Around 1975, Verner Panton designed a toy system similar to LEGO but with frames and plates. He financed it himself and made several tests before he introduced it to Kurt Naef. Kurt was a swiss toy maker known for high quality toys in wood. Together they launced the new toy system called Pantonaef around 1979. They were clearly ahead of their time and Kurt described the project as the biggest misstake ever. People were more interested in wood pieces but nowerdays, these plastic toy system are highly wanted by collectors.

Here you can see  the different plates and figures in my collection. I have really tried to find all the possible colours ever made. The basic six colours that were sold in stores were a light and dark version of: red, blue and grey. So far I have founded about 30 different prototypes colours / shades. Most of these are very rare prototypes that comes from Verner himself for the first pre-series from 1975. Some prototype plates have even coloured leather pieces glued to them.

Pantonaef
Design: Clown
Year: ca 1979
Size:
Colour: Multicolour
Material: Plastic
Manufacturer: Verner Panton Design Office from ca 1975, Kurt Naef from 1979
Country: Switzerland
Remarks: Piece made out of new old stock boxes of Pantonaef plates + prototype plates.
Provinance: Panton Design Office and Naef.

Pantonaef
Design: Cow
Year: ca 1979
Size:
Colour: Multicolour
Material: Plastic
Manufacturer: Verner Panton Design Office from ca 1975, Kurt Naef from 1979
Country: Switzerland
Remarks: Piece made out of new old stock boxes of Pantonaef plates.
Provinance: Panton Design Office and Naef.

Pantonaef
Design: Couple
Year: ca 1979
Size:
Colour: Multicolour
Material: Plastic
Manufacturer: Verner Panton Design Office from ca 1975, Kurt Naef from 1979
Country: Switzerland
Remarks: Piece made out of new old stock boxes of Pantonaef plates. Also prototype plates.
Provinance: Panton Design Office and Naef.

Pantonaef
Design: Formation from Kurt Naef book
Year: ca 1979
Size:
Colour: Multicolour
Material: Plastic
Manufacturer: Verner Panton Design Office from ca 1975, Kurt Naef from 1979
Country: Switzerland
Remarks: Model from a book about the Swiss company Naef. Piece made out of new old stock boxes of Pantonaef plates.
Provinance: Panton Design Office and Naef.

Pantonaef
Design: Bus
Year: ca 1979
Size:
Colour: Multicolour
Material: Plastic
Manufacturer: Verner Panton Design Office from ca 1975, Kurt Naef from 1979
Country: Switzerland
Remarks: Piece made out of new old stock boxes of Pantonaef plates.
Provinance: Panton Design Office and Naef.

Pantonaef
Prototype pre-serie tests
Year: 1978
Size:
Colour: Multicolour
Material: Plastic
Manufacturer: Verner Panton Design Office, Kurt Naef from 1979
Country: Switzerland
Remarks: Tests for making the Pantonaef toy system 1978. Several boxes with dated notes how to mix the material when making them.
Provinance: Co-worker at Panton Design office

Pantonaef Toy System
Pre-series prototype plates
Year: 1978
Size:
Colour: different
Material: Plastic
Manufacturer: Verner Panton Design Office, Kurt Naef from 1979
Country: Switzerland
Remarks: Pre-series prototype plates for the Pantonaef toy system.
Provinance: Panton Design Office.

Pantonaef plates
Later chromed plates
Year: 2015
Size:
Colour: Chrome
Material: Plastic
Manufacturer: Panton World
Country: Switzerland
Remarks: Two later chromed Pantonaef plates by Panton World made as a test to see the structure.
Provinance: Panton World