The Dent Hardware Company

Friday, November 25, 2016
Overcast with rain
3 Celsius 36 Fahrenheit

The Dent Hardware Company

Company history and description of the company Dent Hardware Co., Fullerton, Pennsylvania (US) 
The Dent Hardware Company was located in Fullerton, Pennsylvania (USA) and was founded 1895 by Henry H. Dent with four more partners. They produced Iron- and Aluminium transportation toys , as well as carriages with horses, and airplanes. As was usual for the time,the Dent Hardware Company produced hardware for homes. This included  door hinges, door handles and locks.

The Newhards were the original partners with the Dent family (the Dents ran the foundry and the Newhards were the sales people). During the mid-20th century the Dent family sold their share of the business to the Newhards who continued to run the business until the 1970s. *

* Citation: www.historytoy.com

Please click here to visit this outstanding American Auctioneer

DENT BREYER'S ICE CREAM TRUCK
Cast iron, painted in orange body, black roof, three opening freezer doors on sides, 

cast driver at window, embossed "Breyer's Ice Cream," on sides, nickel disc wheels. 

Length: 8 1/2" 215 mm

The Chrysler Airflow was a very modern-looking car in its' time. It was made by Chrysler, but sadly never was a success for the company, and production was stopped after 3 years (1934-1937).

DENT 1934 CHRYSLER AIRFLOW
Very rare, cast iron four-door sedan painted orange with gold piping, 

nickeled grille and spare tire mounted on rear, bumper trimmed in silver.

Length: 5 1/2" 140 mm 

DENT CHRYSLER AIRFLOW TWO DOOR SEDAN
Cast iron painted dark green with black chassis and nickeled grille, 

a rare mint condition example, unplayed with. 

Length: 5 1/2" 140 mm  

DENT 1934 CHRYSLER AIRFLOW COUPE
Rare example, cast iron, painted blue with orange chassis and nickeled front bumper and grille, rubber tires with red wooden hubs. Ex. Don Kaufman Collection.

Length:  6 1/2" 165 mm

DENT PARCEL POST EXPRESS TRUCK
Seldom seen example painted orange with black roof, nickel plated wheels with red centers, spare on side, embossed 'Parcel Express' on van body, cast driver riveted to door. 

Length: 8 1/4" 210 mm 

DENT MACK "AMERICAN OIL CO." TRUCK
Cast iron, probably the most colorful of all the oil tankers, done in red Mack "C" cab, black roof, orange tanker body, yellow spoke wheels, blue painted driver, trimmed in gold. 

Missing steering wheel.

Length: 15"  380 mm

RARE DENT SEDAN
This extremely rare auto is reported to be the only known example, cast iron, painted in orange with black roof, nickel disc wheels with red painted centers, spare mounted on rear, some chipping to roof paint, otherwise a solid and excellent find. 

Length: 7 1/2" 190 mm

OPEN TOURING CAR
Dent, cast iron, blue body, yellow spoke wheels, original nickel driver, gold trimmed embossed striping, from the Dick Ford Collection; a very rare find in this condition, 

probably the finest known. 

Length: 8"  203 mm

DENT WRECK TRUCK
A previously unseen version of a wrecker by Dent, the open cab body

 is painted in green with swiveling boom, nickeled wheels with red painted centers. 

Length: 7 1/2"  190 mm

DENT PARCEL EXPRESS VAN
Dent factory sample with tag, cast iron toy painted in light blue with black roof and gold trim, has nickel plated wheels and spare with red painted centers. Provenance: Gottschalk Collection. Provenance: Jay Schoedinger Collection. (Near Mint Cond.)

Length:  8" 203 mm

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

Turner Auctions Next Auction

Friday, November 11, 2016
Remembrance Day 
Cloudy with some Sunny Periods
6 Celsius / 41 Fahrenheit

Turner Auctions  & Appraisals 
Next Auction (2016-11-12)

Please click here to visit Turner Auctions & Appraisals website

Please click here to visit Liveauctioneers for this auction

I  just decided to "squeeze" this post in before tomorrow. Turner Auctions & Appraisals has a fine set of toys up for auction tomorrow. The group of toys happens to be from the Anita & Selwick Hellman Collection collected over a period of 50 years.

Hubley # 610 painted cast iron  Town Car
with nickel-plated grill,headlights, & bumpers. 
Rubber Tires
Circa: 1930's
Length: 6 3/4"  172 mm

Hubley made 2 versions of the Studebaker car.

One was the # 608 sedan, while # 610 was the town car.

As well, they manufactured 2 sizes of the cars. One was the larger version of the # 610 measuring  6 5/8" (167 mm), while the smaller version was called the "Midget Line". THe catalogue numbers were #Q 324 (Sedan) & # 325 (Town Car). They both measured 4 1/4" (118 mm) in length.

If you were to bid on the Hubley Studebaker town car, it would be a good idea to write the auctioneer for the length of this item.

Arcade Cast Iron Cartoon Character (Andy Gump)

Painted cast iron with car & driver

Circa: 1920's-1930's

It's important to note the crank handle in the front of this item. 

Not all of these toys that you'd see at auction or on ebay would have this part. 

It's easy to break off.

Rare Dent Cast Iron Truck Double-Decker Bus
NIckel-plated tires
Length:  10 1/2" 262 mm
Circa: 1920's - 1930's

Freitag Painted Cast Iron Double-Decker Bus
Has passenger/driver inserts (One side missing some figures)
Length:  9 1/4"  235 mm
Circa: 1920's-1930's

Hubley Painted Cast Iron  Fire Trucks

Wheels repainted on long pumper truck

Circa: 1920's

Lengths:  7 7/8" - 14"  200 mm - 355 mm

The Hubley scans below are similar or identical to

the group of photos above. These catalogues

are from the Hubley Catalogues of the 1920's & 1930's

Wilkens Cast Iron Horse with Curved Bed Wagon

Painted cast iron, curved bed wagon, missing driver.

The "driver" shown  is for a car or truck!

Kenton cast iron Overland Circus Wagon
Painted cast iron horse drawn wagon, with driver & bear
Missing 2 horsemen
length: 13 1/2"  342 mm
Circa: 1920's

Once upon a time, a long time ago (1880's-1950's), circuses travelled by road and by train to different cities across North America. As time "marched on", cities got larger, and it was harder for the circuses to find space to set up their tents, or to present their show. Also, in the late 1970's to the present time, circuses became less popular. The animal  protectionists also made very one aware of the fact, that animals did not belong in cages or even in shoos. For some people, this kept them and their families from visiting the circus.

As a young child, my parents took myself and m brother and sister to the circus. By the mid-late 1950's the circus that came to Montreal would be presented indoors at the old Montreal Forum, where the famous Montreal Canadians (Canadiens in French) played.

Gong Bell Company Painted Cast Iron

Circa: 1890's

Length: 8 1/2"  226 mm

The toy above was manufactured by the Gong Bell Company, which was probably the largest and most famous of these pull toys. This toy could be seen all over North America. The toy was simple. A string was attached to the front of the toy, and as the toy was pulled, the bell or bells would chime with something inside the bell, or with a mechanism to hilt the bell. The peak popularity for these toys was from the 1880's - 1920's. As time advanced, toys replicated real things , and toy fire wagons, and carts became more popular. By the 1920's, with cars, trucks, and fire trucks, the bell toys were becoming less and less popular. 

 U.S. Hardware Oarsmen & Coxwain
Painted cast iron, Oars rotate when toy moves.
Pull toy.
Length:  9"  229mm

Like all for the other toy manufacturers presented today, most of them originated as hardware manufacturers before they entered the cast iron toy business. The hardware that they produced was for the home and office. Some of the items manufactured included hinges, handles, and door locks and keys.

This is the first time that I've seen this toy. That's not to say

that it is very rare or will yield a very high price at auction. Perhaps, its' just that I 've never come across the U.S. Hardware Company before.

Kenton Painted Cast Iron Fire Trucks with Painted Wheels

Circa: 1920's

Length"  5 5/8" - 6 5/8"  142 mm - 167 mm

As the horse and wagon began to be replaced by mechanized (motor) trucks, these early fire steam trucks were beginning to replace the horse and wagon fire wagons.

So treat's it for today,and you might want to venture over to the 
auction to see the many other cast iron toys available for auction.

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

A Bertoia Auction of Fine Cast Iron Toys

Monday, November 2, 2015
Seasonally warm and sunny

A Bertoia Auction of Fine

Cast Iron Toys

   I had to debate with myself where to position the word "fine" in today's title. Should in be close to Bertoia as in "A Fine Bertoia Auction" or leave the word where it is.  I chose the latter. I've come to know many auctioneers and sellers, and Bertoia Auction s are a fine company, and the owners , a family are also. 

   When I stopped buying and selling toys on ebay,  Bertoia Auctions was one of the first companies that I wrote to ask for permission to use their photos. They answered with a nicely-written "yes",and I was ready to enter a new phase of blogging. Before, I was limited to a maximum price, but now with exceptional auctioneers, "I could reach for the stars". What's great about auctioneers is that they are people-oriented because they deal with people all f the time. But when I search on the Net, you get to see the people as well. The photos are always with the owners (e.g. Bertoia) and the client sellers) and you get a sense that  most auctioneers truly like what they do, and also like to befriended the people they deal with.

   I've presented a few of today's toys in the past, but when the photos are better than before (larger, or more derails) I like to present them again. 

please click here to visit this fine American auctioneer's website

Many American early cast iron toys were made of fine materials such as the nickel-plated metals in several of the toys below. THe toys were painted with bright colours, and have lasted for these 8 decades and many even earlier, and are true (centenarians). As an aside (changing the subject to venture in a different train of thought), Canada now has 900 centenarians (people 100 years or older) and in 50 years, will have 1900 people 100 years or older!

The Kenton double-chained crank mechanism is a ditcher. It would dig ditches (horizontal lines in the ground) to either have water run off roads, or to embed pipes in the ground. The toy is marvellous for design, and function. A child could have a cast-iron dump truck to receive the sand or dirt that the scoop dug up.

Below is a rarer  Kenton ditcher, that was manufactured for only one year. It would be interesting to know why for only one year! Again, the double-chain movement with nickel-plated  chains(my guess?), bright colours, and 4 scoops, would have been lots of fun for young children.

Canada, as well as most countries removed the pure metals from their change (coins) currency  in the last several decades. Once upon a time, a penny had copper (we no longer have pennies), a nickel was made of nickel from our famous Sudbury, Ontario, Canada mining town, and all other coins (10 , 25 , 50, and 1.000) coins were silver. 

Back in time in the fist half of the 20th century, coins were issued of r currency, and nations wet proud of their currency. In the later part of the 20th century, metals became a "commodity", and the content of coins in terms of their metal "value" far exceeded their face value. In other words, a dollar worn of pennies would be worn $2.00, a nickel was 8 cents, and a  $A1.00 coin of silver was worth  close to $ 10.00.

The name of this tri-mpotor airplane is Ford. I've not researched this, but I'm sure Ford at one time did in fact manufacture an airplane.  The ribbed and horizontal lines of this airplane are not only tactile (touch) but beautiful to look at.  ALso, the design is certainly something "out of the past"!

The toy below is obviously designed from the German Company "Bremen" and is a "Junkers". 

The propeller is nickel-plated. Of course, politics and aggression from Germany would change the world forever in a mere 6 years later.

For myself, "old" is great because I like to study history through them. It's easier to learn from what you enjoy, and learning about toys helps with history. For myself, anything old is fun to enjoy.

   I just got a call from my brother in Calagary who was trying to sell some of out mother's 

porcelain figurines on ebay. He didn't have even one inquiry. Here in Montreal, I'm on several estate sale vendors, and each weened from the spring and summer I get e-mails showing plenty of old merchandise. Fine dish sets, fine figurines, old jewellery, and cutlery.  The new generations are not interested so much in "old", so many of these fine items are purchased at great bargains for now. BUt if one is optimistic, I'm sure in 30- years from now, the younger generation will be older, and perhaps "old' will once again be "new": again, in terms of collecting. 

   Of course "my old" will most likely be different from the younger generations old, buy maybe not?

As the old expression goes, "what comes around goes around". 

   If you told me 6 years ago that I'd be writing about old and antique toys, I'd probably have told toy not (in polite language of course!).  Who would have known then?

Thanks for dropping by to visit,

and as always,

havce a great part of the day or not,

wherever you may be,

Stacey 

toysearcher@gmail.com

D Stands for Dent and "Details"

Friday, November 22, 2013

D Stands for Dent and "Details"

   I like to return periodically to old posts and see what I can add for future posts. today's post is about Dent Cast Iron toys. You don't see cast iron toys (1880's-1940's) very much outside of America. It seems to have been mostly an American "phenom" (American abbreviation for phenomenon) . I have found some cast iron toys made in Sweden though, but not on the scale or timespan as in the USA.

   Dent was one of about 5 American companies who got in at the beginning of the cast iron toy market. Like the other such as Hubley, the company had manufactured hardware cast iron items such as door hinges and handles. Many of the employees of these early companies were Europeans who brought their skills and craft to America. As such, when you look at the  toys in detail, there is much to see. I always have wondered how molten iron could be cast to show such detail. It's not like die cast  where much smaller and finer detail can be shown.

Please click here to visit Bertoia Auction's wonderful website

Like all toys, many of the early Dent toys were reproduced after  real things and people of interest of the time. The early firemen, their horses, wagons, and pumpers were much in demand, and it's amazing how many different models were made by the many different companies of the time.

Most of these toys are called "pull toys", as a string or cord would be attached to the front of the toy, and pulled along the ground. Of course, if you lived in a city, you might be "lucky" to pull the toy on a wooden sidewalk.

I'm always amazed when I read "nickel-plated". Nickel was expensive and to use that as a metal is quire interesting to me. Our 5-cent piece is still called a "nickel" because that's what is was made from. Sadly, its now made from some much less expensive metal.  The first large nickel mine was discovered in Sudbury, Ontario.

If you've never read my blog, you absolutely and positively have to do a search for the Chrysler Airflow. This was a beautifully-desined car that  only was produced for about 3 years due to lagging sales. Of course, the years that it was made were at the time during the Great Depression. There are perhaps 1000 times more toy cars of the Chrysler airflow that were made compared with the original cars that were produced at the time, and that's my conservative estimate! 

Colour was an important factor for toys, and if you look at all the toys on the page, you'll see how many different colours were used. Once again, the wheels are nickel-plated with the centres painted red.

My favourite cast iron or any toy for that matter is one that you can get your hands on to play with!

Those tipping bind are terrific!

When I first saw the street sweeper, I initially though it was another steam roller. However, it tunred out to be a sweeper with a bristle-type of roller that actually moves. I've never seen one of these early toys before.

The fact that all of the pieces (except the steering wheel) is amazing. The posts certainly look wobbly and I wonder if they can come out easily, or were hammered at their bottoms to have them stay intact in their square "holes".

Thanks for dropping by,

and have a very nice part of the day or night,

wherever you may be,

Stacey

toysearcher@gmail.com

More New Discoveries from a Future Auction

Wednesday, September 10, 2013

More New Discoveries

   The Internet has changed how many businesses operate, and one of these is the auction business. People all over the world can now see what is for sale at most auctions, and bid either on the Internet or by telephone. You have to register, and provide information in order to be able to bid. The specific area of antique toys is no different. If you venture forth to Liveauctioneers (there are several other sites), you can see future auctions from all auctioneers up to several months in advance.  The Bertoia Auctions items that I am presenting today are from the November 8-10, 2013 auction, which is titled  "Christmas Wishes". Because it is planned for November, you will not see it yet on Liveauctionners, but can now find it on Bertoia Auctions Website . You can click on the below Bertoia's logo to redirect to their fine website.

Please click here to redirect to Bertoia Auctions excellent website

  Bertoia Auctions is an outstanding auction house that specializes in antique toys. Like all of my other blogs, I am able to use their photographs for my blogs. I also do not get paid from anyone to write about them or their auctions, so I a write what I honestly and freely. Bertoia auctions is a family run business.

  Jeanne Bertoia is the owner of the business, started with her late husbund Bill. Jeanne is collector and dealer of antique toys, and is the President of the  Antique Toy Collectors Club of America. If you ever watch any of the many antique shows on TV, you may even seen her there discussing toys with collectors. 

  Bill Bertoia is Jeanne's brother-in-law and is the auction cataloguer and auction coordinator. I have had the pleasure of speaking with Bill when I first asked for permission to write about Bertoia and to use their fabulous database of antique toys. Like Jeanne, he's very knowledgeable about toys, and has written several books on the subject. I've even come across his book "Antique Motor Cycles" being cited when certain antique toy motorcycles are presented for sale on other websites.

Michael Bertoia is Jeanne's son and Bill's nephew. His passion for toys strted as a young child, and after graduating university with a B.A. in Business Administration, he joined Bertoia Auctions. He's the one who has used the new technologies such as software programs for the graphic design and their catalogues and advertising. He also represents Bertoia Auctions by travelling to antique shows both in the USA and Europe. I bought a Bertoia catalogue once and its well designed and of course, the written descriptions and the photographs are excellent. 

Bertoia Auctions has two of these toys for sale. This is the one in better condition, although the figures (people)are replacements. The rear passengers are quite small,so I had to look at the other listing of this toy. That's how the 2 people are in the other car!  

Compositiomn is a very important element to photography, and this is how I was attracted to this toy. Repetition of forms or shapes (circles, triangles, lines) are all important design elements to a good photograph.

The  ornate design of the gold-coloured hose reel caught my attention here. The rear fireman also caught my attention, as well as the 3 horses. In these old  fire wagons, 2,3 or 4 reams of horses can pull such wagons.

Of course, what would an auction titled  "Christmas Wishes" be without a Christmas toy!

Antique toy companies would often have name brands on a certain run of their toys. I checked by searching for Hathaway bread, and came up with some Hathaway signs on Liveauctioneers. My first search using the words "Hathaway Bakery" came with with Warren Buffet's company Berkshire Hathaway.

Once again, the design and compositional elements attracted my attention to this item. I don't know if it's a toy (the written description says so), or a model, but  it's beautiful. The contrast of the straight and curved pumping handles with the circular wheels  gets your attention. As well, the handles remind me of galloping horses or a grasshopper's legs.

The cupola at the top of the steamboat, and the anchor caught my attention for this toy. Also, this is a relatively big pull toy.

I couldn't be 100&% sure if I never wrote or presented this item. However 2 things attracted my attention to it. One is the curved S-shaped repeating line on the side of the hood cover, and the other is the one-piece nickel-plated tow at the back of the truck. Anod of course, the name "LaSalle". There are not too many toys modelled on the Lasalle,and I don't think I've ever seen a LaSalle truck.  Do me a favour, and do a search for Tootsietoy Grahams and Tootsietoy LaSalles on the Bertoia Auctions Website (under Past auctions". You will be in for a pleasant surprise!

The name "Parmalee" (never heard it before),and the actual toy (never saw it before) caught my attention here.

Just like the small-proportioned people in the first car photo caught my attention, so it is with the very large-proportioned yellow boom at the end of this wrecker. Also the open cab design (no roof) caught my attention as well. 

If you're new to looking at old and antique toys, just redirect yourself to Bertoia Auctions by clicking on the sentence under their logo. There are lots and lots of toys there for you to see. Just be sure that you don't spend too much time there, especially if you have chores to do around the house, or you're at work!

Thanks for dropping by to visit,

and have a great part of the day or night,

whereer you may be.

Stacey 

(toysearcher@gmail.com)