Sunday, October 15, 2017

The Hubley Static Speedboats

Sunday, October 15, 2017
Overcast and Raining
15 C   59 F



The Hubley Static Speedboats


   The upcoming auction by renowned American toy auctioneer Bertoia Auctions will take place on November 11-12, 2017. The auction itself has many wonderful toys, but one of my favourite categories is the American cast iron toys. These toys were manufactured in the early 1900's-1930's, and what I like about them is how they feel. They're smooth, cold to the touch and heavy. 

   When I and my brother were young, our father would take us fishing. We enjoyed fishing at an early age, and never tired of it as we matured into adults. I even went on a fishing trip in June of this year and fished for northern pike and speckled trout.

   
The above Hubley speed boat is modelled after a Penn Yan boat. This particular toy was manufacturer by Hubley, but had a limited production life. The reason for this was that Hubley never received permission to manufacturer this model after the real speedboat. 
The length of this boat is 13.5"  (332.90 mm). The motor is modelled after a famous American manufacturer of outboard motors by the name of Johnson, and the specific model of motor is the Johnson Seahorse. Interestingly, there are people who collect these very old motors, and who completely restore them to working condition. Not bad for a boat motor from the 1930's and later!


The models above and below  were manufactured for a longer period, as their design was done by Hubley, without having to ask for any person from a real-life boat manufacturer. The toy came in a variety of colours, as you can plainly see, above and below.
The length of this boat is 9.5"  (231.30 mm)


The model above  is a "deluxe" model" that has blue waves cast at the hull. The cast iron waves make this model more valuable at the auction block. 


I've written about these Hubley boats and motors before, but decided to add another post. The reason is that these photos were photographed much closer up, and thus showed better detail than the original post that I created several years ago.

So that's it for this rainy day. Fortunately, September and October have been unseasonal. September has a 3 week span of warm temperatures, and sunny skies, while October has been also warm, with sun, and of course rain. The big question is what will the rest of the fall and winter be like!

Thanks for dropping by,
and as always,
Have a great part fo the day or night,
Wherever you may be.

Stacey Bindman
toysearcher@gmail.com




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