Bill Buttaggi Finds the Answer to a Reader's Question

Saturday, April 6, 2024

5 °C / 51° F

Overcast with rain

The Sherlock Holmes of Toy Identification

finds an answer to a reader's toy

or 

(Bill Buttaggi  Finds the Answer to a Reader's 

Question About an Unidentified Toy)

On April 4, 2024, I wrote a blog post for Donna Walsh. Donna had purchased 

some old toys for her son, but didn't know the name of the manufacturer of one.

Donna asked me if I could help. 

I said yes, but asked her to send me some photos of the toy. 

What I did was to make a composite larger-sized photo 

of all of the toy images that she had sent to me.

I searched for about 30 minutes, but I couldn't find the answer for Donna. 

However, what I did know was an excellent Toy merchant (seller) of toys.

His name is (Mr.) Bill Buttaggi, and his website is:

Please click here to visit this most-excellent website

I e-mailed Bill, and sent him an attached composite photo of 

all the photos that Donna sent me. I got an answer from Bill within a day, 

and he send me his Sherlock Holmes photo attachments* from which he solved

 "The Case of the Unidentified Toy".

The photos are from page 74 of a book that I also happen to have.

The book is:

Rubber Toy Vehicles

Identification and Value Guide

Author:  Mr. David Leopard

Publisher: Collectors Books

A Division of Schroeder PublishingCo., Inc

I didn't scan and post the page because I always ask for permission beforehand.

I'll be sending  an e-mail after I add this post to my blog, and hope that

I will get a "yes" answer.*

However, Bill did give me some web addresses that I can refer you to,

and also wrote the answer below:

"Hi Stacey,

I look forward to reading the new posts you have coming up and let me know if you need anything!

Based on the bottom of this panel truck, I suspected it's a rubber toy. So I looked at my reference book (Rubber Toy Vehicles by Dave Leopard) and sure enough, I found it.

It was made by the Barr Rubber Products Company sometime around 1935-1936. It is

the BT02 Ford Panel Truck 4 1/4" long

Once I figured out what it was, I did a search on the Internet and found a few examples."

Please click this address to be redirected

Please click this address to see another photo of the toy

Please click on yet another reference

So that's it for today.

As always, thanks for dropping by,

And have a great time of the day or night,

wherever you may be.

And please feel free to write me anytime:

I can be reached at toysearcher@gmail.com

(Mr.) Stacey Bindman

Another Interesting Request for a Toy Identification

Sunday, September 2, 2018
Overcast and Rainiung
22 C 72 F

Another Interesting Request 

for a Toy Identification

          I often get requests from readers to help them identify their nice toys. A few weeks ago, I received a request from Mr. Race Owens to help him in identifying a toy of his. What I usually do is to ask the reader if he/she can send me photos of their toy, and I'll write a post for them. Possibly, one of my readers will help to identify the  toy.

Here's what Race wrote to me:

"Hello! My name is Race Owens. I have a wind-up toy with an unknown maker. The logo is a capital S in a circle. It seems to be more likely Strauss than Schoenhut but the logo resembles examples from the latter. "

      Race obviously knows about toys, since he mentioned 2 older toy manufacturers by the respective names of "Strauss" and "Schoenhut".

      So, if there is someone out there who can help with the identification of this toy., both Race, and myself would be very grateful.  Below are the photos that race sent me to help  with the discovery of this "mysterious toy".

     The toy is a wind-up toy that has a drummer drum .

The photo below is excellent because it's the logo of the company that manufactured the toy.

So that's it for today. Tomorrow or the next day, I have another toy that will also need help with its' identification.  If you know who the manufacturer of today's toy is, by all means please write me.

I can always be reached at the e-mail address below:

toysearcher@gmail.com

As always, thanks for dropping by, and have a great day, and a nice upcoming Labour Day.

Stacey Bindman

Have You Any Idea How Much This Toy is Worth?

Tuesday, January 12, 2015
  Overcast, will snow, -8 Celcius/17.6 F

Have You Any Idea How

Much This Toy is Worth?

   I received an e-mail over the weekend from Paula Lind. There were just 3 photos and a request to offer my estimate as to how much the toy was worth. I wrote Paula back to say that if she sent me more photos, then I'd add a post for her, and perhaps one of my readers could help out.  SUre enough, Paula sent me more photos, and that's today;s post.

    I did a bit of work on the photos to better expose them too show the details, especially in the shadows.

The one thing that I forgot to ask Paula is the size of the toy. Paula also wrote to say that she thinks the toy is a Hubley, and that is is designed after the Chrysler Airflow. If Paula is correct, then that would place the toy around the late 1930's, since that is when the Airflow was manufactured. 

The Chrysler Airflow was a beautiful car, but was never a success. It was made for a few years and then production was stopped. 

One thing about Paula's toy is that it has wood wheels. COuld it also have been made around the late 1930's and early 1940's when America went to war (WWII)? In that case, wooden wheels would have been used to save on metal, since metal was needed for the war effort/

I intentionally left the out-of-focus (camera movement) photo below as part of the images that Paula sent. I like the "sense of  motion" that the blurred image conveys.

Also, the truck is missing its' rear door.

If anyone out there can help answer Paula's question about the value of the toy, both I and Paula would be very grateful.

My e-mail address can always be found at the end of each and every post.

But for today here it also is:

toysearcher@gmail.com

So that's it on this Tuesday, January 12, 2015. Snow is expected to fall in Montreal later today and tomorrow, but the good news is that the weather will remain somewhat "warm". Of course, "warm" is all relative as to where thou live. In Florida or Australia, Montreal at this time is "freezing", but in Alaska, or Canada's NorthWest Territories, Montreal is having a heat wave!

** Update (January 12, 2015 evening)

I did some cursory searching and I think that this toy is a Wyandotte oil truck, rather than a Hubley. It's pressed steel, and was most likely made in the late 1930's or early 1940's.  I found similar Wyandotte trucks to this one, but not the same one. The exaggerated fenders and wheel wells are characteristic of the Wyandotte cars and trucks of that era.

Paula informed me that this toy was her uncle's who was born in 1932. THe length of the truck was also about 8" long ( 203 mm). 

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

Contest - An Old Toy Needs Identification

Tuesday, November 3, 2015
           Seasonally warm (15F/59C) 
              with partly cloudy skies

An Old Toy Need Identification

   One sure way to get me motivated to write is to have someone send me an inquiry. So when Mr. Bruce Jacobs wrote me to say he need assistance in identifying an old toy car, I immediately wrote back and asked for photos.  Bruce send me 4 nicely-photographed photos of the  toy,and so that's the post for today.

Hi Stacey,

I changed computers and lost your blog site until now!  I have always appreciated your museum quality photos and super commentary.

I came across what I feel is a VERY early toy racer, and need your help to learn more about it.  I have a number of Metalcraft, Dayton, Schieble, etc., but have never seen one that actually is large, wood vehicle wrapped in tin. I know I have seen this racer in my time, but just cant seem to find it when I need to.  I am still amazed that this car has as many original parts as it does.  There are no rubber tires on it, but it has the original wood rims, the front original moving axle, (back axle was replaced), original seat, seat backs, paint is amazing, wire mesh cooper grill, old license plate, original gas tank in back, and actual moveable wood steering wheel?  I didn't think so because of the wood color, but when you look at the underside of the steering wheel it is the exact color as the car, and the shaft underneath is also very old (amazing).  It is missing the spare tire that sits on the trunk lid.  If you or your readers can help me identify it that would great.  Dimensions are 16.5 inches long, 6 inches tall, and 7 inches wide from wheel to wheel.  From my experience, this seems to follow the very old Dayton and Clark autos with their paint and pinstripes, but the wood block undercarriage, firewall, steering wheel, rims, axles, and gas tank. It's a real treasure, and wanted to share!

I would imagine this is around 1895 to 1910, but not sure.

Thanks Stacey.

Have a super day.

Bruce

I have to confess about 1 thing in Bruce's introduction. Except for the first 40 posts, all photography is taken by the people companies, or museums that I write about. What I do is simply isolate the toy from the background and place it on white. I try to select quality photography, and what I've noticed since the digital camera, the tablet, and the cell phone have advanced in quality and capability, so has the higher level of photography.

Bruce knows his toys! When Bruce mentioned Schieble and Dayton (as in Hillclimber), I knew that Bruce was a toy aficionado (someone who has a high interest in something, such as a hobby).

Dimensions

Length x Width x Height

16.5"  x  7"  x  6"

419.1 mm x 177.8 mm x 152.4 mm

When I first saw Bruce's photos, I initially thought hand-made, . However, for sure this is not  hand-made! It's quite sophisticated in features (the gas tank, the front grill, the bevelled wheels, the cotter pin  at the end of the steering column, and so forth.

Below you get a good view of the bevelled wheels. I wonder if there where rubber tires on them?

As well, you can see the underside of the side steps, one for the driver, and one for the passenger. As well, the unique steering wheels column is integrated into the underside frame of the car.

The yellow line (pinstripe) on the blue background was made by a toy manufacturer because of the fine quality. I also like the front grille.

 The overall car toy resembles early car racers from the 20th century, with it's side steps, gas tank in the back, and the front large-sized and flat grille mesh.

Now all we need is to have a reader  find us an identification to Bruce's fine toy that he most kindly shared with us, and took the time to photograph.So I'd like to ask all readers if they might help me out and try to find an identity to this fine toy. 

 To make the search all the more interesting, I'd like to offer 2 toy books. One for the person who finds the identity to the toy, and one person who corroborates that the first identifier of the toy was right. I'm not going to highlight this last paragraph too much, but I'm going to be quite excited if I can get just a few people to help us out.

All participants to the "mini-contest" will have to provide  addresses to the photos (copyright infringement) or their owwn photos if they have one of these toys, with some written narrative to prove the toy identity. I will ask for permission to the 2 winners.

As for Bruce, I hope he'll not mind if I don't offer him a book. But a high thank you to Bruce for helping me with my blog and for keeping me interested in writing. Otherwise, I'd have to deplete my collection to go back in time and offer all the people who have helped me by sending ion their toys for identification. And one final note - this is not a contest so I hope Google will allow my small offer without any rule or legal  "red tape".

Thanks for dropping by to my blog,

and as always,

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

Stacey

toysearcher@gmail.com

Another Unidentified Toy Needs to be Identified

Tuesday,December 16, 2014
  Mostly cloudy with warmer temperatures

Another Unidentified Toy

Needs to be Identified

   I had to apologize today to Mr. George Manuilow, a reader who sent me photos of a toy to post. I had to say that I was sooty because I hand;t helped he out as fast as I normally do.\. So when I saw he's name today in my mail box - it was oh, oh!

  So I just worked on George's images, and need someone out there to try and help us identify who made the toy, when, perhaps where, and if you have other information, as well.

THe toy's base is made from wood,and the rest is metal.

The image of the man appears to be lithography.

As far as the dimensions go,the engine is 14" (355 mm) approximately in length.

The width is 3" (76  mm).

The toy appears to be a pull toy, since I don't see any gears or electrical contacts to make it self-propelled.

So,if someone out there can help out with out unknown toy,'that would be a great help.

You can write to me at toysearcher@gmail.com,

and I will contact George. 

Also,if you have any photos, please send them to me (and I'll add them to this post)

with your permission of course.

Thanks for dropping by and as always,

haste a great part of the day or night,

wherever you may be,

Stacey

toysearcher@gmail.com