Match Box or Dinky Toys

I am pretty sure that they both came out in a variety of scales.

Matchbox Models are generally more detailed. Matchbox Models of Yesteryear are beautiful. Rattler21's suggestion of a measuring device is a good one.

In my childhood, Matchbox was half the size of Dinky toys. I think Dinky toys were 1:43 scale.

Like said above they both did different sizes. Matchbox king was close to O gauge 1:43 where Matchbox regular was more like ho size. 

I've never heard of Matchbox King. Maybe, I'm too old.

  Matchbox Kingsize were around in the 60's. They were still undersize for O but you didn't have much choice back then.  

They were about the size of Corgi or Dinky vehicles. They had more 'working' parts - opening hoods, doors plow blades.

I wish I still had mine from when I was a kid. 

Dinky Toys - and I do still have mine - were generally non-US O, or 1:43, I'd wager. I never had any Matchbox Toys, except incidentally. I think Matchbox hit its stride after I outgrew toys (my trains are models; otherwise I wouldn't be here), so I know little about them.

Dinkys were cool, but weird. One of them was a neat 1957 Plymouth, and a good WWII (over scale, I think) Jeep model. But tanks that said "Centurion", trucks (OK, lorries, then) that said "Leyland", jets that said "Avro" did eventually get annoying - however, I loved them and ran the wheels off them.

Mine are banged up, but mostly complete, except for the disintegrated/melted tires and tracks. They were toys.

I had few Corgi pieces (also odd stuff) because the place I went most happened to have Dinky's. 

All my big vehicles - the pressed steel ones - were familiar US types.

the basis of the Matchbox model was that they all fit into the one-size matchbox, so the scale ratio of a bus or truck was huge, while that of an auto or motorcycle was smaller.  in a collection of about 100 pieces i got to look through a while back, i picked out only two vehicles fit for a flat car load and those were ~1:64 or 3/16" scale.  i believe one was 1:60 and the other 1:62.  i don't think i ran across any pieces that were scaled large enough for O, but this was the old traditional small size matchbox.

cheers...gary

Carry a scale size figure.  If the figure looks good standing next to the vehicle your good to go.

  Old Matchbox motorcycles are pretty close to O scale. Only problem the Triump motorcycle has the sidecar on the wrong side for American highways. I think it's great you can still pickup a Matchbox car for under a buck. In 1968 a Matchbox cars listed for 55 cents. You could find them on sale for 4 for a dollar.