Moko Lesney Matchbox Toys

Monday, November 28, 2016
Overcast with snow 
1 Celsius 34 Fahrenheit

Moko Lesney Matchbox Toys

Please click here to visit this fine ebay seller

Gotham City Toys is a successful ebay seller.

In his own words:

" I love collectible nostalgia.One of a kind,hard to find, and unusual items are the best. History is fascinating and period pieces are like a window into the past. Don't you love to hold an item that was here 50-150 years ago?"

Matchbox is a popular toy brand which was  introduced by Lesney Products in 1953,and is now owned by Mattel, Inc. The brand was named as the original die-catch Matchbox toys, which were sold in boxes similar in style and size to those in which matchboxes were sold. Subsequently, the brand would encompass a broad range of toys including larger scale die-cast models and various non die-cast lines such as plastic model kits and action figures"*

* Citation: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matchbox_(brand)

1959 Lesney Moko Matchbox # 20

"Ever Ready" Truck

1958 Moko Lesney Matchbox # 43

Gray Wheels Hillman Minx

1958 Matchbox # 50

Gray wheels commercial pick-up truck

Mark VIII

 1959 Moko Lesney Matchbox

Regular wheels - Ford 3 Ton Service Ambulance

 1959 Moko Lesney Matchbox # 68

Regular wheels Austin MK2 Radio Truck

Thanks for visiting,

and as always,

Have a great part of the day or night,

Wherever you may be.

Stacey Bindman

toysearcher@gmail.com

2 Cast Iron Taxi Cabs

Thursday, November 24, 2016
Overcast with snow - Ugh!
2 Celcius 36 Fahrenheit

2 Cast Iron Taxis

Please click here too visit this fine ebay seller

 

Please click here to visit this fine American antiques dealer

Earlier in the week, I had written a post about the Lesley Moko Matchbox toys. I had used the images from a fine ebay seller Gotham City Toys. After I finished downloading the Matchbox toys, I decided to look at other toys that he had sold. Sure enough, I came across a modern reproduction of a Hubley Cast Iron Taxi Cab. I kept this item for a future post to compare to an authentic Hubley taxi.  If you've been a regular visitor to my blog,I decided to revisit people and stores from a while ago. I decided to visit Bargain John's Antiques, and as luck would have it, I found an authentic Hubley yellow taxi.

So for today, this short post is about the 2  cast iron taxis.

Immediately below is the authentic Cast Iron Hubley Yellow Taxi from 1939

Hubley Cast Iron Toy Yellow Cab Taxi

cast iron driver with blue uniform

Circa 1939

L x W x H:  8 1/4" x 2 1/4" x 2 3/4"  221 mm x 56 mm x 70 mm

Thomas Toys cast iron 1939 Reproduction

Lincoln Checker cab with nickel grill & luggage rack

Circa 1984

Length:  8 1/2"  215 mm

You can see for yourself the basic immediately visible the differences between the 2 toys.

One is orange with a cast iron driver in a blue uniform, while the green tact has a nickel-plated grill and driver. THe "yellow Cab has  a black line running down each side,while the green Checker cab has a checkered black and white pattern running along the sides.

 The green taxi is also 1/4" (6.25 mm) longer.

For those who don't know, Thomas Toys is owned by Mr. Thomas who owns Thomas Toys.  This company happens to make and sell all kinds of toy parts for old toys. If you type in "Thomas Toys", you will easily find Thomas Toys. Mr.Thomas also happens to be a toy aficionado,  and he has reprinted old toy catalogues, and has made several cast iron reproduction toys. His toys are in demand, and in time, may increase in value.

I once purchase one of these cast iron toys, but mine was most likely a reproduction. In fact I added a post about this toy several years ago. Just like mechanical banks, some very expensive cast iron toys happen to be "reproductions" but there is no indication that they are. At least Mr. Thomas sold his toys in boxes that were identified as his having made them.

So that's it for a tale of 2 cast iron taxis that are almost identical,. One was made in 1939, while the other was made in 1934.

Thanks for dropping by,

and as always,

Have a great part of the day or nought,

Wherever you may be.

Stacey Bindman

toysearcher@gmail.com

A Nicely Photographed Hubley "Coast-to-Coast" Bus

 Thursday,October 5, 2015

A Nicely Photographed Hubley

Coast-to-Coast Bus

Please click here to visit Gotham City Toys on E-Bay

      I was searching through my past posts, when I came across the Gotham City Toys post.  I then decided to have a look at what was for sale on their E-Bay store, when my eye caught sight of this wonderful cast iron bus. So from there, I decided to present it for today. There were lots of photos which allow the viewer or potential buyer to see all the different features of the toy.

1927~Scarce~10 inch Hubley Cast Iron COAST to COAST BUS 

with INTEGRAL DRIVER

The photo above shows you the bus driver that was a part of the left side casting.The tires and hubs appear to be new since they are in such excellent shape.  However, overall, this toy is in very good condition.

So that's it for today, and I hope everyone is enjoying the fall weather, because pretty soon, we'll be having winter, which I can do without!

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)

An Excellent E-Bay Seller Answers an Old Question

Friday, September 27, 2013
  Yet another fantastic early autumn day!

An Excellent E-Bay Seller Answers an Old Question

    I visit my mailboxes daily, since I never know what mail I'll have. Yesterday, I was surprised to find an answer to a question that I had asked on my June 25, 2013 post about Harley-Davidson and Indian motorcycles.

I got the answer below:

You said:  The story behind the above toy is quite interesting. I'm a bit confused by the written description, so perhaps some export might help me out.   The toy above was made after Hubley had stopped using the "Indian" and Harley-Davidson names. My confusion lies in the fact that the decal "Harley" was still on the side of the toy.

The decal on the side of the later toy does not say Harley Davidson but HUBLEY TOYS on the side of the tank.  Also Champion was an entirely different company and I see this mistake frequently but they were not Hubley.  Champion also made vehicles.  I've attached a couple pictures. 

Note the larger gas and stake trucks on the left side of my picture.  They are Champion Brand Toys.  Also included is a Hubley Indian with Rider.  The police rider is a replacement but this came both with Driver and rider and Driver without the rider so either way it would be complete.

Feel free to use any pictures.  

Thanks,

Cliff

GOTHAMCITYTOYS.COM*

* Courtesy of Mr. Clifford Olsen

Please click here to visit Clifford Olsen's website

I did some very minor clean-up in Photoshop, but Cliff takes nice photos and lots of them when he sells toys. He also mentioned that he tries to find toys in very nice condition, and of course rarer examples.

Another item that he has sold and sells are fine  writing pens. For a while, while I was teaching, I purchased inexpensive fountain pens on E-Bay. My writing is not very legible,and so I would write my comments to students with a fountain pen. You have to write slower, and being a left-handed person I tend to smudge the wet ink. Of course, my hand-writing never improved. However, his very intricate and expensive pens maybe might help!

  I immediately wrote back to Mr. Clifford Olsen and thanked him. I then asked if he might send some photos and if I could also used some of his current listings on ebay so that I might add a post about him. After all,if I just added his answer to the Harley post,  that wouldn't be enough of a thank you from me. He sent some nice photos, and then another older sold listing which interestingly enough I was able to find. Usually on  ebay, you can;t bring up the photos of a past auction after 90 days, but fortunately, I was for the old French toy,which you'll see below.

I'd written a post once about the Triang toy company. It's most interesting and was founded in  England. However, the interesting part was that the company had a manufacturing plant in Quebec (Canada), and sold toys in North America!.

Please read the description of this toy. For a toy that's at least 100 years old, it certainly was very complex in terms of its movement.  Finally below is a Marx  "Mighty Kong" Gorilla. I don't usually include any toys after 1940, but in this case I did. The Marx toy is in excellent condition, but for missing a wind-up key. I'm sure it can be found or a replacement found on ebay.

Please click here to see a Youtube video

I'm now off to walk our dog Buddy, and to go outdoors.With this unbelievable weather up here, you have to to enjoy it while it lasts. They say that we have 4 seasons, and some people say we have 3.

For me there's 2 - hot and cold. The ice and snow start to melt in late March, and by early May the snow is gone (although it has snowed in May). By the end of August, the days are very short, and the nights get cold. Of course, since I'm not moving anywhere, I live with the weather,and the changes are enjoyed nevertheless. Of course my trip to Hawaii made me think - beautiful weather all the time, and warm!

Thanks for dropping by,

and have a great part of the day or night,

wherever you msy be.

Stacey

toysearcher@gmail.com