The Pressed Steel Metal Toys Website

Sunday, November 27,2016
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The Pressed Steel Metal Toys Website

I'd seen this fabulous website many times, but I'd never written about them. So, this past Monday, I decided to write to them and ask for permission. I received a very nice letter from Mr. Mike Yolles.

"Hi Stacey, I was an ardent toy collector specialist in 4 manufacturer's . I am also a member of The Antique Toy Collector's of America Inc. This organization is dedicated to the preservation of antique toys. I focused my collecting to specialize in Pressed Steel Toys with steering wheels or steeming handles. My interest was mainly with Buddy L (Moline, Il), Keystone (Boston, MA), Kingsbury (Keane,  NH) & Sturditoy (Pawtucket , RI). My reason for posting my website was to help other collectors identify  the variations and color combinations that these manufacturers offered. Also other Web sites don't  specifically  identify themselves As Virtual MUSEUM. People think they are dealing with  the manufactures museum. Not true!!!!  I get many questions each week concerning condition & approximate  values. I enjoy helping people in pursuit of there hobby or just as an info source. I have no problem letting you use my pictures etc, Mike Yolles."

Mike's website has lots and lots of toys from the four manufacturers that he has fouled his museum on.  Not only that, but each of the four toy manufacturers have been divided into sub-categories. 

Even better, Mike hhas presented many of the different variations of a standard toy, such as a car.

I decided to start first with Kingsbury company as they manufactured many nice toys, especially the cars and race cars of that ere (1920's-1930's).Also the racer that they manufactured were based on some of the fastest cars that raced on the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah (USA).

Please click here to visit this fabulous toy museum

The  Pressed Steel Metal Toys Museum is dedicated to showing some of the many toy variations

that were common in the heyday of pressed steel toy manufacturing during the1920's and 1930's. The four toy manufacturers if this time period which will be showcased on this site are as follows:

- Buddy L Toys

- Keystone Toys

- Kingsbury Toys

- Sturditoys

Kingsbury Toys

Kingsbury, the Wilkins Toy Company, manufacturer of tin novelties was founded by James S. Wilkins in Keene, New Hampshire in 1890. By the turn of the century, toy automobiles were introduced to the line and quickly became popular. The early Wilkins automotive toys were equipped with specially-designed disc wheels with real, white rubber non- skid tires vulcanized to the wheel. Automotive models could be purchased with metal spoke wheels or equipped with rubber tires at slightly more cost. Wilkins toys were made of steel ranging in size from 7 to 18 inches. The vehicles were powered by a long-running, flat spring mechanical motor, mounted horizontally at the end of the toy. In 1919, Kingsbury changed the name of the company to the Kingsbury Manufacturing Company. By 1926, Kingsbury introduced a new line of mechanical toys which were some of the finest automotive models ever produced. Leading the line was the 34-inch "Aerial Ladder Truck", the 25 inch long "Motor Driven Truck", and the "Fire Engine." Each toy was equipped with a front-end crank for winding the toy's flat spring motor. The 1927 line included the new Deluxe Custom Built Cars, featuring the "Town Car" and the "Sport Sedan." In 1930, Kingsbury announced that all Kingsbury passenger cars were now being designed and built with "Bodies by Fisher," just as real cars of the day were so equipped. Kingsbury's automotive toys received battery-operated lights in 1931. Kingsbury continued to manufacture toys until the beginning of World War II. After the war, the tooling was sold to the Keystone Manufacturing Company of Boston, Massachusetts.*

* Courtesy of Pressed Steel Metal Toys

The Automobiles

The car immediately below was quite sophisticated at the time. Most cars that were battery-operated usually had just the front lights go on. With this car below, it also had a battery-operated tail light.

Mike has taken lots of excellent photos of his toys, which most certainly was a big job to do, but well worth it to the many readers, whom I'm sure have visited his website.

The Racers

The Kingsbury Racers were very popular at the time, and were manufactured with wind-up mechanisms to have the racers move. I'm sure children had lots of fun with these nice race cars.

So that's it for today. For sure, I will be returning to Mike's excellent museum website in the future. His toy collection is certainly exhaustive, and is great for referring to. He is also always looking to but new toys, or to sell or trade some of his toys for ones that his museum does not have.

So you might want to contact Mike of you have something interesting that you think he might be interested in.

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