The Hubley Cast Iron Motorcycles

Monday, September 25, 2016
Cloudy with Sun / Getting Colder
17 Celsius / 61 Fahrenheit

The Hubley Cast Iron Motorcycles

(Almost all of them)

   I've been getting back to writing, but not as prolific as before.  When I recently returned to Bertoia Auctions, I was lucky enough to see a lot of Hubley motorcycles. That gave me an idea to display all of the motorcycles on one post. This is a big project, so I decided that, it will be done in sections until I add all of the motorcycles. The images come from a most-recent auction at Bertoia Auctions that occurred on May 20-21, 2016 and titled "Toy Shoppe Auction". 

The Hubley cast iron motorcycles were very popular in the 1930's and 1940's. As well, they are still very much in demand as collector's items. As you can see from their condition, they are in very good shape for toys that are 70-80 years old. Notice all of the nickel-plated wheels for the rubber tires. These have stood up quite well to the elements (mostly water)  and still are in fine shape.

Please click here to visit this exceptional American toy auctioneer

I decided to intersperse a composite photos after every 4 motorcycles with their descriptions

What's most interesting about the  above"crash car" motorcycle, is that the head swivels (turns).

So that's it for today - 16 Hubley motorcycles. I'm sure there are a few more, but this post has the most Hubley motorcycles that I added to any post.

Please click here to visit this particular auction (May 20-21, 2016)

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)

Still More Hubley Motorcycles

Wednesday, February 17, 2016
Overcast and cold

Still More Hubley Motorcycles

Please click here to visit the upcoming auction

   On January 30, 2016, I had presented 4 very nice Hubley cast iron motorcycles. However, there were plenty more motorcycles remaining to be shown, so I decided to add them for today.

Please press here to revisit my original post

What's of interest is to see the vast collection of so many different motorcycle toys. Obviously there was a demand for the variety and the specific type of toy - the motorcycle. The toys would come in different colours and sizes, and could be single or double riders (driver and passenger). There were also the civilian and police variations, as well as the cart - open and closed.  Some versions came with rubber tires, while others had nickel-plated wheels for tires.

I've just presented the Hubley motorcycles, but there were other manufacturers such as Champion and Kilgore that also produced cast iron motorcycles. Even into the 1930's and slightly later, these heavy toys were still being manufactured for the toy market. That obviously shows you just how popular the "real" motorcycles seen on the street, and the "toy" motorcycles were at the time.

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

An Extremely Rare Hubley Motorcycle

Thursday, July 24,2014
    Sunny, cooler and clear skies

An Extremely Rare

Hubley Motorcycle

   If you're new to my blog, the Hubley Manufacturing Company was first incorporated in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, U.S.A. in 1894. Like most of the early American toy companies, they started out cast iron toys. I've written a lot about Hubley and other manufacturers of these early toys because they present toys as small versions of American history. The toys were accurately proportioned and detailed for the "real" things that were modelled after. Initially there were horse drawn carriages, fire wagons, then cars and trucks.

   I had seen the occasional Hubley toy with a mechanical movement. One of these is the Hubley Ferris wheel  that I wrote about. and you can find by searching my blog. What I didm;t know was that Hublety made a few cast iron toys with mechanical movements. The toy I'm presenting today is probably the rarest and most expensive of all the Hubley toys that went to auction. The reasons for its rarity and value are due to the fact that probably few were ever made or have survived. The cost of the toy probably proved to be too expensive for the time that it was produced. Another reason of course is the condition of this toy. It's in an almost untouched condition.

Please click here to visit this exceptional auctioneer's website

HUBLEY CLOCKWORK ''SAY IT WITH FLOWERS'' MOTORCYCLE This extremely rare example is arguably the most talked about and prized of any motorcycle toy known.  While it is painted in blue with black roof, it's interesting to note some red color in tiny areas seemingly proving the company made a color change for a possible special order; the clockwork mechanism makes this cycle a Holy Grail of finds,as the company discontinued this design shortly upon its' initial introduction.  This example is in near mint condition, with one rubber tire having a split from shelf seating over the years.  It is a striking toy with Hegarty Collection Provenance and a true museum quality piece.    (Near Mint Cond.)  10 3/4'' long.* * Description Courtesy of Bertoia Auctions If someone out there reading this post has a Hubley cast iron toy with a mechanical movement, would you please send mdephotos of the toy, and especially the mechanical wind-up mechanism. I'd like to see how Hubley integrated the movement into the body design of the toy. My next post will be about some of the other mechanical cast iron toys that Hubley made. 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