Guinness® Collectors Club

On July 4th 1956, the Mettoy Company launched the first die-cast model vehicles under the brand name CORGI.

CORGI is Welsh for "small dog" and is also the breed name of a perky herding dog from Wales, where the CORGI factory was based. At that time, it was also the favoured breed of H.M. Queen Elizabeth 11.

The unmistakable logo immediately became synonymous with excellence and quality, and, this was evidenced by the fact that the CORGI models were the first with clear plastic windows.

Other features were added as the company strived to offer the most detailed models on the market, intricate interiors, opening doors and hoods, suspension, jeweled headlights and more. Probably the most famous example of CORGI excellence in detail is the James Bond Aston Martin DB5 with its opening roof and ejector seat, rear bullet screen, retractable machine guns and tyre slashers. Not much call for these in the GUINNESS models, however!

This attention to detail has stood the test of time and CORGI has now become one of the most sought-after and collectable brands in the world.