Wim van den Berg

Sad news reached us recently of the passing of Wim van den Berg, known to many as Dr. Dinky and famous for his meticulous and creative diecast restorations. Based in Madison, Wisconsin, Wim didn’t just stick to Dinky Toys, but specialised in Corgi Toys, Lion Car, Tootsie, Tekno and many more brands.

He started down the restoration road for the same reason as many of us, because he couldn’t afford the mint and boxed examples that commanded high prices. Wim would use his engineering expertise to create modified models that a manufacturer might have produced and finish them to original factory standards. He quickly became widely known and his customers would come from all parts of the globe and all walks of life; the business that started as a hobby would ultimately become his full time occupation.

Having battled pancreatic cancer and become a “five year survivor” earlier this year, it was discovered that the cancer had returned shortly after and he passed away in the arms of his loving wife, Julie, on 19th July 2014.


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