Matchbox U.S.A. started as the chapter of another club, American International Matchbox, back in August 1977, when five collectors got together at the home of the founder in Durham, Connecticut. The president of the chapter, Charles Mack, started a monthly newsletter that very month calling it the Connecticut Chapter of AIM Bulletin. The club's newsletter later changed to Connecticut Matchbox News and by March 1980, when the chapter dissolved, the club became Matchbox U.S.A. With 100 members worldwide back in 1980, the membership slowly increased through the years. In June, 1982, the club held its first ever national convention in Danbury, CT. Each year since then, a national convention has been held in various locations including New Haven, CT. West Point, NY, Piscataway, Iselin and Parsippany, NJ and Fort Washington, PA. The club's 15th annual convention in June 1996 at the Hilton in Parsippany, New Jersey supercedes the start of the club's 20th year which is August 1996. Now boasting over 1,500 members worldwide, Matchbox U.S.A. publishes a monthly newsletter under its original founding editor, Charles Mack. The club headquarters is at the Matchbox & Lesney Toy Museum at 62 Saw Mill Road, Durham, CT 06422.

To commemorate this 20th annual founding, Matchbox U.S.A. has commissioned from Matchbox this special 3,500 piece limited edition of the Y-21 Model TT Van.

(1997)

Scale: 1:43