Mr. Christopher Ferrone Sends me a Christmas Present

Sunday, December 8, 2024

2° C / 36 F

Variable Sun and Cloud

Mr. Christopher Ferrone

Sends Me a Christmas Present

(Part 1)

Sometimes, coincidences happen for no reason at all, and the results are euphoria and elation. And so it happened with myself and Mr. Christopher Ferrone.

 Christopher contacted me a few years ago. He's a very busy businessman in Chicago, but he finds the time to restore toys. He's a real craftsman, and his finished toys are beautiful. I asked if I could use his photos to write a post, and I have had the pleasure to present his wonderful toy restorations on my blog. From one post, I have been writing blog posts about Christopher and his fantastic restorations and creations for a few years now. Several years later, he's still taking the time to send me lots of photos to be able to present his wonderful talent, skills, craftsmanship, and restorations.

In the last several weeks, I had wanted to write to Christopher, but backed off. I figured that the time is near to Christmas, and he might be busy, and so I backed off, and didn't write to him. As luck would have it, he wrote me a few days ago, and sent a large group of photos of his latest masterpiece. 

Sometimes happenstance (coincidence) just happens.

Christopher built a composite railway flatbed car with a steam-shovel on the flatbed. He sent me a photo of a drawing from the web of what he used to create his latest toy.  

Please click on this sentence  to redirect to the sketch that he built his unique toy.

Christopher is an exceptional craftsman, and most certainly knows the skills in creating  this most unique toy. The model from which he built this fine toy was based on a drawing that he saw on the 'Net.

The photo below shows you what Christopher started out with.

It's the cabin that will become control room for the steam-shovel.

Below is a salvaged train engine with coal bin toy

The image below shows how the cabin section 

will be removed.

Below is a top view illustrating the parts used

to move the bucket up and down.

The next 2 photos below show you how the

 parts are used to move the bucket up and down.

The image below shows the completed  bucket

with its' parts to move the scoop up and down.

The photo above shows the beginning of the toy,

while the photo below shows the control room.

The photo below shows the control room

with its' door 

The photo below shows an almost finished bucket with its' control room.

The photo below shows the toy from a side view.

Christopher certainly has a myriad of skills needed to have created 

this one-of-a-kind toy. Of course, he still had to sand the parts, 

and then later, paint the toy.

On the next blog post, you'll see how he painstakingly worked on this special toy.

As always, thanks for dropping by,

and have a Very Happy Holiday and a Happy New Year.

My name is Mr. Stacey Bindman

and I an always be reached at toysearher@gmail.com

 

The Henry Ford (Museum) Revisited

Monday, December 2, 2024

29° F / -2° C

Sunny with some clouds

Revisiting The Henry Ford (Museum)

Please click on this sentence to visit The Henry Ford Museum

I decided to write another post post about The Henry Ford (Museum),

 so I wrote them for their permission.  Within a short time, I received 

permission one of the reference librarians to post again.  

Months ago, I "discovered"  this marvellous website that Mr.Henry Ford created, along with all of the people working for this exceptional resource and museum. 

If I ever go to Detroit Michigan (U.S.A.), the place that I would want to visit is

this fantastic museum, with all of its' different areas for seeing so many different things. I would have to visit the toy museum section, before everything else.

My second choice would be the car section of the museum.

The toy section on the web is very carefully catalogued. I've only used 

the photos and  their descriptions, but  like a library, this museum's

contents have been  carefully sorted and catalogued for reference purposes.

Once again, each and every toy has a vast amount of

detailed information.The Henry Ford (Museum) website would be 

an excellent resource and reference site to research toys.

For this PlaySchool toy, you can see  all of the detail and work that goes into 

classifying each and every toy item in this special toy area of the Museum.

The magnified beetle below is described as follows:

Summary

"Small tin toys were first made during the 1860's, especially in and 

around Nuremburg, Germany. This beetle was made by the 

Lehmann Company, a German manufacturer known for its colorful 

and detailed mechanized tin toys.Winding the clockwork mechanism 

makes this beetle walk and flap its' wings".

The beetle below was made in 1895.

Below

Toy Soldier, 1840-1860

Creator Unknown

Material

Wood (plantMaterial)

Paint (Coating)

Dimensions

Length:  5.625 in  (14.2875 cm)

Width:  2.375  in (6.0325 cm)

Height:   6 in  (15.24 cm)

Below

Toy Airplane 

Date Made: 1948-1950

Manufacturer

Made by All Metal Products (Wyandotte Toys) 

in Wyandotte, Michigan (U.S.A.)

Material

Steel (Alloy)

Cardboard

Color

Blue

Red

Dimensions

Height:  2.5 in. (6.35 cm)

        Width:  10.25 in. (26.035 cm)

Length: 10" (25.4 cm)

So that's it for today.

Thanks for visiting my website, and please visit the 

The Henry Ford Museum. It's a fascinating resource for 

not just toys, but for all kinds of other things (especially cars).

As always, thanks for visiting,

and have a great part of the day or evening,

wherever you may be.

My name is (Mr.) Stacey Bindman

and I  can always be reached atA:

toysearcher@gmail.com

 

 

Dockerills Antiques & Collectibles

Wednesday, March 26, 2024

10° C / 50° F @ 11:30 AM

Sunny with Clouds

Dockerills

Antiques & Collectibles

Please click here to visit this fine website

Good morning, afternoon, or evening to everyone. My typical day starts with

 going to my computer and check my e-mails. After,  check my Google

"stats" to see how many people visited my website. After, it's breakfast, followed 

by a short timespan of searching for interesting websites related to toys.

When I first found Mr. Kevin Dockerill's website 

"Dockerills Antiques & Collectibles" on Shopify.

I didn't see any toys or any other collectibles.  Of course, I've learned long ago not to "judge a book by its' cover"! Sure enough, as I began  to explore Kevin's website, it got more and more interesting, until I found what I was searching for - toys!

What's interesting about Kevin's website is the fact that "most" of his toys are reproductions.

When you read lower down, you'll understand why I bracketed the word "most"!

Of course, people who like toys will collect these fine toys. 

What's great on  Dockerills Antiques and Collectibles

is the fact that these toys are based on toys that were around a generation ago.

As such, Kevin had created a most-unique reference website. His information is valuable 

to know what theses toys looked like. And of course, one never knows if you'll come across the original toys from that period.

Above: Hawkey Type E Fire Patrol Truck 1924. Tin Plate

Clockwork Toy, Kovap, Czech Republic.

"Original tin plate "Hawkey Type E Fire Patrol 1924 reproduction

produced in the Czech Republic. Toy and ladder marked Kovap. The ladder

is moveable and rotates.

Length:  Approximately 8.5 inches / 21.59 cm

Above: Dinky Toys Bedford Refuse Wagon No. 25V Meccano

"Vintage die cast Dinky Toy introduced in1948. Rear tipper

mechanism. With sliding/opening side panels, opening rear door."

Length:  4.25 inches / 10.795 cm

Above: Dinky Toys  Tipping Wagon No. 25e Meccano

"Vintage die cast Dinky Toy. Third type chassis. Produced from 1948 to 1950.

Length:  4.25 inches / 10.795 cm

Above: Zetor Tractor & Trailer, Kovap, Chech Republic

"Original tin plate "Zetor" tractor. Toy marked Kopap"

This toy moves with a gear with 3 forward gears anbd one reverse,

also with a working hand brake and working steering.

The trailer has an opening rear flap."

Tractor and trailer together  are 13 inches ( 33 cm)

This is a modern-era toy.

Above: Acorazado Espana / Battleship Espana - 1931,

Paya, Spain. Vintage Tin Plate Clockwork Bus Toy.

This is a later reproduction of the original vintage tin plate "Acorazado Respana".

The original toy was first produced in 1931. This limited edition example

was remanufactured with original tooling by the Paya co-op, 

Spain in 19xx.

I also  found other sections on Kevin's website.

Below is one section

When you click on the picture section above on Kevin's website,

you will redirected to a new section on toys.

That was my "Eureka Moment" of the day.

There, I found  toys, but old toys from the 1950's.

Above:

Dinky Supertoys Guy Flat Truck No. 513

Vintage die cast

1940's - 1050's 

box: 

Length x width x height

5.50" x 2.00" x 1.75"

19.97 cm x 5.08 cm x 4.445 cm

Below:

Another interesting section of Kevin's store on Shopify

is the section below. If you like interesting

collectibles, such as the individual ones below, then you'll further enjoy 

Kevin's website.

I truly enjoyed writing this post. Kevin's site is very interesting.

But what I most enjoyed is a memory from a long time ago.

My father used to take my brother and I  fishing. 

(Our sister never came along.)

Fishing was fun, because you never knew what you might catch, and most of

all, we were with my father. He was a hard worker, and the time in the summer

was very special.

But what I learned  about fishing with my father was  an important 

part of the character of a person.  

I learned to appreciate important time with special people, 

and I learned to be patient.

That came back to me when  I found the Dinky 513 Truck toy!

So thanks for dropping by,

and as always,

have a great part of the day or night,

wherever you may be.

My name is (Mr.) Stacey Bindman

and I can always be reached at:

toysearcher@gmail.com

Bertoia Auctions Modernizes Their Excellent Photography

 Thursday, February  16, 2023

 Overcast

 4° C  39.2° F 

Bertoia Auctions Modernizes

Their Excellent Photography

Please click here to visit their excellent website

    Bertoia Auctions was one of the first toy auctioneers that I received permission to use their photos, and to write about their excellent auction company. They're located in Vineland, New Jersey, USA. It's a family-run business that started out. with the late Mr. Bill Bertoia. His brother was also part of the business, but sadly, passed on several years ago. Currently Bill's children and wife. manage to continue the excellence of this well-established company.

      I had not been writing for a while, and so when I visited their fine website, I was taken aback (surprised). Their most-recent  photography of their auction listings had changed. Toys  were now  placed on a white background and foundation, compared with before, when they were placed on grey. The toys stand out much better, and there is less work to light up the toys. Their photography has always been excellent, but now they have improved upon it even more. 

↑

Above: 

Cast Iron Comic Character Toy Lot

Cast Iron, Circa 1910-1920.

Lot includes two cast iron Kenton wagon toys with 

Alphonse and/or Gloomy Gus, along with a

Mutt & Jeff still coin bank.

Length: 10" 25.4 cm

↓

Below:

Girl Skipping Rope Mechanical Bank

Cast Iron J & E Stevens Company

One of the more popular mechanical banks ever produced.

Height: 8.5". 20.32 cm

       As you can see, both pairs of photos are excellent. However, for myself, I prefer the white background. The toy and its' details present themselves so much better than on a grey or black background. Also, taking the photograph and recording detail is so much easier. Dark toys with dark colours or grey.black tones are difficult, as the colours will merge with the background colour or tones.  On white, detail is very easily seen, although a white toy on a white background might present some difficulty.

    So that's it for today. 

Thanks for dropping by,

And as always,

Have a great part of the day or night,

wherever you may be.

and I can always be reached at:

toysearcher@gmail.com

(Mr.) Stacey Bindman

    

    

    

Revisiting Mr. Mark L. Hartman

 Saturday, March 6, 2021
 Cloudy with Sun,

 -8 C.  ( 17.7 F)

Revisiting Mr. Mark L. Hartman

          I don't know about you, the reader, but I find that the older I get (I'm 72), the faster the time goes by. On July 31, 2014, I had the pleasure to add a post about Mr. Mark L. Hartman. Below is the link to that original post on my blog:

https://oldantiquetoys.blogspot.com/2014/07/rare-buddy-l-wooden-toys-from-war-years.html

        Fast forward and here's how I am writing this post. Someone from an Historic society wrote to me asking if she could use some of Mark's excellent photos from that blog post. So, I wrote to Mark, reminded him who I was (after 7 years, it's a long time for a busy person to remember who I am), and asked for his permission for this woman to use his photos. Being such a kind and good-natured person, and a great businessman, he wrote back and gave me the permission. 

     I had to check the old post to gather the information to check Mark's e-mail address on ebay.  I easily found it, and when I went to his "store", there were some very fine toys that I had not seen, just as when I had written to his 7 years ago. 

      

            

You can click on the link below to redirect to Mark's 

https://www.ebay.com/usr/toyman1955

 EXTREMELY RARE Early Marx Toys (New York, NY) Pressed Steel Ford Square Fender Cab "SEARS ALLSTATE HYDRAULIC DUMP GRAIN HAULER TRACTOR TRAILER TRUCK" Circa 1962-63 piece - THIS IS AN EXTREMELY RARE MARX TOYS SEARS ALLSTATE GRAIN HAULER TRACTOR TRAILER TRUCK IN STRONG ORIGINAL CONDITION - PIECE IS 100% ORIGINAL AND ALMOST COMPLETE (MISSING TRAILER REAR GRAIN DOOR) - MARX TOYS MADE THESE THIS SERIES OF TRUCKS FOR SEARS ROEBUCK CO. TO BE SOLD SOLELY THRU THEIR DEPARTMENT STORES - THIS IS A VERY HARD TO FIND VERSION OF THE SEARS ALLSTATE TRUCKS SERIES - ORIGINAL RED PAINTED CAB AND LITHOGRAPHY PAINTED TRAILER AND DECALS - HYDRAULIC PISTON DRIVEN DUMP ACTION WORKS BUT DOES GO UP VERY FAST - A VERY STRONG EXAMPLE OF THIS RARE SEARS ALLSTATE PIECE THAT YOU WILL HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO OWN - DON'T LET THIS BEAUTY SLIP THRU YOUR FINGERS - BUY THEM WHEN YOU CAN FIND THEM IN THIS ORIGINAL CONDITION!!!  toys and  This 27-5/8" long Pressed Steel piece dates from the early '60's.

        I have to leave now, but I'll be adding another post about Mark's other toys that he has for sale currently. The above toy is from his personal collection, and as I am writing, there are currently 26 toy collectors bidding on this rare toy.

        So that's it for today. It's nice to reconnect with an old person that I have had the pleasure to write about learn about toys.

 Please take very careful care of yourself and your family!

Up here in Montreal, Quebec (Canada), I'm finally (after a year of waiting)

going to get my Covid-19  first vaccination. The medical people, people in their  

80's and 90's, caregivers, hospital nurses and aides, and others have already got then vaccination.

I'll be much relieved when I get my vaccine on March 19!

I know that some of you may not believe in this pandemic, but it is 

real, and too many people have been sickened and died from this horrific virus!

As always,

Thanks for dropping by,

and have a great day.

Stacey Bindman

Toysearcher@gmail.com