Monday, December 25, 2015
Overcast with snow
-8 C 17.8 F
Overcast with snow
-8 C 17.8 F
Bertoia Auctions
First 2018 Auction
I hope everybody is having a great Christmas Day and is enjoying a fine Christmas
meal, and resting for tomorrow (Boxing day). Auction houses plan their auctions months in advance. The time is needed to organize the toys, photography them, and to catalogue them into an order. As well, the toys are being authenticated as to what manufacturer, when they were made, what characteristics they have, and any damage if any.
I've focussed Bertoia Auctions cast iron and pressed steel toys. However there are many fine toys that are available for those who might like to see other toys.
Many of the cast iron banks are from America. I've seen the odd bank from another country, but these banks were mostly made in the USA. They were made in the 1880's-1930's. They are called mechanical banks because they usually had a spring-activated way of cocking the spring. A coin would be placed somewhere on the toy, and when a trigger released the spring, the coin would drop into the inside of the bank. When the bank was full, a screwdriver would unscrew a screw that held a trap in place, so that the coins would not fall out from the bank. Some of the mechanical banks are quite valuable and garner 4-5 digit prices at auction!
Below is an early cast iron and steel Kingsbury Fire Pumper.It was made most likely in the 1910's-early 1920's. This is what fire trucks looked like a few years after the horse-drawn wagons started to become obsolete.
Structo was an American company that made moveable toys such as the one that appears here.
THe one here is a wind-up toy, that even has a large vertical brake handle on its' right side.
It's made of pressed steel, and either die-cast or cast iron wheels.
Walt Disney's most famous characters are Micky and Minny Mouse. In the 1920's, when these 2 comic characters were very, very popular, there was a huge demand for toys of Minny and Mickey.
As such, many American companies asked for licenses to produce toys based on these 2 characters. Lionel , a famous American model railroad company, even got involved and produced this fine toy.
The Chein company produced lots of toys in the 1920's-1930's and later on. They were usually made from pressed metal sheets that were cut into smaller pieces that were assembled by assembly lines of people. The "Dan-Dee Dump Truck" has a wind-up mechanism with a hand break. When the brake is released, the toy moves forward.
Have a look either at Bertoia Auctions website or liveauctioneers website with Bertoia Auctions.
There are lots of toys in this auction, and many are quite interesting to see. Already,
people have bid on some of the toys in the auction!
Thanks for dropping by,
and have a great day or evening,
wherever you may be.
Stacey Bindman
Toysearcher@gmail.com
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