Visiting Toydecals again

Friday, February 23, 2018
Cloud with rain and snow
4 C     39.2 F

Visiting Toydecals Again

Please click here to visit Toydecals

I often visit Rick's Toybox website on ebay. His store is titled "Toydecals", and as you can tell,

he sells replacement authentic-looking toy decals. However, he also sells toys, and always seems to have rare and interesting old toys.

The 2 wooden toys were made by the Buddy "L" company during World War II (WWII).

During the war years, metal was rationed out in the USA. As such, the  government created strick rules for the way metal was used, as war armaments were needed.  As a consequence, metal couldn't be used for toys, and wood was substituted.

Vintage Buddy "L" WWII Era Victory Toy

Wood and metal

"Wrecking Truck"

Length: 16 1/2"  42 cm

Vintage Buddy "L" WWII War Era Victory Toys

Stake or lumber truck

Wood and metal

Length:  25"  63.5 cm

Kingsbury was a toy manufacturer in New Hamposhire (USA). 

Most of their pressed steel toys had a patented wind-up mechanism (motor)

to run their toys. You can see the wind-up motor in the third image below in the composite.

Vintage Kingsbury Pressed Steel Wind-up Motor Army Cannon Truck

Circa 1920's

Pressed Steel 

Length:  11"  28 cm

The "motor" in the D.B. Clark truck below was a friction motor.

You pushed the truck wheels on a flat surface, and a large rotating 

wheel started to spin the tires. You kept doing this until the wheels were

spinning fast, then you let the toy go, and it moved as much as 15" (4.57 M)

D.P.Clark Hill Climber

Circa 1920's

Length 12 1/2"  30.5 cm

The structo toy below is "somewhat" rarer than other Structo toys.

It has a battery (size "D") compartment to add light to the front light.

Vintage Structo Pressed Steel Tank with Rotating Head

Pressed steel with wooden wheels

Length x Height: 

12 1/2" x 6.5"

31.7 cm x 16.5 cm

Buck Rogers was a favourite comic character in the 1930's, 1940's and a bit later.

I remember going to the Sunday school movies, and there on the screen was Buck Rogers.

The movie effects the were "primitive",to say the least. I remember seeing the toy move on the "invisible" string that was clearly visible. 

Vintage 1940's Wyandotte Buck Rogers Space Ship

Pressed steel with rubber wheels

Length:  6"  15.2 cm

So this is it for today on a very rainy day.

Thanks for dropping by,

and have a great day or evening.

Stacey Bindman

toysearcher@gmail.com

The Buddy "L" Museum

Monday, December 5, 2016
Overcast with flurries
2 Celsius 36 Fahrenheit

The Buddy "L"Museum

Please click here to visit this most interesting toy museum

The Buddy "L" museum is an actual museum and has an informative website on the Internet.  Not only do they have Buddy "L"toys, but they have Sturditoy, Keystone, Steelcraft, and other  brand of toys. I wrote to the Museum, and received a reply from Mr. Jeff Richards who wrote to say that I have their permission to use their photos. The Museum not only collects toys, but buys and appraises toys as well. Many of the toys that are presented on their website have been donated to the museum, which is a non-profit organization. The site has information on the companies of the toys they have.

They also happens to be consultants to American Pickers, the TV show about antiques and collectibles.

Thanks for dropping by,
and as always,
Have a great part of the day or night,
Wherever you may be.

Stacey Bindman
toysearcher@gmail.com

Wouldn't you Know?

Saturday, August 2, 2014
             Partly cloudy and hot

Wouldn't You Know?

  Two days ago, I published a marvellous post about the Buddy "L" wooden toys produced during WWII. I'd written one post previous to that, and when I found a father and son ( The Hartmans) on ebay who had sold and were selling these rare treasures, I know  I had to contact them. I did, and as they say the rest is history! You can redirect to their post after reading Bertoia Auctions trio of these great toys.

Please click here to visit Shawn and Mark L. Hartman's post

Please click here to visit this exceptional American toy auctioneer

  I decided to check what Liveauctioneers' auctioneers had for sale or had sold in terms of these very special wooden toys. Sure enough, I found  about 18 sold items with duplications. What I also found was a nine toy that contradicted an "assumption" that I had made on my previous post. I'll inform you about that below.

  If you did not know or didn't read my previous post, during WWII,there was a limitation for metal usage due to the war. Rationing was imposed, and toy companies needed to reduce or elimate most of the metallic content and change to wood, which was more readily available and not as much  restricted. Consequently, most of the toy companies adapted to manufacture wooden toys, while changing over their factories to manufacturing war material, armaments, and machines.

  My incorrect assumption that I wrote on the Hartman post was that  the Buddy "L" company left their wooden rear door of their Town and Car wagon (modelled after the real Chrysler car) flat, rather than round it, as you'll see in the exceptional convertible below.  I incorrectly stated that this was probably to save time. They most likely just designed it that wayI Anyway, the writing lesson here for myself (from the previous post) is to never make assumptions unless you can corroborate  (gather evidence) what you write! Mind you, I could be correct, because the toy below was made after WWII (1947), and perhaps the company had more time

The convertible below from Bertoia Auctions is exceptional in many ways both as a toy, and as a collectible. Mint condition, original box, and beautiful features.  TJHis toy must have had lots of bidding, and the final gavel price ascertained to that.

It's interesting that  the Buddy "L"company was still manufacturing wooden toys after the war, even here with this 1947-1948 Coca-Cola truck.  As you can see, it's also a nice toy, similar to the ones that I posted previously, but certainly can't come near the elegance of the town and country convertible.

Nevertheless,  what I like about the previous toys, the Coca-Cola truck, and the Buddy "L" moving truck below is the simplicity of design. An analogy that I can make to compare my thoughts are famous company logos (symbols or lettering that identify a company). The Apple logo (computers), 

the Audi logo rings (cars), the VW logo for the Volkswagen cars,  and the Shell Oil Company logo (Scallop shell).

All  the logos are simple but readily identifiable with the company, and so are these toys. They're trucks of different  functions, but we can immediately recognize them .

Simplicity with elegance - at its best!

What I've mentioned several times,and I'd like to repeat myself is my appreciation to the skills and crafts of the people (men and women), and the companies who manufactured toys not made from metal, that have survived "the test if time". We've seen the lithographed paper placed on wooden toys of the 1880's an-1900's, and now these wooden Buddy L" toys form the 1940's. They're still around ,but the Buddy "L's" (so far) are not as numerous as I would have thought.

I'll be searching for more and keeping a mental note to be on the lookout for them!

Thanks for visiting,

and as always,

have a great part of the day or night,

wherever you may be,

Stacey

toysearcher@gmail.com

Big Buddy "L" Machines

Sunday, September 22, 2013
           Fall (Autumn) Begins

Big Buddy "L" Toys

   I did a cursory check to see what I had written about Buddy "L". After that, I decided to use Bertoia's great current listings for their Christmas Special auction.  Somebody must have had a great collection, since there are so many Buddy "L" toys listed. I decided to simply concentrate on the machines. Most of these toys were made between 1920-1931, not the best time to make large-sized, and most likely expensive toys. Remember, this is when the Great Depression had happened.  I especially like these toys. If I was a child, I 'd be playing with these. However, I could just hear my mother and  father had I even mentioned that I would like one of these toys. where will we put it? It's too big! It's too expensive! And imagine if I wanted a second one for my next birthday!

   The reason that I like these toys is that they're hands on. You get to play with them, load them, turn gears, and move them! It's interesting that compared with most European toys, these Buddy "L" toys are huge! There are the occasional "huge" European toys , such as Marklin naval and commercial ships, but those were made earlier, and they most likely were extremely expensive at the time! I would think that the Marklin toys were sold to a certain "niche" market, whereas, the Buddy "L" had a broader appeal, both in terms of cost, and appeal.

Please click to be redirected to the December 2013 Christmas Auction

If I had one of these toys back then, I would be out today playing with this toy - even in the rain.

Of course, today, if I was a kid, there would be a dozen reasons why I couldn't have such a toy and not be able to play with it. One reason would be that it was raining, and of course the second - try and find a sandbox in the 21st century today in a park - what's a sandbox?

Thanks fro dropping by,

and as always,

have a great part of the day or night,

wherever you may be.

Stacey

toysearcher@gmail.com