A 1900's Leymann (German) Wind-up Toy

Thursday, February 25, 2016

A 1900's Lehman (Germany)

Wind-up Toy

Please click here to visit the Copake Auction website

There were plenty of new immigrants that were arriving on a daily basis into the United States. As such, the country was getting larger and larger in terms of its population.aThe June 10, 1910 census

determined the US population to be 76, 212,168 people, which was an increase of 21.1% over the 1890 census. 

With such a larger population already, the country easily surpassed the populations of older established (e.g. European) countries of the world. With immigration, there were new jobs, and a booming economy, which naturally would lead to an increase in commerce with countries around the world.

Although the USA did have toy companies, trading with other countries allowed imports, and thus we come to today's 1900's Lehmann truck, a wind-up toy with a length of 5 1/2" (140 mm).

What makes the Lehmann toy interesting is both the wind-up mechanism, as well as the sophistication of the printing process (lithography) of the toy. Toys in the USa were mostly painted and were pressed steel or even the cast iron "heavies". But a toy from France or Germany would be printed lithography, years ahead of most American toys.

Below:

A photo illustrating the patents in years 1903, 1904, & 1906

The wind-up knob on the left side of the toy allowed the coil to get tense and build up energy. THe energy would be released when the toy was placed on the ground. A series of gears increased the sped of the toy, allowing it to be self-propelled. The front wheels had some leeway allowing the toy to turn.

Below:

The steering wheel allowed the front wheels to be turned 

to allow the truck to move to the left or right.

 Below:

A nice side view of the truck. Notice how Copake Auction likes to place an employ Coca-Cola can in the photo as a reference to the relative size of the toy. For a toy that's almost 110 years old, it's not too bad in its condition.

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