Meier Toys

Friday, December 2, 2016
Cloud with sun
6 Celsius 41 Fahrenheit

Meier Toys

Please click here to visit this fine American toy auctioneer

(Johann Philip) Meier Toys

The Meier toy company was located in Nuremberg in the 1880's and later. It produced lithographed tin toys. The parts of these toys were cut and the pieces would be sent to people (usually unskilled) to assemble in their homes. The pieces were usually mirrored images of each other., and had small tabs that would be fitted into small slots. The toys were very popular and the major market was Great Britain. Most of these topes are called "Penny Toys". They were inexpensive to make, and were sold wholesale to importers who would then sell them to street "merchants" who would sell them for a penny. Even at these low prices, there were profits to be made by these venders.

The Penny Toys were popular from the 1880's  to 1914 , the start of WWI. Many of these toys were mobile with the toy on a rolling platform with 4 wheels. On some toys, the head of an animal would move. The identification of the Meier toys appears to have the words or name of "Ges. Gesch"

The toy above is more complicated, and appears to have a flywheel mechanism.

This toy had a small lever at the back of the toy. When pushed into the toy, 

the dog jumps through a hoop. This toy doesn't have a set of wheels.

There are 2 toys in this post that have small lids that can be opened from the top. 

The small container was for candies to be placed.

In the toy above, the boat is held in place by a rod through the bottom. As the toy is 

moved on the floor, or is pulled by a cord, the boat will rock back and forth.

This Ferris wheel rotates in a full circle.  The two halves of people do not attach together. 

As such, the inner halves are not lithographed, but are exposed tin.

The toys immediately above have moveable heads. As the toy is pulled or 

pushed on the ground, the head "bobs" up and down. You can see a small hole at the front 

of the green platform, where a cord would be tied through the hole.

You can see in the toy above that the inner sides of the cyclists was not painted.

 Rust has oxidized the inner surfaces.

Finally, the toy above has a pair of children that move back and forth. This toy was a stationary toy (did not move). The swing was pushed, and  children watched as the pair of children swung back band forth.

It's very interesting that the Meier company and several other companies made so many different designs  of their toys. But I assume that even by selling toys by hundreds at a time of one kind, not only did the Meier company make money, but so did the street venders. 

As far as the size of these toys go, they were small, ranging in size from 2" - 4" in length.

More surprisingly is what these toys sell for today.  The prices can range from $ 200.00 American (sometimes lower) up to $ 100.00 USD. This is certainly "not bad" for a toy that once sold for a penny!

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

CMC Classic Model Cars

Tuesday, March 20, 2013
            (Post # 2 of the day)

CMC Classic Model Cars

Introduction

   On Monday (March 18, 2013) I received  great news. I would be permitted to use the photographs of a model maker company  located in Germany called CMC GmbH.  The CMC stands for Classic Model Cars. I wrote about Mr. Marshall L. Buck on February 19, 2013, and recently about Pocher. 

  A "model"  is totally different from a toy in the sense that it is a collectible item, and not something to be "played with". Also, most companies making models warn the owner not to allow very young children to play with these items,or to get too close to them.  They have many small metal parts and other materials that could easily be swallowed, or broken off.

  After I had discovered Marshall L.Buck, an exceptional and talented model maker when I first learned about this "new world". From there, I was hooked, and have been writing bout models, as well as old and antique toys.

The Company : 

CMC Classic Model  Cars

   CMC established its own factory in Stuttgart, Germany in 1998. The company is headquartered there, and crafts their excellent products in China.  Lots of research and effort is made before any model is finally destined for production. Accuracy attention to detail are synonymous with CMC, and they have been very successful in the manufacture of these cars. their high-quality has led to many awards from various associations around the world. You can easily find that information at their site.

   The company produces a range of scales from 1:12 (very large in the model world)  to 1:18, 1:24, and 1:43 (the smallest). Assembly is carefully done by hand,  and involves "on average" 1200 parts!

Recent items such as the Mercedes SSKL (M-055) have increased to 1,888 parts, an astronomical amount of parts for any item!

   The parts are made from stainless steel, copper, or aluminum, and can also be made of zinc alloys. Quality paint is used for the body finish, and certain parts may be made from leather, textile, or carpet, depending on the part or areas in question.

   I'm not going to present my usual number of photos, because, that I'm going to save for later posts.  However, with today's photos,you will see the superb quality, detail, and photography that this company had placed in their product. 

  There is one final piece of information to mention with regard to these models. There is lots of information about the original cars that these models re made from. That is fantastic, if you like to know what the original car was all about!

PRESS HERE for the CMC USA Link

Press Here for List of World Websites

Please enlarge these photos to see the unbelievable detail that goes into each and every car. I'm unable to present these photos larger, since Blogger doesn't allow the writer to change templates. Consequently my 362 posts all have to be in the same layout and design!

I decided to post today because this company and website are so interesting.

Thanks for visiting,

and have a great day, wherever you may be.

Stacey