I'm Popeye The Sailor Man

Saturday, April 14, 2018
Overcast
0 C   32 F

I'm Popeye The

Sailor Man

Please click here to visit this exceptional American Toy Auctioneer

I haven't been posting lately. I'm a bit "pooped out", and after 1405 posts, you get tired of writing and trying to find new material. I was awaiting several people who said they were going to send me photos to write their posts, but they probably were busy with their everyday regimen.

Easter and Passover came and went, and today is almost the middle of the month of April. The weather forecast is predicting overcast skies with freezing rain and between 4-10 cm (2-5 inches) of snow. I thought Passover was over, and there weren't going to be any more plagues! The good news is that my tulips are growing and their leaves are showing through the earth. Our small city throws away the tulip bulbs at the end of the summer, and allows us to "salvage" them . That's great, and I save money as well whenever something is offered "for free". The city's rational is that it's less-expensive to buy new tulip bulbs, than to clean and store old ones. My gain, their loss.

Returning to today's topic, the upcoming auction for Bertoia Auctions is scheduled for  April 27-28, 2018.  Bertoia Auctions has lots of fine toys, but my eye was attracted to a small collection of Popeye toys. 

Popeye the Sailor is a cartoon fictional character created by Elzie Crisler Segar.^] The character first appeared in the dailyKing Features comic strip. , Thimble Theatre, on January 17, 1929, and Popeye became the strip's title in later years; Popeye has also appeared in theatrical and animated cartoons.

Segar's Thimble Theatre strip was in its 10th year when Popeye made his debut, but the one-eyed (left) sailor quickly became the main focus of the strip, and Thimble Theatre became one of King Features' most popular properties during the 1930s. After Segar's death in 1938, Thimble Theatre was continued by several writers and artist, most notably Segar's assistant Bud Sagendorf. The strip continues to appear in first-run installments in its Sunday edition, written and drawn by Hy Eisman. The daily strips are reprints  of old Sagendorf stories.

In 1933, Max Fleisher  adapted the Thimble Theatre characters into a series of  Popeye the sailor theatrical cartoon shorts for Paramount Pictures.These cartoons proved to be among the most popular of the 1930s, and Fleischer—and later Paramount's own Famous Studios—continued production through 1957. These cartoon shorts are now owned by Turner Entertainment, a subsidiary of Time Warner , and distributed by its sister company Warner Bros. Entertainment.*

Courtesy of Wikipedia*

Chein Lithographed tin toy depicts Popeye speed punching a celluloid bag

suspended from a canopy on a wire frame. The box is a replacement.

Circa 1930's

Height:  10"  25.4 cm 

Linemar (Japan) lithographed tin, battery operated action toy

depicts Popeye sitting on an oversized spinach can, while smoking his pipe and waving.

Circa 1958

Height:  9"  22.8 cm

Linemar (Japan) colourful tin depiction of Popeye on a tricycle,

with cloth pants and a bell on the back ringing as the bike rides.

Height:  7"  17.8 cm

Scarce Linemar (Japan) colourful lithographed toy

characters, have spring bodies attached on a hand car.

Length:  7"  17.8 cm

, pressed steel

rowboat. Clockwork mechanism causes oaring motion.

Length:  15"  38 cm

One of the rarest of the Japanese Popeye Toys (Linemar) 

lithographed tin with a windup under the rear of the plane.

CIrca 1950's

Length:  6"  15.2 cm

Linemar (Japan) lithographed tin, windup actiomn causes

Olive Oyl's chair to spin as Popeye balances it from his mouth.

Height:  9"  22.8 cm

Linemar (Japan) lithographed tin with battery-operated remote control

action, when activated Popeye simulates rowing motion.

Circa 1958

Length:  10"  25.4 cm

Celluloid figure of Popeye standing in an open tin cart

drawn by a tin lithographed horse, key wind driven, with original box.

Length:  7.5"  19 cm

I only selected 9 images out of a total of 20 from the Bertoia Auctions website. 

Have a look at the other toys there on the Bertoia website, to see the other wonderful

Popeye toys there. Also, I noticed that the size of the images are very large, which allows for easy viewing of the toys, and their details.

So that's it for today,

Have a great part of the day or night.

Stacey Bindman

toysearcher@gmail.com

A Reader Asks for Help with a Nice Cor-Cor Train

Friday, February 10, 2017
Sunny and Very Cold
-12 C  10.4 F

A Reader asks for Help with a Cor-Cor Train

Periodically, I get inquiries from readers about what the value of their toys are. And so, that was the case when Debbie Dean write to me about 3 weeks ago. Debbie has a nice Cor-Cor train, but up until today, I couldn't find any results for the value. However, I did find 1 result when I did a Google search  for "Cor-Cor Train". The result was  $ 80.00 US, but the result on iCollector wasn't as nice as Debbie's.

The reason for today's post is to ask you (my readers), if you have one of these 1920's-1930's train sets, and if you might know the value of it. I was surprised at the low value on iCollector because Cor-Cor cars achieve nice dollar values. If you do a search on Bertoia Auctions website, you'll see what I mean.

Below are the nice photos that Debbie Dean sent me. I had to ask Debbie to make the photos larger in size so I could work with them in Photoshop, and present them online. If you ever plan on asking me or anyone on the Net for the value of your toy, a good idea is to also include the sizes of the toys. Also, when sending photos, present nice photos without distractions, and their sizes should be at least 4" x 6" (100 mm x 130 mm) in size @ 300 dpi.

Update:

If you send photos of a toy to me, please give the dimensions (size) to me.

Manufacturers sometimes make toys in different sizes, 

so knowing the exact size of any toy is important

I like how Debbie presented her toys on an almost single coloured carpet. The texture of the carpet also enhances the photo.

So, if anyone out there has one of these nice Cor-Cor train sets, would you be so kind as to send me any information of their value, and I'll pass on the information to Debbie Dean.

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

The "Buddy L" Outdoor Railroad

Saturday, February 6, 2016
Cloudy with snow

The "Buddy L" Outdoor Railroad

   It's always surprising to find new discoveries, and the Bertoia Auction for March 16, 2016 is no exception. Up to now, I did not know that the "Buddy L" company had made railway cars. But today, I found out. And these are large, such that they would be played with outdoors.

The provenance (where the train comes from) is from the Jay Schoedinger Collection. What's interesting to note is that these toys were built approximately near the time of the "Great Depression", so they must have been expensive to purchase, especially during such hard times.

The locomotive and tender below are rare  and measure 43" (1.092 M) in length, and were meant to be played with outdoors. 

Please click here to visit Bertoia Auctions

The caboose below are rare  and measure 18 1/2" (470 mm) in length,

The railroad flat car below measures 20" (508 mm) in length,

The Outdoor Railroad yellow tanker car # 1003 below, measures 19" (482mm) in length.

 The Outdoor Railroad orange box car # 1002 below, measures 20 1/2" (520mm) in length.

It was manufactured circa 1925-1931.

The black railroad car (gondola) below has decals that read "70826", 

and the length is 20 1/4" (514 mm). The manufactured time was circa 1927.

It's certainly good to find a new toy after having written over 1100 posts, and today was no exception. If you take a look at the actual listings, I'm sure you'll find some toys that you haven;t seen either.

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

T Reproductions- Some Recent New Discoveries

Saturday, January 9, 2016
Overcast and warm (6 degrees C / 41 degrees F)

T Reproductions

Some Recent New Discoveries

   I was searching for some new material to write about when I found a quartet of excellent-condition T-Reproduction toys. For those who don't know "T Reproductions" is or was a company that manufactured the older "Buddy L" toys (USA) that were originally manufacture red in the 1930's and later.  When a manufacturer closes down their business, a new manufacturer can ask for permission to reproduce the originals under license and payment. However, if the business closes down, and the name is not continued over the years through registration with the appropriate government agency, then the new manufacture may reproduce the toys without permission or licensing fee.

   What makes the T Reproductions toys so interesting is that they were price fairly high compared to the toys from the 1930's, yet collectors purchased them in good numbers to make them quite in demand. In the bidding, one of the toys was even listed to sell between $ 1000.00-$1500.00 US.

Please click here to redirect to this fine American auctioneer

You can see how well-made these toys are. Also, their reproduction was very faithful to the original toys. I believe these new reproductions came with name plates with the T Reproductions name.

Interestingly, the basic cab is identical in all 4 of the toys. What changes is the moving parts and pieces for each of the 4 different railroad toys.

So that's it for this rare warm January up here in Montreal.

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 Lincoln Toy Dealer from Winnipeg, Manitoba (Canada)

Wednesday, December 9, 2015
             Cloudy and warmer than usual

A Lincoln Toy Dealer

from Winnipeg, Manitoba (Canada)

    I'll be adding a few posts at this time after my recent visit to ebay. I was just browsing when I found today's post about Mr. Justin Garychuck. Justin is from a province that is located 2 provinces to the west of my province - Quebec. For those who don't know, Manitoba is part of the "Prairie Provinces", so named because it, along with Saskatchewan and and Alberta were located on flat and fertile plains. These plains were great for growing grain, and thus the 3 provinces became known as "The Prairies". The "downside", if there is any,  is that the prairies are big and flat, so driving across Canada is not the most interesting. Many people will take cross the border to the USA, and drive west through the American west. 

   Below is Justin's reply to my request to post several of his fine Lincoln toys up for sale on ebay.

Hey, thanks for contacting me, yes if you would like to use the Lincoln Coca Cola Truck in your blog, go right ahead, and check my listings for other old toys, because I have more Lincoln trucks as well as older rare tin and pressed steel toys that you may be interested in.  
And my name is Justin Garychuk and I am a 20 year old antique and collectible dealer
I live in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada and have been in the business for a few years now, always enjoyed buying and selling old advertising, oil and gas related items as well as older tin and steel toys. Never thought I'd be in the business I am in because I am so young, but everyday you never know what you are going to find and what old item you are going to dig up from the past.
Send me a message when the blog post is up
Thanks!
-Justin
Cool Caddy

Please click here too visit Mr. Justin Garychuk's fine ebay store

Description:

Vintage Original Lincoln Pressed Steel Toy Coca Cola Truck Canadian Advertising

with Original Crate Cover

Description:

Vintage Original Lincoln Toys Pressed Steel Toy Wrecker 

with Dunlop Tires and Advertising

From a local estate, this hard to find Lincoln Toys Dunlop Tow Truck was produced in Windsor, Ontario, Canada circa late 1940s. In very good used condition considering its age. The truck is 13" inches in length, by 4 inches wide and 5 inches tall at the cab and 6" at the top of the boom.The truck is showing some paint wear on it, also this truck has original decals on it all, unsure if the cable and the hook is original, none the less it is fully functional.

I seldom write about 1950 toys, since my original plan was pre-1940 and true 100 year old toys. However, the Nylint crane (below) was a very fine toy, and I decided to add it to Justin's first post.

Description:

Vintage Nylint Michigan Crane Truck Model T-24 Clark Equipment Pressed Steel Truck

Super nice Truck Mounted Crane with all original wheels and parts, the steering wheel in the cab when turned actually turns the front wheels!. 

100% original. 

Nylint Clark Equipment Michigan Model T-24 crane.

This construction truck is untouched and in good condition for its age (1950s). 

Functional steering.

Slide out stabilizers on the back end, swivel crane works.

Yellow and blue.

The crane is missing the rigging, easy enough to make or buy!

This is a heavy duty large toy.

   What's interesting about Justin's ebay store is that he sells all kinds of interesting merchandise besides toys.  I keep saying to myself that if I had more time, I'd probably have several more blogs just about antiques and other collectibles. You'll have to venture over to Justin's  ebay store to have a look - and for sure, you won't be disappointed! 

Thanks for dropping by to visit,

and as always,

haste a great part of the day or night,

wherever you may be,

Stacey Bindman

toysearcher@gmail.com

That is the Question

Thursday, September 4, 2014
                       Sunny and hot

That is the Question

   I titled yesterday's post "To Restore or not to Restore", and followed up with today's title "that is the Question". Of course, anyone who took English in the 1960's & 1970's had to read Shakespeare Will's (Shakespeare's given  name was William). I changed his original question of course - "To be , or not to be, that is the question", which can be found in his famous play - Hamlet.

   In yesterday's post, I presented beautifully and professionally restored old toys from the 1920's, hence my follow up with today's post - the same toys, as originally sold at auction, without any restoration or replacement parts. If you research the final gavel prices of these 2 sets of toys, the final prices is different but not as much as you'd expect. However, an untouched old or antique toy will 99.9% of the time receive more that a restored toy.

Please click here to visit this most exceptional American auction company

I didn't want to place restored and unrestored items side-by-side, as Google Blogger's page layout is limiting, and cannot be changed for a single post. If I change the width of this post,  my entire 772 posts to date will be changed also - poor pre-planning on Google's part!

What you can do is open up another browser window, then open up yesterday's post.

That's what I did. The screen-capture below illustrates that point. Please note that the screen-capture was of the 2 posts in the "edit mode" of Blogger,and not the view mode.

I could;n't find an untouched Sturditoy milk truck, so I substituted it for an oil truck. Of course,the final gavel price will be different for the 2 items, as they are totally different truck types.

What you'll notice inn this untouched Sturditoys is their condition. Even after 90 years, they are in very good condition (my  opinion). They certainly have lived up to their name after even 90 years! What I found amazing is the condition of the original  tires!

The left front wheel and tire on the driver's side is bent and was described like that in the description ( I forgot to add that). I like the way the Bertoia Photographer left the wheel that way, instead of placing it perfectly perpendicular to the tabletop.

So as I end this post, we are still left with the same question. Would you buy a professionally-restored very old toy or would you buy the same toy but in the "as found" condition?

I'm not a toy collector but if you asked me personally, I'd buy either, 

since I'd be playing with them!

Of course on a serious note, One of the reasons that I would but the restored one is just to marvel at how a true professional cn bring back a toy to its' original condition. If I ever went back to buying and reselling toys, I'd use one of Marv Silverstein's toys as the standard to which I would want to do my restorations!

Below is a Hubley die cast 1960's bulldozer that I restored.

At the sale on ebay, it had some interest from buyers, 

and  the final winner was very happy with my restoration.

Hubley Bulldozer

Restored die cast with rubber treads and original wooden wheels.

Circa 1960's

Length: about 12"  305 mm

Thanks for dropping by,

and as always,

have a great part of the day or night,

wherever you may be,

Stacey

toysearcher@gmail.com