James D. Julia's Past Toy Auction

Sunday, December 4, 2015
Sunny with some clouds
1 C 34 F

James D. Julia's 

Past Toy Auction

Please click here to visit this exceptional American auctioneer

Most of the toys below are called "pull toys". A string would be attached to the front of the toy, and the child would pull it along the ground or sidewalk. In some cases, the horses would create a galloping motion.  In 2 descriptions below there is the term "transitional". I am "guessing" that this meant that the horse-drawn fire unit was about to change to the motorized vehicle (fire truck). These toys were still being produced in the 1900's when the motorized vehicles first started to appear. Even in the 1910's and early 1920's these toys were still around, and the "real"item,s, as well as toys had already appeared in "real life".

Mr. James D. Julia sold his toy division (the rights therein) to Mr. Dan Morphy.

As such, James D. Julia no longer auctioned toys.The year was 2015. James D. Julia took exceptional and painstaking photographs of all of his toys going to auction. I don't know how long these "past auction" toy auction listings will be up on his website. So if you like toys, may I highly recommend that you visit his past toy auctions - you won't be disappointed!

In the years of these toys ( 1870's-1920's) there was a myriad of these toys with all kinds of names. Below there are mostly wagons, pumpers, and a dray. For myself , I had never heard of all of these terms, and needed a dictionary to understand what each one meant. Other horse-drawn items are the buckboard, the cart, the surrey, the coupe, the Phaeton, the Hanson cab, and probably a few more. People of the times most likely knew all of these names as we do now for vehicles. Examples  of today's cars are are coupe, sedan, SUV, ATV and several others. Then there are the sizes of cars such as  subcompact, compact, mid-size, and full-sized cars.

These toys presented today are from a time long gone. The only places to see these real"vehicles"  today would be in museums, country fairs, and in the movies.

Wilkins Two-Horse Pumper

An early transitional pumper with a silhouetted driver

Length:  14"  355 mm

Wilkins Hose Reel

This is the "mate" to the Wilkins Chemical Wagon.

This toy also contains a unique bell-ringing assembly

under the driver's seat.

Length:  15 1/2"  393 mm

Horse-Drawn Pure Ice Wagon by Harris

Painted cast iron.

Length: 13 1/2"  343 mm

Wilkens Sprinkler Wagon

Very rare and sought after.

Painted cast iron

Length:  14 1'2" 363 mm

Boy's Express Wagon by Pratt & Letchworth

Painted cast iron, with stencilled words "Boy's Express Co.

Length: 17"

Wilkins Two-Horse Hose Reel

Another transitional hose reel with a silhouetted driver.

Wire attached to front wheel causes a galloping motion.

Length:  14"  355 mm

Rare Horse Drawn Chemical Wagon by Wilkins

Painted cast iron with nickel-plated chemical tank

Length:  19 1/2"  495 mm

Pratt & Letchworth Dray

A perfect replica of the dray wagons from the 1880's-1890's.

Removable stake sides, cast iron dray bed with wooden inserts

Length:  13"  330 mm

Welker & Crosby "One-Horse Truck"

Painted cast iron with japanned horse.

This is number 11 in the Welker & Crosby catalogue.

Length:  14"  355 mm

It's been a long time since I added a post about such old toys. As i already mentioned, the reason for posting is that I don't know how long the toy auction results and photos will be on the James. D. Julia website. 

I hope that you enjoy this post.

I just found out that James D. Julia has all kinds of videos on YouTube. 
If you go to the URL below, you'll see an example of a video.All of the video introductions are the same, but the content later on is different for each auction.

Below is the URL for one particular toy auction. These videos are quite interesting and informative.

Please click here to visit a James D. Julia YouTube video

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 Casual Visit to Opamerica finds 2 beautiful cast iron toys

Wednesday, April 23, 2014

A Casual Visit to Opamerica

Finds 2 Beautiful Cast Iron toys

  Having lots of people, companies, and collectors help me with my blog allows me to relax and take my time when looking for the next post. Opamerica is one of those companies who have helped me out. They're a very successful company selling on ebay, but for myself it's their well-written descriptions, and their excellent photography that helps me out. A third asset to Opamerica is their nice inventory of all kinds of toys.

Please click here too visit Opamerica's outstanding store

Antique Ives Cast Iron Runabout Toy w/ Cast Iron Driver*

---

I am pleased to offer this Antique Ives Cast Iron Horseless Carriage Runabout Toy! This piece is a great example of early 20th century toys!  It is solid cast iron with a single seam design, and is modeled after the very first automobiles, which were called horseless carriages back in their day.  The carriage retains its original dark green paint with yellow painted seat/trim, and nickeled iron wheels.  The runabout comes with an antique Cast Iron Driver figure, which retains most of its original paint.  This driver is scale to the carriage and fits well, however it is believed to be a an antique replacement and is not original.

This antique Cast Iron Runabout is in good condition for its age, showing some moderate scratching and loss to the original paint.  There is light visible oxidation is some areas of paint loss, near the seat, and on the wheels.  There are no cracks or breaks seen to the cast iron, and the carriage rolls well on the original wheels.

Fantastic antique display value for any collection!

Measures approximately

Length x Width x Height 

6-1/8"  x 4"  x 5-5/8"  w/ driver

550 mm x 102 mm x 143 mm

* Description Courtesy of Opamerica

I had just written about these early "cars" called runabouts in a recent post (April 20, 2014).
So when I was browsing through Opamerica's ebay store, I found this beautiful  Ives toy.
What I like about cast iron toys is their feel - heavy, cold, and form. What I also like is that these toys were produced by hand! Cast by hand, assembled by hand, and painted by hand.

Antique Wilkins Iron & Steel Wind Up Fire Pumper 11" L*

---

I am pleased to offer this Antique Wilkins Wind Up Fire Pumper Toy!  This is a very early example of the fire pumper, which is constructed of steel, cast iron, and even wood!  The wheels, driver, and steering wheel are cast iron; the chassis and tank are steel, and the the center pieces are wood.  The yellow paint looks to be original, however the silver and gold looks to be re-touched.  The pieces shows signs it may have been partially restored.  The front of the pumper has a old style wind up clockwork mechanism that propels the pumper forward, and the back has a bell that is struck as the pumper moves.

This Antique Fire Pumper is in good condition for its age, showing some moderate paint loss and mild scratching from display.  The yellow paint is very brittle, and easily flakes off.  The wheels have the original rubber which shows light cracking, and the front right wheels is missing large sections of rubber (see photos).  The wind up mechanism was tested and propels the pumper forward, however the bell arm needs to be adjusted so it rings (currently does not).

Measures approximately

Length x width x height

11"  x 4-1/2"  x 7-1/4" 

279 mm x 114 mm x 84 mm

* Description Courtesy of Opamerica

I never tire of looking at toy photos, especially the cast iron toys. 
What I always like is the fact that the companies of the late 19th and early 20th century all seemed to be able to manufacture similar toys and stay in business. Each company might have subtle nuances that would have people buy a particular brand over another.

This particular  Wilkins toy is quite interesting. First of all, the company was to be purchased later in history by the Kingsbury to company. The reason that I know this is from experience, but mores to the patented Wilkens, then Kingsbury wind-up mechanism that is marked "patented" on the bottom.

Throughout most of the time that this windup mechanism was invented and patented, it was used by Wilkens, and then Kingsbury.

What's also interesting about this toy is that it is made of 3 different materials:

wood, steel,and cast iron.But what's even more interesting to this particular toy is that it had a bell ring as it moved,and of course the movement from the windup mechanism.

I never cease to be amazed that I can always find something new about old toys!

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

A Bit of Detective Work

Sunday, June 16, 2013

A Bit of Detective Work

   I didn't post yesterday. Some days you just don't feel like it. However, I made the best of a great day. I cycled about 26 miles or 47 kilometres. Of course, I rest after half the distance is covered. If you ever want a great city to visit with European flavour, and you're a cyclist, this is the place.  I try to cycle just on bicycle paths, and Month has lots and lots of this!

   For today's post, I decided to present toys that certainly are similar, and were in fact made by 1 company. The differences are that the company changed names. In the beginning, the company was known as the  Wilkens Toy Company (Founded 1886).  The company was later purchased by Harry T. Kingsbury, but he didn't change the name until after WWI. Thereafter, the company was known as Kingsbury. They produced fine-quality pressed steel toys, and one of their more famous toys are the land-spped cars from the 1930's. Production ceaed in 1942 for toys, but the company is still in business today. Just type in Kingsbury and New Hampshire (USA) and you will find out what they do today.*

* One of my fvourite resource pages for company history is Jody's Attic:

 (Please click to visit Jody's fine Website)

Please click to be redirected to Bertoia's fine website

 The above images are from when the company was known as The 

. In those times, the link tracks were positioned on wooden wheels. LAter, the wood was replaced with metal. Also the "engine compartment was first open, then it was enclosed in a pressed steel cover. 

Keep an eye out for the driver and that extra-large-sized crank. These 2 will stay the same as the company becomes known as the Kingsbury Manufacturing Company.

Another thing that you'll notice is a small decal on the sides of the tractor. The name on the decal is "Little Jim". The name if from the J.C.Penny Company, and many toy manufacturers wouldmake toys for J.C.Penny under the brand "Little Jim".

As time advances, you'll notice that the basic tractor is the same. However the cart wheels will change. There are spoked wheels, then metal rims in black (for simulated rubber tires) and red (the rims or hubs) , and later , rubber tires mounted on metal rims.

The above is a straightforward Kingsbury toy. Notice the embossed and raised lettering on the company and the word tractor.

Notice also how the size of the car changes. It gets shorter, and also loses 2 wheels and an axle.

However, the  basic nature of the toy remains the same, and is most readily recognizable with a little bit of detective work.

If you've been to my blog before, you'll know that I prefer to post with  only  unique seller, collector  or auction house. What's best of course is to check out at least 3 different sources just to cross-reference and ensure that everyone's data is the same. It's very, very, rare that I find any deviations from 1 seller or auction house from the other. These fine people know their toys and have to! Also after many years of experience, and in this day and age of digital, building up huge data bases of toy information and photos is for the most part "easy". 

Of course, I need to do that. My problem is that I have hard drives from Western Digital for my IMac. They're great, but they come with annoying software that is impossible to remove from the hard drive. This software likes to make back-up copies, so unfortunately I have a dozen copies of every toy that I've worked on! And that's on 2 hard drives - you can never be too safe when it comes to backing up files - that's 24 duplicates in total!

Thanks for dropping by, 

and have a great part of the day,

wherever you may be.

Stacey