1920's Kenton Sedans

Sunday, January 21, 2018
Overcast
+3 C  37.4 F

The 1920's Kenton Automobiles

Please go to liveauctioneers to view Bertoia Auctions Kenton Cars

 The Kenton Hardware Company, located in Kenton Ohio, was a hardware

company that manufactured locks and cast iron toys. It existed from 1890-1952.

It was initially called The Kenton Lock Manufacturing Company. The company cast locks and toys in what is called the sand mold process. Two sand molds (for each half of the toy) were  made, and molten iron was poured into the mold. Once the mold cooled it was removed, From there, the cast iron half was cleaned up and filed for excess iron. As time moved on, it became very expensive to transport merchandise by trin in the USA and the world. Eventually, the cast iron process and these fine toys stopped being produced.

Kenton "Sears" Sedan Toy

Cast iron, produced and sold for Sears stores

Large scale toy

Seated driver, spare tire

Embossed spare tire reads "Stop 1925"

Kenton  Sedan 

Cast iron,  very rare example

Largest  sedan produced by Kenton

Seated driver, spare tire

Embossed spare tire reads "Stop 1925"

Length:  12 1/4"  312 mm

Kenton  Sedan 

Cast iron, blue body, black running boards

Trimmed in gold and silver

Disc wheels painted

Seated driver, spare tire

Embossed spare tire reads "Stop 1925"

Length:  8 1/2"  (216 mm)

Kenton Sedan

Largest in the series

Painted in orange body,

spoke wheels are red with silver trimmed wheels,

black running boards m rear mounted spare

Circa 1925

Length:  10"  254 mm

Kenton Sedan

Scarce example, painted in red, 

black roof and running boards

disc wheels done  in silver and red centers

Length:  10"  254 mm

Kenton Sedan

Length: 6 1/2"  165 mm

Kenton Sedan

Cast iron, painted in blue with orange striping

Nickel disc wheels have painted centers

Smallest in this scare series

Length:  5 1/2"  140 mm

Kenton Sedan,

Scare size,

green overall with silver trim and nickel-plated disc wheels

Spare tire on rear

Length:  7 1/2"  191 mm

A Surprise Hello from Antiquetoys

Monday, November 28, 2016
Clouds with some sun
1 Celsius 34 Fahrenheit

A Surprise Hello 

from Antiquetoys

Please click on this line to visit this excellent website

I was checking my e-mails today, when I received a surprise note from Ed of Antiquetoys. He'd sent me his greetings and said that I had not contacted him in a while.In the e-mail he had 2 nice photos of a new acquisition. It was an old Kenton cast iron car. I tried to find it in my Kenton catalogues, but couldn't. In Ed's e-mail, he did mention that this toy appeared to have not been catalogued.

What's interesting in the driver & automobile toy below is that I could not find it in any Kenton catalogue. I would wonder if that makers it more desirable as a collectible toy?

 Cast iron Kenton automobile with a nickel-plated driver.

 length : 7" ( 178mm).

The toy below is a frog bank (two frogs).

A coin is placed on the small black plate that the lying down frog is holding in its' hands.

When a lever is pressed, the small frog appears to kick the coin into the larger frogs mouth,

and the mouth closed.

J & E. Stevens

Circa 1882

What's interesting about this bank is the condition that it is in. 

For a toy approximately 134 years old, it's certainly in great shape.

I'm glad that Ed wrote to me, as I was able to check his website and find that 

fine mechanical bank of the two frogs, as well as the photos of the Kenton car.

On days like this my work is made all the more easier!

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

Bertoia Auctions' November 11-13,2016 Auction

Thursday, October 20, 2015
Cloudy 
13 Celcius 56 Fahrenheit

Bertoia Auctions' November 11-13, 2016

( Some Kenton Examples with their Respective Catalogue Scans)

Please click here to visit this outstanding American Auction Company

I've been very fortunate to have been allowed to use Bertoia Auctions toys photos and descriptions.
They have excellent photography and well-researched descriptions of their toys. THe best is when I am able to use their excellent photography to match them up to old catalogue photos. It's like matching up a new stamp in your collection to the image in your stamp album where the anew stamp will go.

For the final image, I selected a new found Kenton toy that I have never seen before.

Kenton "Century of Progress" Train Engine

Very rare example, cast iron, painted i green and white overall, 

stencilled "Century" om roof, Dick Ford Collection=.

Length:  7 1/2"   190.5 mm

So "that's a rap" for today. I hope that you enjoy this post 

as much as I enjoyed putting it together.

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

Some Kenton Trucks Newly Discovered

Friday, August 8, 2014
                Sunny and hot

Some Kenton Trucks- 

Newly Discovered

   I was searching for future posts the other day (on Liveauctioneers), when I came across a Kenton water sprinkler truck. I had recently written about some pressed steel water sprinkler trucks (1930's), so perhaps I had "sprinklers" on my mind. Also, it's been quite hot and sunny lately, and of course, I have t water the lawn.

"Kenton Toys

Kenton Hardware Co. history

Founded by F.M. Perkins in Kenton, Ohio. This company (1890 - 1952) was first known as the Kenton Lock Manufacturing Co., and incorporated in May, 1890. Perkins was interested in a factory to make his patented refrigerator locks and used temporary quarters at the J. Forbins Scroll Mill in Kenton as his first site.

Toy production began in 1894 because of patent disputes with a line of horse-drawn fire equipment, banks, and toy stoves and the name was changed to the Kenton Hardware Manufacturing Co.

In 1903 Kenton became part of National Novelty Corp. (a big company at the time), and it continued its toy line under the name Wing Mfg. Co.

Involved in several unsuccessful takeovers, it eventually emerged as a separate unit, the Kenton Hardware Co., and again produced toys successfully from 1920-1935. Very early Kenton toys were not marked; only about ten percent of everything they made was marked. Those toys that were marked are plainly imprinted with the company name on the underside of the toy. In 1927 most of the company's toy production was horsedrawn toys, but this was phased out to be replaced by automotive toys. A few large automotive toys first appeared in 1923, but most were produced between 1933 and 1940. Small automotive toys in the 10¢ and 250 category, from 4 to 6 inches long, were made in the 1930s.

Kenton ceased production in 1952 and assets were sold in 1953. The Littlestown Hardware & Foundry acquired many Kenton toy designs and marketed them under the brand "Utexiqual". Littlestown folded in 1982."*

History of the Kenton Toy Company Courtesy of Fabtintoys (Mr.Harmjan Heeling) 

Please click here to redirect to Harmjan Heeling's fabulous reference 

website on ebay about all kinds of toy histories

This particular model is cast iron and came in several different colour themes and 2 sizes.

The toy below is a massive 16" ( 406 mm). It's easily passed over when searching because the design and proportions are very similar to the smaller model (7" / 178  mm).

And now the gem of the group…..

The model below is extremely rare, with only 2 (so far) having a known existence. It's also a "massive" 16" ( 406 mm) long, which is quite big for a cast iron toy, and I'm sure is quite heavy!

The beautiful red spoke wheels contrast well with the overall blue and gold trim of the water sprinkler. 

Imagine; there are only 2 known examples of this Kenton truck to have been found to date.

I'm starting to look for the third!

Thanks for dropping by to visit,

and as always,

have a great part of the day or night,

wherever you may be.

Stacey

toysearcher@gmail.com

The Kenton Hardware Company

Tuesday, March  5, 2013

The Kenton Hardware Company

   The Kenton Lock Manufacturing Company first started out in 1890.  Like many of the other hardware companies of the time, they produced cast iron products for the home. However, many similar companies entered the cast iron toy market, and the Kenton company joined in.  The cast iron toys ranged from toy stoves, banks, horse-draws carts and wagons, cars and trucks, and eventually cap pistols. Their most famous cap pistol was the Gene Autrey version first produced in 1938. Eventually, at one time, the Kenton Hardware Company, as it later became known as, became one of the world's largest producer of  cast iron toys.

http://www.morphyauctions.com

(Please press on the address above to be redirected to the fine website Morphy Auctions)

What's interesting about the toy above and the one below is the continuity of the cement mixer. A popular toy in the early years was redesigned and adapted to the age of the machine. 

The Kenton "Buckeye Ditcher" ditch digger is rare in 2 aspects. The first is that cast iron toys were usually not so  complex in terms if movement and design, as well as being made of 2 different metals. 

The second, is that due to its complexity in the cast iron division of toys, it's rare and usually fetches a high price at auction.

What's always interesting to see in the earlier era of toys (e.g. cast iron) that most companies would produce and sell similar models. The British double-decker bus, Lindburgh's airplane, and the Zeppelin are just some examples that can be found from all of the major cast iron manufacturers.

Above is another fine example of a cast iron airplane composed of nickel-plated iron wheels,and cast iron body. AS well, the airplane was one of the more common toys produced among all of the major cast iron toy factories of the time.

Thanks for dropping by, 
and have a great part of the day,
wherever you may be.

Stacey