A Collector With the Skills of a Detective-Part II

Thursday, December 31, 2015
Seasonal Temperatures

A Collector With the 

Skills of a Detective

(Part II)

   My first post of the day was about Mr. Bruce Jacobs and his fine pair of DP Clark hill climbers. 

This "follow-up" is about 2 other great discoveries - a Dayton  Trick Duck, 1925 with a Gyro Motor, and a Buddy "L" Scarab in pristine condition.

   I've seen the Buddy "L" Scarab, but never in such excellent condition. Bruce had purchased online (On the Internet), and it was in this superb condition. AS for the Dayton Trick Duck (1925), I'd never seen this toy before. For those who don't know, Dayton (Dayton, Ohio, USA) was a mecca for toy production a long time ago. 

   The Scarab was named after a certain type of bisect beetle, and I assume was meant to look somewhat "futuristic". What I always liked about pressed steel toys, of which the Scarab is one, is that toy designers and engineers had to figure out where the cuts in the sheet of metal would be. In this way, they could design a press and mould to contour the toy with as few steps as possible. You can see  where the cuts are, and how easily the toy would be pressed into it's beetle shape with just one step.

Have a look at the wind-up mechanism. That too is in excellent condition, and will last another 90 years. Buddy "L"certainly knew how to make toys way back then!

The Dayton Trick Duck was not described by Bruce. I'm thinking that it is a pull toy, whereby one attaches a string to it, and simply pulls the toy from behind.

What I like about the duck is its' contours around the neck, and the 2 wings on each side of the duck. Whomever designed the toy decided that adding more dimension (3-D) would add that extra attraction to the toy. That certainly works for me, and I wonder how attractive this feature was for parents purchasing the toy for their children.

Bruce's 2 posts certainly are an eclectic (nice mixed grouping) of collectibles, rather than being focussed on any specify category such as cars or boats. Nevertheless, his detective work and more importantly his patience have paid off. The 4 toys are all very old, and in great condition.

So that's it for 2015, and I wish everyone a Healthy and Happy New Year for

2016.

As always, thanks for dropping by,

and have a great part of the day or night,

wherever you may be,

Stacey Bindman

toysearcher@gmail.com