There are three "Bread" vans: Merita, Langendorf and Taystee, all famous subsidiaries of the American Bakeries Company. In 1980 this company began a promotional offer in the States using a large quantity of the Code One "Taystee" Bread van. They took delivery from Lesney Products unlabelled yellow Talbot vans with permission to have their own labels produced to decorate those vans. One label was of Merita, and the other for Langendorf. The Merita and the Langendorf models were sold, in specific regions of the country where the brand was well known. Any one of these three models could be bought for just under $4.00 in addition to a proof of purchase of an American Bakeries item. The most popular of the three was the Taystee and soon supplies had been used-up. Permission was given by Lesney for the American Bakery Company to have made a new label and decorate more blank yellow models. This new label was different from the one on the standard Code One model; in that there was no white border to the red oval containing the word Taystee. Another difference is that the American Bakeries produced labels are rectangular and have square edges whereas the Lesney produced labels have a rounded top side.; the letters spelling Taystee were paler and the black text below the red oval measured twenty-three and not twenty-five millimeters in length.
Although the vans were not sold as sets of three in the States, some were put together and sold, to UK collectors by, a then then well known American collector, Bob Brennan. Including sea-mail charges, the cost of the three Code Two models to the UK in 1980 was £13.00!
Invariably collectors can be caught out when buying the Bread Van Set and finding that the Taystee model is the very common Code One as released in May 1980.
All three models were only sold in their original Type I boxes.
Other Comments/Identifying Features: The models have the decals on each side, "Langendorf", "Merita", and "Taystee" in a red oval with white outline. Below this each label has "Old Fashioned, Enriched Bread" in black text on two lines [25mm long except for the Taystee van which has 23mm long black text]. All labels are rectangular with sharp, square corners except the Taystee which has a curved top to the label.
Fakes:
In 1985 Mr Anthony Armstrong sold "copies" of all three models at UK toy shows and by mail order. After representation was made to him by Matchbox, he agreed to scratch the word "copy" onto the baseplate. Even so many were sold without this marking.
Fake labels have a white background around the label and have white lettering within.
The following size dimensions should be noted.
Merita label 29 x 16 mm. Fake label 29 x 18 mm.
Langendorf label 29 x 16 mm. Fake label 29 x 17 mm.
Taystee label 25 x 16.5 mm. Fake label 29 x 17.5 mm.
Production Runs: Unknown.
Original Selling Price: $4.00
Values: Merita £40, Langendorf £40 and Taystee £100.
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