office, Churchill was acknowledging the fact that Truman was the man who decided to drop the atom bomb, hastening the end of World War II and saving an estimated half million Allied lives. His Truman Doctrine ended American isolationism by supporting Greece and Turkey against communist threats. His Marshall Plan was designed to rebuild Europe and his defiance of the Soviet blockade of Berlin showed that he could confront the world's other superpower and win.

Now the feisty president holds aloft the Chicago Daily Tribune front page that pronounced Thomas Dewey as victor over Truman; it wasn't until the next day that America learned that Truman had scored the biggest upset in U.S. electoral history. The photograph of the jubilant Truman was used to create an official postage stamp honouring the man as one of the greatest Americans of the 20th century.
This official "Celebrate the Century" stamp has been reproduced on the sides of a 1948 GMC C.O.E., a truck that was introduced in the same year as Truman's triumph over Dewey. Your die-cast model captures the ribbed roof and elaborate structure supporting the truck compartment, as well as the stylish cab with its curved roof and hood.
Intricately detailed and decorated with official U.S. Postal Service graphics, your model is produced by - and available only from - Matchbox Collectibles.

(2000)

Scale: 1:55