The idea was then born to sell the model in a replica matchbox – thus also yielding the name of the series which would propel Lesney to worldwide, mass-market success. Odell then made her a scaled-down Road Roller, which became popular at her school. According to the book, Annie "kept bringing home spiders and creepy-crawlies inside a matchbox", so Odell promised to make her a toy that fit in the matchbox if she didn't bring any more spiders home. The toy's origin is debatable it's been said that the daughter's school only allowed children to bring toys that could fit inside a matchbox, but Nick Jones debunks this story in his book, Matchbox Toys. Odell designed for his daughter Annie: a scaled-down version of the Lesney green and red road roller. The final and decisive stepping stone in the pre-Matchbox era was a toy which Mr. The profits from the sales provided valuable capital for further investments. It was this second model that sold over a million units, a massive success at the time. Two versions were created, the first in a larger scale, followed by a smaller-scale model.
The next crucial milestone was the production of a replica of the Royal State Coach in 1953, the year of the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II. The company continued to produce non-toy items of those marketed directly by Lesney, one of the more popular ones was a Fishing bait press, well liked by British anglers at the time. It established transportation as a viable and interesting theme other similar models followed, including a cowboy-influenced covered wagon and a soap-box racer. The first model toy they produced in 1948 a die-cast road roller based clearly on a Dinky model (the industry leader in die-cast toy cars at that time) in hindsight proves to be the first of perhaps three major milestones on the path to their eventual destiny. Seeing no future for the company, Rodney Smith left in 1951. As that proved to be a viable alternative to reducing their factory's output during periods in which they received fewer or smaller industrial orders, they started making die cast model toys the following year. In late 1947 they received a request for parts for a toy gun. Lesney originally started operations in a derelict pub in north London (The Rifleman), but later, as finances allowed, changed location several times before finally moving to a factory in Hackney which became synonymous with the company. Odell initially rented a space in the Lesney building to make his own die-casting products, but he joined the company as a partner in that same year. Shortly after they founded the company, Rodney Smith introduced to his partner a man named John "Jack" Odell, an engineer he had met in a previous job at D.C.M.T. They had been school friends and served together in the Royal Navy during World War II. The name "Lesney" was an acronym from both partners' (which were not related by blood) names. Lesney was founded on 19 January 1947 as an industrial die-casting company by Leslie Smith (6 March 1918 - ) and Rodney Smith (26 August 1917 - 20 July 2013).
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