Meier Toys

Friday, December 2, 2016
Cloud with sun
6 Celsius 41 Fahrenheit

Meier Toys

Please click here to visit this fine American toy auctioneer

(Johann Philip) Meier Toys

The Meier toy company was located in Nuremberg in the 1880's and later. It produced lithographed tin toys. The parts of these toys were cut and the pieces would be sent to people (usually unskilled) to assemble in their homes. The pieces were usually mirrored images of each other., and had small tabs that would be fitted into small slots. The toys were very popular and the major market was Great Britain. Most of these topes are called "Penny Toys". They were inexpensive to make, and were sold wholesale to importers who would then sell them to street "merchants" who would sell them for a penny. Even at these low prices, there were profits to be made by these venders.

The Penny Toys were popular from the 1880's  to 1914 , the start of WWI. Many of these toys were mobile with the toy on a rolling platform with 4 wheels. On some toys, the head of an animal would move. The identification of the Meier toys appears to have the words or name of "Ges. Gesch"

The toy above is more complicated, and appears to have a flywheel mechanism.

This toy had a small lever at the back of the toy. When pushed into the toy, 

the dog jumps through a hoop. This toy doesn't have a set of wheels.

There are 2 toys in this post that have small lids that can be opened from the top. 

The small container was for candies to be placed.

In the toy above, the boat is held in place by a rod through the bottom. As the toy is 

moved on the floor, or is pulled by a cord, the boat will rock back and forth.

This Ferris wheel rotates in a full circle.  The two halves of people do not attach together. 

As such, the inner halves are not lithographed, but are exposed tin.

The toys immediately above have moveable heads. As the toy is pulled or 

pushed on the ground, the head "bobs" up and down. You can see a small hole at the front 

of the green platform, where a cord would be tied through the hole.

You can see in the toy above that the inner sides of the cyclists was not painted.

 Rust has oxidized the inner surfaces.

Finally, the toy above has a pair of children that move back and forth. This toy was a stationary toy (did not move). The swing was pushed, and  children watched as the pair of children swung back band forth.

It's very interesting that the Meier company and several other companies made so many different designs  of their toys. But I assume that even by selling toys by hundreds at a time of one kind, not only did the Meier company make money, but so did the street venders. 

As far as the size of these toys go, they were small, ranging in size from 2" - 4" in length.

More surprisingly is what these toys sell for today.  The prices can range from $ 200.00 American (sometimes lower) up to $ 100.00 USD. This is certainly "not bad" for a toy that once sold for a penny!

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

A whole Lot of Hubley Cast Iron Motorcycles

Wednesday, February 2, 2016
Cloudy and warmer than usual

A Whole Lot of Hubley

Cast Iron Motorcycles

   Yesterday, I introduced everyone to a fine auction from Morphy Auctions (March 5-6, 2016). That post contained a nice assortment of early Fisher-Price toys. However, included within this auction are Morphy Auctions famous marble listings, and a great grouping of Hubley Cast Iron Motorcycles.

   What's interesting about the Hubley motorcycles is that these "heavyweight" cast iron toys were still being manufactured when new and better methods of toys were both being imported and replacing the cast iron toys. The Hubley company never really changed until the later 1940's to adapt to the new age. 

   THe Hubley line of cast iron motorcycles were of course pull toys. A string would be attached to the front of the toy, and the toy would be pulled be hid the child. What made these toys still so desirable and collectible was that they were finely crafted after the original motorcycles of the ere - The Harley and the Indian brand names of motorcycles. Each one was hand painted, and would come with either metal (nickel-plated) or rubber tires.  ALso, there were a lot of motorcycles at the time relative to the benumbed of cars, and motorcycles were used for delivery and the post office, as well as by the police forces across the United States.  Roads were not the best, and many roads were in fact still dirt roads across the great and vast United States. Being smaller and more versatile, these machines could easily outmanoeuvre the cars of the day. Also, the horse and cart were still around in abundance in the 1930's and somewhat later.

Please clcik here to visit the Morphy Auction grouping of cast iron motorcycles

Helmets at the time were very rare. If there were any they were made out of leather. Also, clothing for the weekend motorcyclist was more "sporty" than functional. I like how this "gentleman is all dressed up, even with his "derby" hat.  And f course, he does;t wear any goggles!

Below is the police version of the Indian ( a brand name motorcycle of the era) motorcycle.

THe officer is suited up in a uniform, and he actually is sporting protective goggles. Notice the string attached to the front of the motorcycle. This is for the child to pull the toy, hence this type of toy is called a "pull toy".

 Below is the USPS (UNited States Postal Service) version of the motorcycle with its side cast.

 Below is another variation of the delivery cart. This cart is open in the back. It's an earlier version of the Hubley motorcycle, and comes with nickel-plated tires.  

For today's post I've selected just 4 examples form the large array of motorcycles. If you like these toys, please venture over to the link that I always add under the auctioneer's name (In this case Morphy Auctions).

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

I'm always looking for new auctioneers, museums, and individuals who would like to contriute and help me with my blog.

If you happen to read this menages and are interested in sharing your toys and experiences with me and my readers, please feel free to write me at  toysearcher@gmail.com

The Earlier Fisher-Price Toys

Monday, February 1, 2016
Overcast and warmer than usual

The Earlier Fisher-Price Toys

Please click here to visit the March 4-5, 2016 Toy Auction

    I've been checking around lately to see when the upcoming spring auctions will be  starting, and lo and behold, Dan Morphy auctions (Morphy Auctions) jus already out of the gate. There' a fine cornucopia of toys present, but I decided to select a small group of Fisher-Price toys for today's post.

   The toys of the 1980's and later became larger and more complex in terms of their end goal. The company started to promote early childhood development with toys that would stimulate the child to work with his/her brain. Parents were encouraged to participate with their children to promote early childhood learning.

   However, long before learning was a key motivator with the Fisher-Price toy company, simple play and enjoyment were the primary end goals. The toys today are all pull toys, and would be attached with a string or lead. THe child would pull the toy, and the toy would follow. It could articulate and have its parts bend and move and could even chime a bell, or have clicking sounds. The "goal" if any was for the child to have fun, and simply enjoy pulling his or her toy.

   If you do go to this website, you will see some early childhood learning skill toys. Colours, shapes, and blocks all came in kits. Children would be motivated to subtly leaner their primary colours, and to develop their dexterity through the use of such things as building blocks. The child (with his parent) would be encouraged to stack different shapes too several levels without anything falling down. Of course, if something fell, it was all in good fun, and the play would continue again.

   All of the toys presented today probably came from the 1940's-1960's ( My guess). You can see where the metal parts and screws are attached to the toys, and these would be the moving and articulating parts that would bend up and down as the toy was pulled,. In some instances a drum would bang or a bell would chime.  

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

Superb Gong Bell Toys Matched up to my Newest Catalogue

Thursday, November 13, 2014
Sunny and very cold

Superb Gong Bell Toys Matched to

My Latest Catalogue

   Last week I received one my latest catalogues - a  reprint from ATCA (American Toy Collectors of America) thanks to the late Mr. Lloyd Ralston. I think the catalogue is from the later 1920's. AS for the "real" toys, Bertoia Auctions is having an exceptional auction on behalf of Mr. Max Berry - a collector "extraordinaire".  I estimated the release of the T-200 Gong Bell catalogue in the 1920's because the catalogue had handwriting changing words from "rubber" to chenille, and had stamped printing of the word "discontinued". So I am assuming that bell pull toys were not as popular as they once were decades earlier, and even in the earlier century.  

Please click here to visit this exceptional Auctioneer

Below is my "logo" that I use as a watermarkover my photos.

The catalogue of course was originally from the extant Gong Bell Company. 

It was then reproduced by ACTA. 

It's hard for me to decide which I like better -

 old toys or the hand-drawings in the original catalogues.

I especially like the data.  The "Darkey and Alligator", of course is a very derogatory and racist term   of Black Americans even into the 1920's.

 But what is noteworthy is to read the weight of the two toy illustrations.  On the left the weight per gross (144 items) is 200 pounds (90.9 Kg), while the weight of the toy on the right for a gross is 114 pounds (51.8 Kg). Shipping by rail was a major means to get products to most cities and countrysides in the USA. It was the least expensive, and often the only way.

I did my usual "whitening effect" to remove the grey seamless paper than Bertoia uses.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with using grey,  but I feel that presenting a toy just against white shows it at its best .

These toys were quite numerous, and were fine to be used when there were few streets around, and children played mostly outdoors. However, when large apartments came about, can you imagine the noise from these toys - both from the bell and the metal on the wood floors?

I think that's why the Gong Bell Compnay first had cast iron wheels, then rubber wheels or rubber-coated wheels, then chenille ( a fabric knit material). This was to muffle or lessen the noise.

If you look under the platform to the rear of the eagle , you can see an irregular-shaped rod attached to the wheels and axle.  AS the child pulled the toy (with a string), the eagle would move around causing the bell to ring. 

Talk about noise! 

I would imagine that this was one favourite toy. 

Imagine twice as much ringing as the single bell toy!

Below is a 1910 version of the toy.

Notice that the wheels are different from the mid -1920's catalogue image to the right.

The texture on the bear and the red tree branches is amazing.

 Once again ,we see a difference between the mid-1920's catalogue illustration  and the actual toy.

I would think that the photo was an earlier version, since it  had a nose ring, and a rear tail bell.

It's amazing to see such simpler toys that could entertain children of hours at a time, day after day.

When you consider today's selection of toys, DVD games, tablets, and computers, you sometimes have to stop and think.

Thanks for dropping by, and as always,

have a great part of the day or night,

wherever you may be,

Stacey 

toysearcher@gmail.com

Introducing Cottone Auctions-Great Antiques Besides Toys

Monday, October 13, 2014
Sunny and colder

Introducing Cottone Auctions:

Great Antiques Besides Toys

   I'm always looking for new sources to help me with my writing. I'm sure I haver enough people who have helped me out to continue writing four the next 5 years, but I always an looking. An analogy (comparison) to my quest could be what they say about food here in Montreal- There are enough restaurants here in Montreal  to allow you to eat out day and night for 10 years and never  get tired of finding great food and eating somewhere else all of the time.

  What caught my eye the other day was not a toy but one of my favourite other antique categories - the salesman sample. A salesman sample is an accurate scaled-done (smaller) version of a real item that salesmen would take around a state in the USA or province as in Canada to show potential customers. What I find fascinating about this unique category of antiques is that  they present how an item actually worked  looked. And what is especially alluring to me is the fact that you could actually touch and handle these items and see how they functioned - a real model !  I would call these "real toys for adults".

   What is so fascinating to me is that the salesman's sample represents the great ideas and machines of a country's past and how it helped develop the country. I'm talking mostly about the USA (and Canada), but I'm sure every country around the world has these treasures.

Please click here to visit this excellent auction company

 I am going to add another post just about Cottone Auctions website because it's very well designed for antique searchers. Of course I did find some toys! Items are presented well, there is a clarity and ease of viewing items on the web pages, and the type (writing) is well-sized to read the material. I had written to Cottone Auctions earlier in the week,and received a nice and friendly reply from 

Mr. Matte Cottone  allowing me to use the nice photos on his website. WHen I finish writing today's post, I'll be sending  Matte a thank you, and ask him to read the post and see if there is anything that needs to be chafed or corrected.

  What stood out when I went to Liveauctioneers, then to Matt's company was the first item that you see below - a salesman's sample of an early diving suit. I would like to be able to travel back in time ad see a salesman demonstrating this item in a swimming pool and how the item worked! I am assuming (hopefully correctly) that this special item had to be demonstrated, because it involves the safety of a person under the water.

If you read the description below, you will see that Cottone Auction is auctioning this item on behalf of the Strong.  I have had the pleasure of being able to write about  The Strong, and it's a great resource for any writer of toys.

"The Strong houses the world’s largest and most comprehensive collection of historical materials related to play and is home to the International Center for the History of Electronic Games, the National Toy Hall of Fame, the Brian Sutton-Smith Library and Archives of Play, the Woodbury School, and the American Journal of Play. Together, these enable a multifaceted array of research, exhibition, and other interpretive and educational activities that serve a diverse audience of adults, families, children, students, teachers, scholars, collectors, and others around the globe."*

* Description Courtesy of  THE STRONG.

Cottone Auctions was selected to auction items from The Strong. Museums always are buying and selling items in order to update and enlarge their fine collections.I like the head and face of the man inside the helmet of the diving suit.  The diver and his moustache certainly look look like a person from that time period. 

The diving suit and pump are both a salesman's sample, as well as an actual patent model that would be sent to the patent office .

A close up of the diver and the helmet.

This looks very similar to the movie that was made and remade again -

10,000 Leagues Under The Sea by of course, Jules Verne.

 The detail is quite accurate and had to be since the item 

does represent an actual functioning device.

The photo below illustrates the  pumping system that would be used by a person about they water level. Pumpin the levers up and down would send air down to the diver and allow him to breather below the surface of the water.

The item below is also a salesman's sample and a patent model.

Samples such as this would have to be sent to the patent office, along with a special document that was written to illustrate unique designs and parts of the new item, as well as a written description of the item. This was done in order for the Patent Office (USA) personnel to read why the item presented was unique and merited a patent.

At the time of this invention and patent, the world's older cities and newer ones were growing at never before seen rates and sizes. Laws and regulations to protect people living in homes and apartments were behind the development of the cities. there were not yet regulations to provide for the safety of dwellers in their homes for such things as what the the structure was made of, the time that it would take for supporting beams to burn, fire escapes, fire sprinklers,  

and of course fire escapes.

What's fascinating about these antiques is that they are working models.

I would like to be a museum curator in order to be able to "inspect" the diving suit and the portable fire escape model. I use the word "inspect" in a very broad manner.

I like to look at art, but what I like is what I can see and understand. I,m not one to have to read a 10 page narrative explaining what a piece of art that I don't understand is such a treasure to a museum.

The two posters below are great pieces of art and art history. 

they present to the viewer 2 example of transportation that of course were once available. The train of course was used much more at the time, and imagine taking 16 hours to travel from New York to Chicago. Today, you can travel halfway around the world in that time.

It must have been a great experience to have travelled in a Zeppelin at the time.

The material  Bakelite was the precursor (came before) plastics. It was a strong and versatile material that was used in the manufacture of many different products at the time.

What's also interesting is the fact that many common things that we readily have today were in those days beautifully designed by designers. The Sparton (with the letter "O") was designed by 

Walter Teague - a famous designer at the time.

Below is another nicely-desined ratio for that era.

I had trouble getting the 2 composite photos to match up in colour, so please excuse this.

I like the simp[licity and colour of the ratio, as well as the beautiful marbleizing within gut deep blue casing of the radio.

Of course I couldn't add a post without some toys, and  of course I did find some very nice examples at Cottone Auctions.

MANY any toys back then were simpler then that they are today. Of course the times were different. Nevertheless, children did enjoy playing with them, as they do today. What I like about the toy below is that it was hand-made!

I  just realized that I forgot to add the written description 

to the photo below of the 2 toys, so here it is:

Two Clockwork Toys

Paper mache (Papier Mache`) heads. 

Lady with cart, very good. Height 11"  279 mm

Boy on tricycle, spring unwound. Height 10 1/2"   267  mm

Today's photos can be viewed at a much larger size in Blogger's slide view mode.

The detail in the lady's dress is exceptional and must be viewed in a much larger size to appreciate the fine detail and the transparency of the material at the bottom hem.

Once again, the detail in the dress of the lady is most noteworthy. It certainly was hand sewn, and the undergarments of that era would certainly interesting for the time! Of course,the small detail for such a toy in interesting for any collector,and doll collecting a a very big area that people enjoy.

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 write me anytime at:

toysearcher@gmail.com