Old Antique Toys

This blog discusses old toys from the early 1920's to the end of the 1950's. All kinds of topics are discussed. The time span was the greatest period for "hands-on" toys, where a young child could actually go outside and play for hours at a time. You can see the elegance but simple design of these toys. It was a time when huge machines, and people made and finished toys by hand. The era has long passed, but many of the toys are still around, and that is what I would like to share.

Showing posts with label Hubley toys. Show all posts

Tuesday, January 23, 2018

A Whole Set of Hubley Cast Iron Fire Engines

Monday, January 23, 2018
Partly Sunny with Clouds
-17 C 1.4 F

A Whole Set of Hubley

Cast Iron Fire Engines

Please click here to visit this fine American Auctioneer

Here is something you don't see very often - a complete collection of Hubley Ahrens-Fox Cast Iron Fire Engines. Collected for many years - to find all the sizes and the best quality. WOW! I love this kind of collecting - finding all the different sizes - variations, or all the different colors of a particular toy. This group is in great overall condition as you can see in the pictures below. No breaks or cracks. All with original white rubber tires. The largest and most valuable measure

11" (279 mm) not including the extended ladders. The next is 7-5/8" (194 mm) long, and then

7" (178 mm) , then the next at 6-1/2( 165 mm)" long. The smaller version measure

4-1/2"(115 mm), and the smallest - and probably the hardest to find - measures 3-1/2" (90 mm).

The image below is of an Ahrens-Fox fire engine that is much later (1928) than the toys below.

You can redirect to Wikipedia to see the actual photo and

history of the Ahrens-Fox Company:

Please click here to redirect to Wikipedia

This fine grouping of these Hubley cast iron fire engines must have taken a long time to accumulate and I'm sure the collector must have been sad to sell these fine toys.

So that's it for a Monday.

Tham\nks for dropping by,

and as always,

Have a great part of the day or night.

Stacey Bindman

toysearcher@gmail.com

Friday, January 5, 2018

A Rare Buddy L Wood Station Wagon

Friday, January 5, 2017
Overcast, very cold, and blowing winds
- 21C - 5.8 F

A Rare Buddy L
Wood Station Wagon

At the Dan Morphy toy auction (December 13,2014), one of Dan's listing was a rare wood Buddy L (USA) station wagon. Once upon a time, the station wagon was a car that was made in North America. This was the time before the Dodge Caravan reinvented the station wagon, or the SUV came into existence and eventually became a common sight on the road.

My father always had a station wagon ever since he had joined my grandmother's catering business and took charge of being the representative for the company. This was in the mid 1950's, and he needed a car that would be able to hold many people (a company car with his mother, sister,his mother, and my mother in the business). When the car was not used for business, the car would be used for pleasure,especially when we went to "the country". "The country" was what we called the summer house which we rented. His last station wagon was a 1971 or 1982 Dodge.It had a large-sized 383 V8 engine that made the car run smoothly, and it had air conditioning! This was the last car my father would have. He entered the hospital in 1976 for a a bypass operation, but died before he could have the operation.The doctors had taken him off his medication too quickly,and the drastic change gave him a massive heart attack.He lived for a few more months and died of another massive heart attack.

Below is a similar station wagon of the time.We had an olive green station wagon,and one of the features that I remember was a "super light" that the car came with as an option. This was an airplane landing light that was modified to project a rectangular beam. It was in addition to the high beams on the car. It literally lit up the area in front of the car! It's funny though that this feature never caught on! Another feature on another car (the Ford) was a thermos-like system for keeping antifreeze warm in the winter. Up here in Canada where this would be a great feature, I thought this was another great idea. That also never seemed to have caught in!

It's interesting how our memories of things are different from reality. When I look at the car below it appears super-long, which it was at the time. But onlooking at this car now,it was a big stretch!

Anyway, that's enough "storytelling", and let's get back to Morphy Auctions fine rare station wagon from the 1940's. For those who haven't read my previous posts, the 1940's were a time when the USA was at war in Europe and in Asia. The government created production limitations on many items including metals. Consequently, toy companies in the USA adapted by replacing most of the metal parts of toys with wood. Most of the toy companies also participated in the war effort by converting to war production. One day, I will do some research and write a post or 2 about what the American toy companies produced for the war during WWII.

Please click here to visit this fine American auction company's website

The station wagon below reminds me the the Californian "woodies".The "woodies" were wood side panelled station wagons that entered the surfing "culture".These cars would have roof racks to hold the surfboards as the surfers went to the beach to surf.

The station wagon below has more metal than the one above.

It would be interesting to know when it was made compared with the red one to cross-reference it with the rationing of metal during the war years.

Bertoia Auctions

www.bertoiaauctions.com

Real station wagons did not have such a rear opening single door.

They usually had a top portion and a bottom portion. As a toy, this would have been great to put things into! And if you were a kid living in California, you could probably make a few mini surf boards to add to the roof!

Of course, the toy still had its original box which makes it all the more valuable as a collectible.

Except for certain toys (Lionel train set, Meccano set, Minibrix set) that has lots of pieces, I never kept the original box of all my other toys. Anyway, by the time we moved in 1963 from our triplex unit in Outremont to a duplex in Ville Saint Laurent, all of my toys ( I was 15 then) had mysteriously disappeared. I don't even remember being asked by my mother if I still wanted them - they just vanished! Of course girls, the country in summer, and high school took care of keeping me busy, so toys somehow got lost among my interests.

Now, if I had just been more preoccupied with toys and saved those boxes as well!

Thanks for dropping by and as always,

have a great part of the day or night,

wherever you may be,

Stacey

toysearcher@gmail.com

Sunday, October 15, 2017

The Hubley Static Speedboats

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

The Hubley Static Speedboats

Please click here to visit this renowned American Antique Toy Auctioneer

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

Tuesday, November 22, 2016

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

Friday, November 11, 2016

Chain Driven Trucks of the 1920's-1930's

Monday, November 15, 2016
Cloudy with Sunny Periods
11 Celsius 52 Fahrenheit

Chain-Driven Trucks

of the 1920's-1930's

Please click here to visit this fine American toy auctioneer

You can learn a thing or two from toys. When I started out, I was too busy to look at the toys carefully. I was retouching the photos, colour-balancin them, and spotting them. I did not pay too much attention to the toy or the details of the toy.

However, I did notice that on Mack truck cast iron toys, there was a chain in the back of the 2 wheels. I did some research, and as it turned out, the Mack trucks of the 1920's and 1930's were in fact moved by rear-driven chains. Eventually rear-driven drive trains would replace the chains.

Last year, I was in Calgary, Alberta, Canada to visit my brother, and my brother decided to take me to a car museum there. Sure enough, there was a mack truck there, and it was in fact chain-driven.

I didn't bring my camera with me, and forgot to ask my brother to take a photo.

A few days ago, I was meandering around the Internet searching for Mack trucks, and lo and behold an excellent photo of a chain-driven Mack truck appeared. I wrote to the website, and got a "yes" reply. Interestingly, the photo was on another website with the name of the company. I then had to contact them to get the permission. The name of the company is Shorpy.

Please click here to visit this most fascinating website

What's so fabulous about Shorpy's website is that it has lots and lots of old photographs and fine-art prints for sale. Over the years, Shorpy has purchased original photos and the rights to old photographs to sell. THey've spent a lot of money to acquire these photos, and they then resell them to people who might need them for writing articles, or for nice artwork. Back in the 1900's-2010's, there were 4"x 5" and 8" x 10" cameras. These cameras used the correspondingly same-size film for the respective cameras. If we're talking megapixels, then we're talking large-format (as these view cameras were called. So what's large? A 4" x 5" ( 101 mm x 127 mm) negative or slide will yield a 300 megapixel image file scanned at 300 dpi (dots per inch). Today's high-megapixel 35mm camera can go up to 28 megapixels, while the Hasselblad will give you 60 megapixel files and higher for a price of $ 20,000 USD and higher for the magazine back. an 8" x 10" scan of the correspondingly same size negative or slide will yield a 300 megapixel file.

So of you like lots of detail in a photo, these camera and their corresponding images are just absolutely fantastic!

The photo above is a small-sized image. I was asked to make the image smaller and I naturally did so , so that I could present a chain-drive Mack truck to you. However, if you go over to the Shorpy.com website, you will be able to see large-sized images with lots of detail.

If you look at the rear end of these trucks, you will be able to

see the chains that are located on either side of the truck.

ARCADE MACK GASOLINE TANK TRUCK

Cast iron, painted in red overall, gold fill caps, embossed "Gasoline" on sides,

Mack Cab with embossed door and rubber tires. 13" long (330 mm)

ARCADE MACK DUMP TRUCK
Cast iron, blue body, dual rubber tires, decal on doors, nickel T-bar.

12" long ( 305 mm)

ARCADE MACK STAKE TRUCK

Very scarce example, c. 1930, cast iron, painted in green overall, open stake body, contains one milk can, seated driver and nickel spoke wheels, decal appears on frame. Ex. Donald Kaufman Collection. 11" long ( 228 mm)

Hubley Gas Truck

Cast iron, painted in red body, yellow cast iron spoke wheels, seated nickel driver, Mack cab, gold painted fill caps on tank body, decal on rear panel, has Hubley decal. Ex. Bob Stewart Collection.

11" long ( 228 mm). Crack to driver's door.

Eventually, the truck and car industry improved the movement of their vehicles.

The new method was via an axle, with rear driven movement. I'm assuming that this type of movement was better, and less-dangerous than having the chains exposed to people and the elements (weather). That's progress!

Thanks for dripping by,

and as always,

Have a great part of the day or night,

Wherever you may be.

Stacey Bindman

toysearcher@gmail.com

Monday, November 7, 2016

A Trio of Heavyweights from opamerica

Monday, November 6, 2016
Clear skies with Sun
9 Celsius / 48 Fahrenheit

A Trio of Heavyweights from

opamerica

Please click here to visit this exceptional ebay seller

I haven't written about OpAmerica in a while, when I saw a nice image from them on PicClick.

So I decided to venture over to OpAmerica's ebay store and see what was being offered. Immediately, I saw a very rare Lockheed Sirius (below), and decided to check for more airplanes.

I had a "hunch" (feeling) that if I searched by price from high to low, I'd find some interesting items. Sure enough, there were 3 exceptional and rarer airplanes for sale. And that's how today's post arose.

OpAmerica is an exceptional and highly-successful ebay store. They have an excellent seller reputation, always have a very fine selection of toys for sale, and of course (my favourite) take excellent-quality photos in conjunction with well-sized files.

I've decided to let the super photos and well-written descriptions speak for themselves as far as today's post goes.

Hubley Lockheed Sirius Cast Iron Plane Lindy NR-211

I am pleased to offer this Antique Hubley Lockheed Sirius Cast Iron Plane. Following the famous flights of Charles Lindbergh and his wife, Hubley manufactured one of their rarest and most valuable toys in commemoration: the Lockheed Sirius. Designed by Chief engineer Gerard Vultree, the Lockheed 8 Sirius was based off of Charles's specifications. Around 3 feet shorter than the Spirit of St. Louis (the plane Lindberg used for his NY-Paris flight), the Sirius could travel at 185 mph, 52 mph faster than the St. Louis.

This particular piece features a two-tone black/orange paint job, with "Lindy" embossed on the left wing; "NR-211" embossed on the right wing, as well as "NR-211 Lockheed Sirius" embossed on both sides of the tail. The front engine is nickel plated with a small attachment for a pull rope, which is not present. All Parts, wing sections, tires, and pilots are present, making this plane complete minus the original pull rope.

This rare plane is in good condition for its age, showing moderate paint wear and mild oxidation from age/display. Paint is at about 80%, with the majority of loss being on the wings edges and the underside. Original tires are present, but they have hardened and are cracked (see pictures). Propeller moves well. Remnants of a Hubley decal can be seen on the tail wing.

Measures about 9" L x 10-1/2" W x 4-1/4" H

(228 mm x 268 mm x 106 mm)

Rare 17" WS Hubley Cast Iron Tri-Motor America Plane

I am pleased to offer this Antique Hubley Cast Iron Tri-Motor America Plane. This version of the America was the largest Cast Iron Plane made by Hubley, and features three prop motors that rotate via a spring drive when the toy is pushed across a surface. There are two visible pilots in the open cockpit, and right behind them across the large single wing panel are raised lettering of "AMERICA" and two circled stars. There is also a raised star on each side of the tail wing.

This plane is constructed with a cast iron body and cast aluminum motors/propellers. The two large front wheels are rubber, and look to be reproductions of original Hubley Tires. There rear small tire has no rubber but still rolls well. Plane looks to be all original (with exception to the tires).

This antique Hubley America is in good aged condition, showing some moderate shelf wear from display/age. Moderate paint wear throughout, with some mild oxidation present throughout the areas of paint wear. Spring drive works rotating the motors as you push the plane, although the props do stick occasionally.

Measures about 17" Wingspan, about 13" L, and 5-3/4" H

( 432 mm x 330 mm x 147 mm)

Antique Arcade The Monocoupe Cast Iron Airplane #357

I am pleased to offer this Antique "The Monocoupe" Cast Iron Airplane #357 made by Arcade. This great example of early 20ths century cast iron aircraft was made by the famous Arcade Toy Company. With a black cast body, orange steel wing, and iron wheels/propeller gear; this beauty will stand out in your collection. "The Monocoupe" is found in raised lettering on each side of the plane. On the top of the plane you can see the remnants of an Arcade Toy sticker. The inside of the plane is marked "Arcade 357".

This Monocoupe # 357 is in good antique condition, showing some moderate scratching and paint wear from play and display. Mild oxidation is present on the iron section of the plane (prop, wheels, etc). Front wheels spin smoothly when the plane is moved, rear wheel spins with slight resistance on smooth surfaces. Wing is a little loose

Measures about 9-1/2" L x 10-3/4" Wingspan, x 3-1/2" H

Sometimes you don't have to write much to say a lot,

and OpAmerica certainly has done that for me today!

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

Monday, October 3, 2016

Mirror, Mirror on the Wall…...

October 18,2016
Cloudy
15 Celsius / 59 Fahrenheit

Mirror, Mirror, on the Wall,

Who's the Rarest of Them All?
(Version 2)

If you're wondering about the title of this post, it's from the 1937 Walt Disney movie classic "Snow White and the Seven Dwarves"When I was browsing the ebay OpAmerica website, I couldn't help but notice a pair of very rare Hubley cast iron airplanes. I'd written above these 2 marvellous Hubley toys before, but I couldn't pass up on presenting these 2 airplanes together.

Please click here to visit this exceptional old toy merchant

Rare 17" WS Hubley Cast Iron Tri-Motor American Airplane

Measures about 17" Wingspan, about 13" L, and 5-3/4" H

Our High Resolution Photographs are taken for your review and inspection of the item in detail. Please review and feel free to ask any question you may have.

International buyers must request shipping cost please!

Thank you for viewing!

Hubley Lockheed Sirius Cast Iron Plane Lindy NR-211

Measures about 9" L x 10-1/2" W x 4-1/4" H 233 mm x 265mm x 110 mm

Our High Definition photographs are taken for your close inspection of the item.

Please review them and feel free to ask any questions you might have.

International Bidders must request shipping costs!

Thank you for viewing!

Because OpAmerica (OpAmerica Toy and Bank Museum) does such an excellent job with their photography and descriptions, I simply did some minor work on the photos,and added their own description (copy & paste, and change the font).

Some days, you just can't believe how much pleasure there is in doing minimal work on a post. I can't take much responsibility here, because OpAmerica helped me by doing such a remarkable job.

It's a very nice day outside,so I'll be going out with my wife to her sister (my sister-in-law) for lunch today.

Thanks for dropping by,

and as always,

Have a great part of the day or night,

Wherever you may be.

Stacey Bindman

toysearcher@gmsal.com