Mercury (toy manufacturer) Marklin, the company was started in 1932, by Attilio Clemente and Antonio Cravero, but its first toy was a gun produced about 1939 (Batazzi et al 1974; Force 1992, 5; History of Mercury 2013; Ralston 2009, 62). The company first began making toy cars just after World War II, so is one of the earliest diecast model makers preceding Corgi and many others and it was the earliest producer in Italy (Richardson 1999, 134). In Italy there was little competition for Mercury through most of the 1950s (Force 1992, 5). Early cars were more Tootsietoy-like with simple cast bodies, wheels
Tekno (toy manufacturer) of Teknos offerings, the word "Toys" was dropped from the name (Tekno website). As of 2017, the company was still in business, mainly making truck models with a variety of promotional liveries, though Force says Tekno was defunct as of 2002 (Hobby Talk 2008; Force 2002, p. 73). Tekno (toy manufacturer) Tekno - Dansk Legetojs Industri, was a toy maker from Copenhagen, Denmark, that began manufacturing construction toys in 1928 and model autos immediately after World War II, selling 1 million a year during its peak (Dickson 2006; Tekno Dansk 1953). While begun as a toy company, the focus later