Leslie Smith OBE was born 6th March 1918. In 1947 he and Rodney Smith founded Lesney Products which went on to produce such famous ranges as the "MATCHBOX" series and "MODELS OF YESTERYEAR".

In 1986 he was made an honorary member of M.I.C.A.

This commemorative figure has been produced to celebrate his visit to the 5th M.I.C.A. U.K. Convention on the 24th March 1990.

History of Lesney
Leslie Charles Smith, OBE (6 March 1918 - 26 May 2005) was born in Enfield, Middlesex, He left school at the age of 14, and was working as a buyer for the die-casting company J Raymond Wilson when World War 2 began in 1939 which is when he signed up for the Royal Navy.
Leslie served along side Rodney Smith (no relation) and it is with him that after the war they joined together to found their own die-casting company which they called Lesney, taking the first three letters of his name and combined them with the last three from Rodney.
In 1948 he married Nancy Jackson-Moore and had three children (2 boys & a girl). He was awarded the OBE in 1968.

Leslie-Smith-Model
A Matchbox MICA Limited Edition white metal figure of Leslie Smith OBE was produced in his honour to commemorate his visit to the 5th MICA UK Convention on the 24th March 1990. This is documented in the Matchbox International Collectors Association magazine published in 1990, Vol 6, No 1, (pages 17-22)

The cast metal figure weighs approximately 4 ounces. It is Code 1 authorized and licensed by M.I.C.A.
There were only 500 of these made.

A MUST FOR ANY SERIOUS MATCHBOX OR LESNEY COLLECTOR