James D. Julia's Past Toy Auction

Sunday, December 4, 2015
Sunny with some clouds
1 C 34 F

James D. Julia's 

Past Toy Auction

Please click here to visit this exceptional American auctioneer

Most of the toys below are called "pull toys". A string would be attached to the front of the toy, and the child would pull it along the ground or sidewalk. In some cases, the horses would create a galloping motion.  In 2 descriptions below there is the term "transitional". I am "guessing" that this meant that the horse-drawn fire unit was about to change to the motorized vehicle (fire truck). These toys were still being produced in the 1900's when the motorized vehicles first started to appear. Even in the 1910's and early 1920's these toys were still around, and the "real"item,s, as well as toys had already appeared in "real life".

Mr. James D. Julia sold his toy division (the rights therein) to Mr. Dan Morphy.

As such, James D. Julia no longer auctioned toys.The year was 2015. James D. Julia took exceptional and painstaking photographs of all of his toys going to auction. I don't know how long these "past auction" toy auction listings will be up on his website. So if you like toys, may I highly recommend that you visit his past toy auctions - you won't be disappointed!

In the years of these toys ( 1870's-1920's) there was a myriad of these toys with all kinds of names. Below there are mostly wagons, pumpers, and a dray. For myself , I had never heard of all of these terms, and needed a dictionary to understand what each one meant. Other horse-drawn items are the buckboard, the cart, the surrey, the coupe, the Phaeton, the Hanson cab, and probably a few more. People of the times most likely knew all of these names as we do now for vehicles. Examples  of today's cars are are coupe, sedan, SUV, ATV and several others. Then there are the sizes of cars such as  subcompact, compact, mid-size, and full-sized cars.

These toys presented today are from a time long gone. The only places to see these real"vehicles"  today would be in museums, country fairs, and in the movies.

Wilkins Two-Horse Pumper

An early transitional pumper with a silhouetted driver

Length:  14"  355 mm

Wilkins Hose Reel

This is the "mate" to the Wilkins Chemical Wagon.

This toy also contains a unique bell-ringing assembly

under the driver's seat.

Length:  15 1/2"  393 mm

Horse-Drawn Pure Ice Wagon by Harris

Painted cast iron.

Length: 13 1/2"  343 mm

Wilkens Sprinkler Wagon

Very rare and sought after.

Painted cast iron

Length:  14 1'2" 363 mm

Boy's Express Wagon by Pratt & Letchworth

Painted cast iron, with stencilled words "Boy's Express Co.

Length: 17"

Wilkins Two-Horse Hose Reel

Another transitional hose reel with a silhouetted driver.

Wire attached to front wheel causes a galloping motion.

Length:  14"  355 mm

Rare Horse Drawn Chemical Wagon by Wilkins

Painted cast iron with nickel-plated chemical tank

Length:  19 1/2"  495 mm

Pratt & Letchworth Dray

A perfect replica of the dray wagons from the 1880's-1890's.

Removable stake sides, cast iron dray bed with wooden inserts

Length:  13"  330 mm

Welker & Crosby "One-Horse Truck"

Painted cast iron with japanned horse.

This is number 11 in the Welker & Crosby catalogue.

Length:  14"  355 mm

It's been a long time since I added a post about such old toys. As i already mentioned, the reason for posting is that I don't know how long the toy auction results and photos will be on the James. D. Julia website. 

I hope that you enjoy this post.

I just found out that James D. Julia has all kinds of videos on YouTube. 
If you go to the URL below, you'll see an example of a video.All of the video introductions are the same, but the content later on is different for each auction.

Below is the URL for one particular toy auction. These videos are quite interesting and informative.

Please click here to visit a James D. Julia YouTube video

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

Welker & Crosby - Part I

Saturday, October 18, 2014
Overcast with light rain

Welker & Crosby

  I've seen the name Welker & Crosby just once, when `I was writing my early posts. However, earlier in the week, I came  across a few nice examples, and checked my blog to see if I had added more than just on e photo. I couldn't find their name, so I decided to add 2 posts from 2 different fine American auctioneers.

   THe Welker & Crosby company was established in Brooklyn, New York (USA) in  1889 and remained in business for only a short period - from 1880-1898. The company closed down, and Crosby was bird by the Pratt and Letchworth Company, which made similar cast iron toys of that era.

Please click here to visit this fine American auction company

Like most cast iron companies of the time, Welker and ~Crosby manufactured toy trains. As electricity had not been invented on a massive scale `(e.g. for cities), toy trains were made with wind-up mechanisms, rather than being run by electricity.

One of the ways to distinguish `"fake" or reproduction cast iron toys from authentic antiques is the finish. Antique cast iron toys were made with very fine sand and excellent craftsmanship. Most workers had come from `Europe, and borough their excellent skills with them. The workmanship, combined with the fine sand allowed for fine details to be reproduced from the mould to the iron.

The goat's horned rings, his or her musculature, and the pocked dimples on the red seat exemplify the fine detail that was capable of being reproduced.

The term "japanned" refers to using usually a blackened varnish or shellac over a finish to create an aged and shiny look. The original technique was invented in India the carried to Europe and Great Britain. The effect on the superbly cast pair of oxen enhances the fine casting (mould) on the musculature of the animals.

The toy below is most colourful. But what's most interesting is knowing that the wagon below is called a "dray".  Since cars and trucks were not yet invented at the time, toys were made that were modelled after horse-driven "vehicles". If you look at enough old antique horse-drawn toys, you can easily learn a whole new lexicon of antiquated words that are no longer used in the English language!

Thanks for dropping by to visit,

and as always, 

have a great part of the day or night,

wherever you may be, 

Stacey

toysearcher@gmail.com

Welker & Crosby - Part II

Saturday, October 18, 2014
Overcast and cooler

Welker & Crosby 

Part II

   If you've read my blog before, you'll know that I seldom team up different people or companies on a single post. I prefer to give exclusivity to each and every person or company that helps me out.  I'm sure nobody minds, but I like to do this.

  I didn't find too many  Welker & Crosby toys on Liveauctioneers. This is a great website to visit to check out all kinds of antiques, especially toys. Icollector is another similar location. Both of these excellent companies and sites present auction companies which their merchandise,and also afford the companies a resource where people can bid in real time on the same items. If you do visit Liveauctioneers, you'll see more Welker & Crosby items that I have not presented, because I don't have the permission from the other auctioneers. 

Please click here to visit this fine American auction company

I could;n\t find the meaning of the word "bouch". I had mentioned in the prevois post that there was a whole vocabulary at the time for all of the different types of horse-drawn "vehicles".

Of course, the word "dray" is easily found.  A dray is a horse-drawn truck or cart for carrying and delivering very heavy loads such as beer barrels. It usually has  fixed sides that you see on this fine toy. I', wondering if the arched shape of the wagon was an engineering design to better carry heavy loads. Today, you still see this arched design on the heavy trailers that semis (trucks) pull of course.)

Thanks for dropping by to visit,
and as always,
have a great part of the day or night,
wherever you may be,
Stacey
toysearcher@gmail.com