Got some more Dorwin's on the way lol, but just picked up my latest set from the local sorting office. They weigh in at just over 26g and look unused:

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As well as the plastic box there was also a sleeve around the plastic that I found interesting:

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The other sets I have were made by the Dorwin Pencil Co Ltd, and the plastic box for these says that name as well, whereas this sleeve says Dorwin Darts and Games. They also seem to have moved from Colnbrook in Bucks to London E5 with the change of name. Wonder when that happened? It's a shame these old companies histories aren't documented somewhere.

As an add-on to the last bit of the above I just looked at the pics of the other Dorwin's that are on their way and one of those also says Dorwin Darts and Games on the box - but this time the location is showing as Fakenham in Norfolk. It seems like they moved around a bit in later life lol.

Nice set, I like the distinct heart shaped flights on Dorwin's, its a nice bonus to get the sleeve with them as well. Darren and Mark are both really into Dorwins.

I have a few sets with the sleeves on, I think they were still making them into the 80's so I guess a few like that are the more modern version of them.

Not really sure why the address changed so much unless the company was bought out and re-located a few times.

MC1958. I do my best to research the better known darts manufacturers but rarely do company records survive closure.

I researched the DORWIN company some years ago but am unaware of them being anywhere other than Colnbrook, Buckinghamshire. (I'll have to look into that.) It was there in the 1930s that the company, which as the name suggests manufactured propelling pencils, turned to darts. Back in 1993 a past employee of DORWIN told me that the premises were still there but the company 'long gone'. So perhaps they moved to London in the 1980s before they folded.

The company made darts for forty years but failed, somewhat surprisingly, in the 1980s. The DORWIN sets are popular with collectors as they often promoted national and local brands in the transparent plastic shaft. I have an early example featuring ESSO and a mid-1960s set promoting the sports shop where I bought them.

Like WINMAU the name DORWIN is a contraction of two names DORothy and WINifred. The company also sponsored GEORGE CALEY, an East Anglian champion who played and beat the likes of Jim Pike in the late 1940s and early 1950s. Caley wrote a book in 1950 called 'How to Improve Your Darts', probably one of the most difficult to find darts books these days. I hope this helps.

I have the Caley book, it is quite an interesting read with some great pics

Heres George - http://www.britishpathe.com/video/darts-aka-dart-champion

Wow, how fat are those darts. Nice and sleek looking though.

Love the Dorwins. Thanks for sharing the info.

Love the Dorwins. Thanks for sharing the info.

Now imagine if Darwin played with Dorwins.

They may have been called Darwins instead. lol

Thats evolution for you Lol