drfrankenstoy store I presume?

 Saturday, January 11, 2025

-7° C / 19.4 ° F

Overcast and Very Damp

drfrankenstoy

ebay Store I Presume?

Please click on this sentence to redirect to this excellent ebay seller

Yesterday, I was browsing on the ebay  searching for toys and my next blog post.

As I'm searching for a new store and a new person selling toys, I see a very interesting name for a store. The store's name is Frankenstoy. 

Well, that got my attention, and so I had to go there to see what toys I'll find.  

Sure enough, not only did the  store name get my attention, but so did the toys.

I wrote to the store, and Mr.Tomas Guerrero replied. He wrote a very nice message, and gave me his permission to write a post.

As you will read,  Mr. Tomas Guerrero is very knowledgeable about toys. He  

provides details about any damages to the toys. It's nice to see that

he provides this information to the potential buyers, and from his ebay rating, 

the buyers have rated him very high.

Description

"Prewar Lionel Gauge 343 Maroon Passenger set.It comes with 380 Electric Locomotive, 319 Pullman Car, 322 Observation Car, and 320 Railway Mail Car.

Pullman and Observation cars are stamped New York Central Lines above windows, and Railway Mail Car is stamped Lionel Electric Railroad. Engine runs good.It has moderate age wear. to paint and small bump to one side of cab's roof, no other damage. Wheels were replaced at some point. Cars show moderate age wear and light scuffing.Observation car shows a small bump to roof. All 4 pieces show original paint with no repaints or touchups. Nice set"

Description

"For your consideration is this T-Reproductions Lionel 840 Industrial Power Station.  It comes in original box, and also original shipping box. It has never been used.Station and all other parts are in like new condition. Complete with instructions brochure. Box shows moderate wear but no other damage."

Description

I have shortened the descriptions to present details of the toys. 

Nevertheless, the any scratches or other marks were described.

For your consideration is a Trolley Bus. Made in France in the 40s/50s.

It comes with original box and instructions, Bus is powered by a windup mechanism that makes it move forward and a bell rings as it moves. 

It also features battery operated headlights. 

Bus is 15"  (31.8 cm) long x 5 1/2" (13.97 cm)  wide x 6 1/2" (16.51 cm)  high

Description 

This is an  early tin hand painted toy Airplane Merry Go Round. 

It is meant to be hooked to a steam engine. It is about 8 1/2 " ( 21.59 cm) tall.

"I am not sure of the maker, but definitely of early German manufacture. 

Possibly by Doll & Cie, but I am not completely sure. Shows some flaking, but no other damage. I t=turns freely, Paint is original with no repaint or touchup.

I think this toy might have originally been a wind up toy  and was

adapted to be a steam operated engine, but I am not 100% sure.

Description

For your consideration is prewar Pressed Steel Marx G-Man Pursuit Car Toy

is about 14" (35.56 cm) long x 5" (12.7 cm) wide x 6" (15.24 cm) high.It features wind up mechanism, sparks, and gun-like sounds.  Wind up mechanism needs

adjustment. 

Description

For your consideration is this antique Model T. This is the roadster model, which is the hardest to find out of the 4 different Model T models Bing manufactured.

Made in Germany by Bing circa 1920. Car is propelled by a wind up mechanism that makes car move forward. Angle of front axle can be adjusted to make car 

go straight or in circles. Car is 6 1/2" (16.51 cm) x 3" (7.62 cm) x 4" (10.16 cm tall)

Description

For your consideration is this early early tin litho made in Germany by Fisher.

Car is about 8"(20.32 cm) long  x 3 1/2" (39.37 cm) wide  x 5" (12.7 cm) wide.

It has been professionally restored and remains in excellent condition.

Description

For your consideration is this very nice lot of Kilgore cast iron dollhouse furniture.

It includes 30 pieces all in matching colors. All pieces in very good condition

with no damage other than moderate age wear, except one of the vanities that has a leg broken off.

I would have to say that writing this post most-interesting from the knowledge that Tomas Guerro had written for each and every toy on his ebay.

He's certainly most knowledgeable about toys, and honest about the condition of what he is selling. Both of these characteristics have surely made him 

recognized as an excellent merchant on ebay. If I ever have to find information

 on a toy, I'll visit his store to see what information there might be. 

Also, he had a lot more toys for sale on his site, but I only picked 8 listings.

So that's it for today. I hope you enjoyed this post, as much 

as AI did writing it. 

As always, thanks for dropping by to visit, 

and have a great part of the day or night, wherever you may be.

My name is (Mr.) Stacey Bindman,

and I can always be reached at toysearcher@gmail.com

A New Reader Shares his Exceptional Trains

Saturday, January 12, 2019
Clear and Sunny
-19 C  -2.2 F

A New reader Shares

His Exceptional Trains

    It's always great to receive e-mail from readers, and  it was no exception to receive some  new information about very old trains.

In John Goulet's Own Words

"I grew up in central Massachusetts in the 50s.  Got a Marx set in 1954  (3/16 scale) which I still have and which has its own special loop on my layout.

I got a Lionel set the next year- 621 switcher and a couple more sets later on.

Was a big fan of the Lionel Model Railroading paperbacks from Bantam publishing.  All those black and white photos of the showroom layouts as well as the Rochester PAL layouts!!

In the early 80s I got a home in Maine and got all the trains out and a layout in the basement.  Several years went by and I ran into the TM book  Great Toy Train Layouts and was hooked.  A 2 car garage got a gambrel roof and layout room.  I have had that layout since (about 24 x 22). Moved it all to Massachusetts in 1993 where I am today.

I got a piece of Lionel 2 7/8 gauge from a friend in Downeast Maine around 1995. A  #100 B&O.  That was and is remarkable.  Runs like a Swiss watch!! Very well made. Over the next 20+ years I got two more pieces, a #300 Converse Trolley and a #100 steel gondola.  I put up a 5x10 foot layout in the center of the train room as trains cannot sit - they gotta operate!!!  It has all original steel band track with wooden ties. A challenge but it works.  Can appreciate why Lionel went to tubular 3 rail around 1906."

"I study early 20th century Lionel trains. 

Converse provided trolley floor toys to Lionel in 1901.  Lionel in turn removed the

wheel assemblies and put the trolley body on top of their  own electrically driven

chassis.  (many pix available).  The Converse floor toys were #702.  The resulting Lionel

trolley was their #300. 

In 1901 Converse was perhaps  the worlds largest toy manufacturer. Lionel was 2 guys in a loft in New York City with some ideas and a lot of enthusiasm.

In 1901, people used wet cell batteries!!!!  Transformers were 10 + years in the future. I use a much later transformer with a full wave rectifier on it to provide DC current."

I remember going to the last The Lone Ranger movie 

(with Armie Hammer and Johnny Depp - 2013) 

and there was a train set in the movie.

The movie took place in the 1880's, so I was wondering how the small train was powered. 

And now I know - it was with wet cell batteries.

The image below is superbly photographed to illustrate 

the small motor and the electrical wires.

A nice image by John Goulet

illustrating another fine car.

This is the first post for 2019. I want to wish everyone (belatedly) a healthy and Happy New Year.

Also, everyone and anyone are welcome to write to me with their toy photos and narrative. 

I'm always interested to read what people have to say, and read their stories as to how they acquired their toys.

As always,

Have a great day or evening

Wherever you may be.

Stacey Bindman 

Toysearcher@gmail.com

Bertoia Auctions First 2018 Auction

Monday, December 25, 2015
Overcast with snow
-8 C  17.8 F

Bertoia Auctions 

First 2018 Auction

Please click here to visit this fine American toy Auctioneer

Please click here to visit this fine American Auction Management Company

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

Introducing N.E.T.T.E Auctions

  Wednesday, October 8, 2014

Overcast, raining and seasonally warmer 

Introducing 

N.E.T.T.E. Auctions

  For today's post, I have the pleasure of introducing to you N.E.T.T.E. Auctions. There name is an acronym that stands for New England Toy Train Exchange  (an abbreviation of letters representing something such as an organization or company). The company is located in Danbury, Connecticut (USA) and has a professional staff with nearly a combined total of 40 years experience in the special area of the toy train field. I have seen their name almost every time that I venture over to Liveauctioneers, and I was surprised that I had never contacted them before.  I sued a logo from their website, although the one on Liveauctioneers is different. Nevertheless, their logo is well-designed and attracts your attention quite easily.

  What initiated my invitation to invite N.E.T.T.E. Auctions to be on my blog was a nice Strauss timber truck that I will present tomorrow. Heidi (my wife) and I are rebuilding our sunroom that is in the back of our house. So all the morning and afternoon, all I hear is the bang, bang bang, and saw, sea saw of the hammer and circular saw. That of course got me thinking about wood and toy lumber or timber trucks.

Please click here to visit the website of N.E.T.T.E. Auctions

Description

"These 5 Cars were Documented in Louis Hertz's Book, Collecting Toy Trains. There existed a photo of the Lionel Production Crew examining these on a production table. They went from the Lionel Archives to Doc Robbie's amazing collection. And now they can be yours! All have the telltale blue paint approval splotch applied to 1 or more surfaces as Stated in the book. All paint has been tested and dates appropriately, the consignor guarantees their authenticity as do we. The grading on these assumes the Blue is part of the original paint, not a defect of any kind. All are late colored variations - 212 Gondola, C-6+(Very Good Plus); 215 Sunoco Tank Car, decals 100%, brass railing, C-6(Very Good); 214R Reefer, also marked #37 on sides and frame, C-5(Good); 219 White Derrick, Gears intact, C-7(excellent); 217 Caboose, C-6-(Very Good Minus). Remember these are One-of-a-Kind Rarities! WOW!"*

* Description Courtesy of N.E.T.T.Auctions

What,s especially interesting for the train listing is that the train was bid quite high probably because of the writer - Mr Louis Hertz. A Photo of the is nice set of Lionel Trains appeared in the book, hence the blue markings on the train.  The blue were the markings of a group of Lionel inspectors who were examining the trains.

Sometimes, you will see items at auctions that are not necessarily rare, but it's the person who owned the item that enamours a special group of people who like to collects items owned by famous people. In today's post, the fact that a well-known authority and writer had used a photo in his book, made the toys all the more attractive to bidders.

In the end, the story ended well, and the trains achieved a very nice price at auction!

I hope that the new owner found a copy of Mr. Hertz's book.

Of course, if the book had his signature, then that would be another story!

Thanks for dropping by to visit,

and as always,

have a great part of the day or night, 

wherever you may be,

Stacey

Please feel free to comment anytime on my boot posts

or write to me at:

toysearcher@!gmail.com

A Lionel Pre-War Automobile Race Car Set

Tuesday, July 29, 2014
   Sunny, clear skies, and cooler

A Lionel Pre-War 

Automobile Race Car Set

   I'm always elated to discover something new in the old toy world, so when I saw a headline description titles "Lionel Race Car", I was ecstatic! Lionel started out in 1900,went through some financial problem in the mid-later 1950's, and still continues to engine along. Seeing the words "Lionel Race Car" is an oxymoron to me. The discovery that Lionel would have manufactured a race car set complete with tracks was fantastic. What's also interesting is that these sets are in high demand. Ever more interesting is that in the 1990's the Lionel Corporation came out with their "Classic" return of this fine set for a short period. These are not as valuable, and if you like "Classic old", you can find these periodically on ebay and at auction.

Please click here to visit this fine Auctioneer's website

 The one thing that I didn't see  in all of the sets today is the transformer.

I'm sure that the set came with one, or perhaps, the set would be an accompaniment to a regular Lionel model train set.  

I'll have to check this out!

What's interesting to note on these cars are the double tanks behind the seat. Notice that each have their own cap and have 2 straps each to hold down the tanks. I'm thinking that they were modelled after real cars that used to participate inn those long cross-country races a long time ago.

2 words to describe these toys - Well Made!!!!

Do they still make toys like this in 2014?

I kept seeing the orange and maroon colours on most of the Lionel race car sets that I found,and then AI saw this one. The third colour appears to be a deep blue.  

Don't ask me why, but I'm always asking questions! 

I had a question come to mind  and had to search out the answer. 

When was corrugated cardboard invented?

Of course, Wikipedia would have the answer, and here it is below:

"Corrugated (also called pleated) paper was patented in England in 1856, and used as a liner for tall hats, but corrugated boxboard was not patented and used as a shipping material until December 20, 1871. The patent was issued to Albert Jones of New York City for single-sided (single-face) corrugated board.^[14] Jones used the corrugated board for wrapping bottles and glass lantern chimneys. The first machine for producing large quantities of corrugated board was built in 1874 by G. Smyth, and in the same year Oliver Long improved upon Jones's design by inventing corrugated board with liner sheets on both sides.^[15] This was corrugated cardboard as we know it today."*

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cardboard_box#History*

When the real races in the real cars occurred, there would be an accompanying navigator who would read the maps and guide the driver. That's why there are 2 people in the car.

It's interesting that the Lionel Corporation (as they are called now),reintroduced this fine set  in the 1990's. These can be found at much lower prices that the originals, and they would still be fun to play with.

Thanks for visiting,

and as always,

have a great part of the day or night, 

wherever you may be,

Stacey.

toysearcher@gmail.com

write to me anytime….