Franklin Mint Precision Models

In 1983, after Warner Communications had purchased the Franklin Mint, the company entered the die-cast vehicle market introducing a 1935 Mercedes Benz 500K Roadster. In the following years, Franklin Mint produced more than 600 different issues of motorcycles, trucks and tractors besides automobiles. Marketing of all vehicles was almost exclusively through mail order catalogs.

Vehicles - often called 'Franklin Mint Precision Models' - usually cost between $75 and $150 and were meant as adult collectibles. Over time, models were often made available in several different paint schemes. Models were made in China, usually in batches of between 1,000 and 5,000 pieces. The normal scale produced was 1:24, but models were also issued in 1:43, 1:18 and even a very large 1:8 for the 1885 Daimler (Single Track) Reitwagen and the 1885/1886 Benz Patent-Motorwagen.