Mr. Bob Woodburn Revisited

Sunday, April 14, 2024
Cloudy with Rain
11°C  52° F

Mr. Bob Woodburn Revisited

Please click here to visit this fine ebay seller

I've been re-reading my old posts to find new material to write about.

One of these people that I decided to revisit is Mr. Bob Woodburn Bob lives in

Bozeman, Montana USA, and is a very successful seller on ebay. I had written to him 7 years ago  to ask about Mr. Tom Sehloff, who makes these remarkable cast iron toys in the style of

the 1920's-1930's cast iron models. 

However, today, he's selling another artisan and craftsperson

by the name of  the late  Mr. Marvin Silverstein. Marvin passed away in 2010, but his legacy lives on. Marvin took old pressed steel cars, and restored them to their original condition. In some cases he "modified them"  to look even better than the original. 

On Bob's site are 3 fantastic "models" that Marvin "crafted".  Bob considers these as collector's items rather than toys. One was crafted in 1995, and another crafted in 2004. The third one is not identified by date. The original models (before being modified) were from the 1930's.

This fine toy started out as a pressed steel Wyandotte Cord convertible that was made in the mid to later 1930's. It was modified by Marvin Silverstein, and you can read the entire process on Bob Woodburn's ebay store.

Bob considers these pressed steel cars to be "collectors items" rather than toys. it's best that I add some direct wording from what Bob wrote on his ebay descriptions of the 3 cars.

In the following description, I referred to this item as being a toy primarily because it started out as a toy. However, after giving this some thought over night, I consider this item to be more of a work of art than I do a toy. An artist can compose or play music, work on canvas, sculpt clay to make bronze castings, style automobiles or other commercial products, carve wood or do lots of other creative things. One or more master metal shapers rebuilt a child's toy to make the masterpiece you see here. 

Please enjoy it like I have for several years. 

Thanks a lot,

Bob Woodburn

in Bozeman, Montana, USA 

                                                       

Size:  L x W x H

13 1/4" x 4 3/4" x 4 1/4" 

334 mm x 120 mm x 113 mm

Crafted from an original  pressed steel Wyandotte Cord convertible coupe

that was also made in the mid to latter 1930's.

L x W x H

14 1/2" x 4 3/4" x 4 1/4"

368 mm x 120 mm x 113 mm

Like the other 2 previous toys, this model started out as a Wyandotte pressed steel toy 

manufactured from the mid to later 1930's. This particular model has the most work and has been changed the most from the original toy.

L x W x H

14 1/2" x 4 3/4" x 4 1/4"

368 mm x 120 mm x 113 mm

You can see the fine craftsmanship that went into the modification of all 3 of these

vintage toys. These are more collector's items than toys, and  certainly have been well build and

modified from the original Wyandotte toys.

I've abridged (shortened) the lengthy narrative that Bob wrote about all 3 of these toys presented today. So please go to Bob's ebay site to see the entire descriptions that Bob has taken the time to write about.

Thanks for dropping by,

and have a great part of the day or night

wherever you may be.

Stacey Bindman

toysearcher@gmail.com

The American Antique Auctions Company

Monday, November 27, 2017
Sunny with Cloudy Periods
-2 C 28 F

The American Antique Auctions Company

Please click here to visit this fine American Auction Company

    A few days ago, I was on the Liveauctioneers website, when I came across a very nice and eclectic grouping of toys up for auction. The auction is scheduled for December 2, 2017, and promptly begins at 07:00 A.M. As with several of the auctions companies that I have written about in the past,  American Antique Auctions is conducting their listings and auction on Liveauctioneers.

Below:

3 separate listings from the auction.

The listings are for Tootsietoy toys.

Below:

2 sides (left and right) of a reproduction page 

of a 1933 Tootsietoy catalogue. 

Tootsietoy in the 1930's and later on was "the" small toy company that was very prominent in the USA at the time. It even surpassed Dinky Toys from Great Britain. These small toys (about 4" or 100 mm in length) are still very prized and are very collectible even today.

The 3 toys below are part of a diverse and eclectic group of toys from this auction. These toys also are quite collectible, and there a lot of them in the auction.

You might want to venture over to Liveauctioneers and the American Antique Auctions site. Their toys exemplify a broad array of collectible toys from a while back, and the photography from this auctioneers is excellent in terms of showing the toys and their condition. Even if you might not be interested in buying, the  bidding on this collection of toys will give you a sense as to how the bidding goes (fast or slow, in high demand or not), as well as giving you an idea as to what the prices are.

Thanks for dropping by,

And as always,

Have a great part of the day or night,

Wherever you may be.

toysearcher@gmail.com

Stacey Bindman

More Fine Toys from Mr. Ken McGee

Saturday, December 10, 2016
Cloud with some sun,
-6 C  21 F

More Fine Toys from

Mr. Ken McGee

Please click here too visit this outstanding ebay merchant

Mr. Ken McGee does sell toys, but his specialty area is in 

automobile (car) ephemera (paper collectibles).

He collects and sells all kinds of car manuals and other items from bygone era cars. 

The example below is from a 1912 Jackson car company specification booklet.

If you visit his store, you may become more interested in this section of his ebay store, that his exceptional toys!

1912 Specification Booklet for the 

Jackson Automobile Company

1925-1929 Buddy L Fire Pumper

Painted pressed steel, restored toy

Brass bell and bright polished boiler

Moving flywheels and rods on piston pump

L x D x H:  23 1/3" x 8 1/2" x 10 1/2"   596 mm x 216 mm x 266 mm

1940's Wyandotte Humphrey Mobile

Wind-up lithographed tin toy

Rear door opens.

L x W X H:  8 1/2" x 5" x 7 1/2"  215mm x 127 mm x 190 mm

The Humphrey Mobile is based on the cartoon character 

from the Joe Palooka comic strip of the 1940s.

THe front of the toy is offset, allowing for the toy to complete a 

right-handed circle when wound up.

1927 Chein Royal Blue Line Bus

Lithographed  painted pressed steel with metal tires.

Very rare toy.

L x W x H:  18" x 7" x 6"  457 mm x 178 mm x 152 mm

 1930's Keystone Air Mail Plane NX-263

Painted pressed steel with decals.

A pull toy when a string is attached to the hub of the propeller.

L x W x H:  24 1/4" x 24" x 9"  622 mm x 610 mm x 229 mm

1930's Kingsbury Wind-up Roadster

Painted pressed steel with wind-up mechanism and

battery-operated lights.

L x W x H:  12 1/2" x 5" x 4 3/4"  317 mm x 127 mm x 121 mm

The rumble seat of the above toy opens and closes. 

The size of the battery is a size "D". The rear tail light also turns on, 

as well as the front headlights. THe Kingsbury toys that moved all had a unique 

design wind-up mechanism that you can see to the left of the bottom most photo.

Thanks for dropping by,

and as always, 

Have a great part of the day or night,

Wherever yo umay be.

Stacey Bindman

Toysearcher@gmail.com

A Hi-Way Henry Toy

Friday, December 9, 2016
Overcast
2 C  36 F

A Hi-Way Henry Toy
and other toys

Please click here to visit this fine ebay seller

"Fisher Tin Windup Hi-Way Henry Touring Car. The German based Fisher, Heinrich & Co. had an easily recognized mark, a fish swimming through the letter A, but not all toys were so marked, especially those for the American market. The George Brogfeldt store of New York purchased many of the toys produced by Fischer for the American market. George Brogfeldt Corp. was among the first companies to acquire rights to produce toys attached to specific cartoon characters. It is believed that Brogfeldt first had the Hi-Way Henry produced by Fisher, hence the early Hi-Way Henry had spoke wheels also used by Fisher for all their other tin toys. Brogfeldt later had the Hi-Way Henry produced by Fisher under the Nifty brand owned by Brogfeldt producing other cartoon characters like the Nifty Speedy Felix and the Toonerville Trolley. 

Being offered, I believe, is a rare early version with the spoke wheels. Different on this one is the Made in Germany location on each door below Oscar Hit where the later productions have Made in Germany on the front just below the hand crank. The windup works but is a little weak. Missing is the lift plate underneath with the two small wheels and the small rear guide wheel also underneath. Everything else is complete showing age as expected on a piece like this one. An unusual and rare tin wind up toy at nearly 10" long and 8 1/2" tall to the tip of the straw hat on the clothes line."

 I tried to find information on the cartoon character, Hi-Way Henry, but I couldn't find any.

What's interesting in the photo with the wind-up mechanism (second from bottom) is that my city Montreal is added just above they key. That's interesting, because I didn't think that Montreal was so recognized internationally in the 1920's-1930's, go figure!

Lehmann 590 Autobus

Lithographed tin with wind-up key for motion

Length:  8"  202 mm

Not only does the toy bus moves, but the bus driver is also attached to

the same mechanism for movement. As such, the driver 

can steer the bus to the left and right.

Wyandotte Cadillac Toytown Delivery Truck

Lithographed pressed steel with rubber tires

Circa: 1941

L x W x H:  21" x 6 1/2" x 7"   533 mm x 165 mm x 178 mm

At the time, the Wyandotte company made several toy cars and truck (s) 

that were similar in shape and colour theme. This truck is in very good condition 

considering that is 75 years old.

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 Nice Toys from Vintage-Toymasters

Wednesday, December 7, 2016
Overcast with rain & snow
2 C 36 F

Please click here to visit this fine ebay merchant

Last wek, I added a post about some nice toys from Vintage-Masters toys. When I returned to visit their ebay site, I came across a nice grouping of toys, that I've posted for today. There's a lot more there, but these are the selected ones.

1950's "Lopz Servicio Particular

Lithographed pressed steel

Length:  18" 467 mm

1920's Felix The Cat Fire Chief Car

Original, Largest Size, wood and metal

Length:  14"  355 mm

Wyandotte Ambulance

Painted pressed steel with lithographed tin artillery spoked wheels

Length:  11"

Turner Pressed Steel Roadster

painted pressed steel

Circa: 1920's

Length:  13 1/2"  342 mm

Slik Toys Oliver Row Crop 77 Tractor with Corn Picker

Painted diecast metal

Circa:  1950's

Length:  10"  254 mm

Arcade McCormick Deering Farmall Farm Tractor

Painted cast iron with nickel-plated figure

Circa:  1930's

Length:  5 1/2"  140 mm

Thanks for dropping by,

and always,

Have a great part of the day or night,

Wherever you may be.

Stacey Bindman

toysearcher@gmail.com

A Different Wyandotte Toy

Saturday, December 3, 2016
Snow & Rain
2 C  36 F

A Different Wyandotte Toy

Please click here to visit this fine American ebay seller

I saw this Wyandotte toy a day ago on ebay, so I decided to post it on my blog. 

What's different about this toy is that it is a wind-up toy of ducks that move. 

It's probably a toy that is much later than the 1930's toys which seemed to be

mostly trucks and cars of pressed steel.

If you examine the cardboard, you will see that there is no ZIP code of any kind on the box.

Large American city ZIP Codes (Zone Improvement Plan)first appeared in 1943 , and they were

 2-digit codes.  In July of 1963, 5-digit ZIP Codes were announced for the whole country.

So, I assume that this toy is from the late 1930's or 1940's , excluding the war years, since metal was limited in the manufacture of toys during the war years.

A Bit of History:

Initially, All Metal Products Company specialized in toy guns, including pop guns, water pistols, and air rifles. Their slogan in the 1920s was "Every Boy Wants a Pop Gun." By 1927 they had become the world's largest manufacturer of toy guns. Wyandotte Toys stopped manufacturing air rifles in 1929, but continued to dominate the toy gun market throughout the remainder of their history by producing pop guns, clicker pistols, dart guns and pistols, cap guns and a variety of plastic pistols. In 1929 the company added girls' toys and toy vehicles, as well as lithographed novelty toys in 1936. Metal toys were banned during World War II because the metals were needed for the war effort. The company survived by producing wooden toys and die-cut cardboard "build your own" play sets during the war. All Metal Products also manufactured en bloc clips for the M1 Garand rifle. Clips of this nature will be stamped with "AMP1" on the rear of the clip.*

* Courtesy: Wikipedia

Vintage  Wyandotte Ducky Ducklings Wind-up Tin Toy # 850

Lithographed tin with wooden wheels and wind-up key.

Entire duck train Length: 15" 380 mm

Height of large duck:  L x H 6 1/4" x 5 1/2"  158 mm x 140 mm

Height of small ducks: L x H: 3 1/4" x 3"  91 mm x 64 mm

By the way, this toy was won by someone on ebay for # 249.95 USA.

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

Emerald City Toys Revisited

Monday, November 21,2016
Overcast with snow - Ugh!
2 Celsius 36 Fahrenheit

Emerald City Toys

Please click here to visit this exceptional toy seller

About Emerald City Toys

"Our goal at Emerald City Toys is to help you, the collector in your quest to find the 

latest addition to your toy shelf. We strive to stock a great variety of antique and vintage toys in all price ranges, so that all levels of collectors are welcome at our site.  We buy, sell,  and trade all manners of vintage and antique toys from the 1900's through the 1960's."

I haven't been to visit Emerald City Toys in a long time.  I had looked at my 1200 plus posts,and came across Emerald City Toys, so I decided to revisit them. I found lots of interesting toys, and presented today are an eclectic (broad and diverse) group of them. If you visit their website you will see lots of toys that are well researched and described.

1920’s Buffalo Toys Red Streak Land Speed Race Car

This great light weight steel land speed racer was produced in the U.S. in the 1920’s.  Buffalo Toy toys are difficult to locate in good condition because of their light weight construction. 

The toy is 21″  ( 533 mm) long.

Wyandotte LaSalle Car & Trailer

Made in the 1930's of pressed steel and whute rubber tires, this toy was iconic for its' time.

Length:  25" 635 mm

Converse Boat Tailed Roadster

Painted pressed steel with clockwork motor.

Produced in 1908, this is a true antique.

Length: 15 " 380 mm

1930's Aerodynamic Tin Clockwork Coupe

Heavy tin clockwork coupe, perhaps made in France or possibly Germany.

Length:  10 1/2"  266 mm

1930's Well O London Clockwork Racer

Tin lithographed racer made in England with a clockwork motor.

Length:  8 1/2"  215 mm

1930's Wooden Coupe

An all wooden coupe made in the 1930's. Possibly made by Tillicum Toys.

This is a company made toy, and not folk art. 

All wood but for the hood mascot and the axles.

Length:  10 1/2"  265 mm

The Tillicum Company made toys under the name Tacoma. 

They were the largest toy maker on the west coast in the 1930's.

1930's Deco Japanese Tin Police Car

 Stylish pressed steel police car powered

by a friction motor. Not a high-priced toy.

Hubley Cast Iron Futuristic Coupe

Produced by Hubley in the 1930's. 

Original white rubber tires and red wooden hubs.

Tires have age damage.

Length: 6" 152 mm

Barclay Cast Slush Milk Bottle Truck

Barclay produced fairly rare due to fragile nature of large  slush cast toys.

The castings were fragile, as the material used to make the toy was very thin.

There is some metal missing on the underside (base) of this toy.

Length:  5"  127 mm

Nylco Walt Disney Cement Truck

An unusal toy truck. Specific information was not found on this toy.

Other Nylco cement trucks have had graphics on them .

Wood constructionwith paper graphics and metal cylinder. 

Movement was with a rubber band around the rear axle.

Length:  13 1/2"  343 mm

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