Almost as soon as Meccano was introduced, the parts were sold separately. At least in England, there appears to have been significant sales of "spare" parts. For example, my Dad's collection of Meccano almost certainly started as an outfit (or perhaps more than one - my Uncle has a collection, too). It apparently was not long after receiving the initial outfit before he started using his pocket money to buy additional parts. Dad told me that he would select a model he wanted to build, and then buy (perhaps over a period of time) the parts he needed for the model. The models were often selected from his collection of Meccano Magazines, where interesting models were illustrated and described, and where a parts list could be found.

This traffic in parts was encouraged by Meccano, and they provided cases to make it easier for shops to store and display the parts. These cabinets eventually came in several sizes, and became quite large as the range of parts grew.

This is an offer from a US dealer's flyer from about 1917. You can see the hinges at the front of the cabinet, and the joint between the top and base. These features are not present in the cabinet pictured above. The parts have labels next to each.

The back of the cabinet, with the drawers opened. The inside of the box is not stained, and the wood is light color.

The parts are attached with thread to a dark blue or black velvet covered piece of cardboard. The 1917 brochure shows a light colored background. The parts arrangements are different, too. The display cabinet in Love & Gamble also has a different parts arrangement. Unfortunately, many of the parts on this display board have been used, so are obviously not correct. Based on these parts, and some of the parts in the drawer (at least the unused ones), I am guessing that this cabinet is from about 1918 to 1920.