Hi! -- I love toys but I don't "invest" in them. I'm not an expert in toys -- everything that I show on this page has been with me since I was a child (unless it is explicitly noted)! Sometimes I see some of the things that I enjoyed when I was a kid selling at astounding prices, and it is amusing to report on the price that some people are willing to pay for nostalgia. I do not encourage speculation in toys or any other item. I have reported what I have seen, but this should not be considered an authoritative guide to value. I do NOT buy or sell anything -- I only write about it!

I have always been a toy collector. Here is a picture taken in 1951. The scene is the rear landing of the slum apartment that my parents had when I was a child. To say that this dwelling was "Down Market" is to be charitable. Amidst this splendor, I had actually managed to acquire a small collection of wind-up animals. The young man on the left is Jimmy Manning, by the way.

The Collection, Mark I

The Inset (below) shows an enlargement of the toys. All of these were obtained from the drug store and cost somewhere between a quarter and a dollar. I always put the bite on uncles, aunts and anyone else to assist me in collecting.

Closer Look

Why am I showing you this? Well, because I hang onto everything and never let go, I still HAVE three of the six toys. Left to right in the front row of the inset, we have: The Elephant, The Puppy, The Polar Bear, The Donkey, the Squirrel, and The Camel. In the back are some paper stand-up figures that have long since departed this world.

The Elephant

The Elephant lumbers along, moving from side-to-side. He has bakelite tusks. The banner on his side says "GOP on The March" and he was a gift from my Uncle Ralph who was the renegade Republican in the family. The Donkey (now missing) was a gift from my father to balance the political spectrum.

Polar Bear and Cub

The Polar Bear and Cub was my favorite. As Mama bear lumbers along, her cub looks out from between her front legs.

The Squirrel

The Squrrel is relatively simple -- he just hops from place to place with a nut in his front paws

All of these toys work perfectly. I even have the original wind-up keys. They also have little blue and white tags that say "Occupied Japan" on them. These were wonderful things for a poor kid in the slums of Pittsburgh. I was, indeed stunned to find that the 2001 Kovel's Price Guide lists the Elephant at $750, the Squirrel at $300, and, joy of all, the Polar Bear at $1,200. I wish that I had the Camel...

Hang on to your toys!

On our way home from the Reading Air Show, I was very fortunate to find this little lithographed tin train:

The M-10003 Mail Train, "City of Salinas" [or "Little Zip"]
by the Louis H. Marx Toy Company c. 1934-1935

This is a wind-up model of the first "streamliner" ever made, the Union Pacific M-10000 "City of Salinas." This is a very lovely and historic toy that is the brainchild of Louis H. Marx, the man who kept kids happy for generations:

Louis H. Marx
With Santa Claus on the Cover of TIME Magazine, December 12, 1955

This is a nice toy for a child between 6 and 10 because it is virtually indestructible. For a lithographed tin toy, it has a surprising amount of detail and is in approximately the correct proportions as the original. However, as little boys get older than 10, they start to notice that the toy does not have the amount of versimilitude that they would expect, especially if they could go down to the railyard and see the thing "in the flesh" as it were.

Details enough to please the "big boys" from ages 10-75 may be found in a precision die cast "O-Scale" model offered by a German Company (for only $1,000 US), as shown below:

 
"O" Scale Model of the Union Pacific M-10000 from Sunset Models
Is This Enough Detail For You OLder Boys?

Formally known as "The City of Salinas", this train quickly became known as "Little Zip" because it could be seen whizzing along at over 100 mph powered by a 600 hp spark ignition power plant (similar to an auto engine, but much bigger...) It represented the pinnacle of aerodynamic design for 1934. As shown in the Marx toy model, this was originally a 3 car train. While on display at the Chicago World’s Fair in 1934 a sleeper Overland Trail was added. All the cars werre permanently attached to each other and gap between the cars was covered by an insulated leather and rubber "diaphragm" -- from inside the train, it appeared to be one long room from the Head Car to the streamlined "Beavertail" -- all of the cars had motors, so there was no "locomotive" -- only a front car where the engineer steered the train.

History of the M-10000

Feeling the effects of the Depression and declining business, America's railroads were looking for ways to reinvigorate passenger travel. As Ralph Budd, president of the Chicago Burlington & Quincy, later explained, railroads had to continue running trains on short routs to handle mail and baggage "whether or not anyone rides the trains." Budd was inspired after seeing GM's powerful diesel engines and Pullman's Railplane. He concluded that what the railroads needed was a new kind of train that was fast, convenient, ultramodern and luxurious enough to fire the public imagination. The Union Pacific Railroad also saw the two exhibits and came to similar conclusions. A race was on to see which of the two railroads would be the first to develop an ultramodern diesel passenger train.

With the engine technology of the day, the new trains had to be lightweight. To get the most out of the available power, the trains were streamlined. The Union Pacific selected the University of Michigan to find the best aerodynamic shape while CB&Q turned to M.I.T.. The new designs looked like nothing else that had ridden the rails. They looked more like Buck Rogers's space ship than a train. People were tired of living in the Depression, they were ready for a change and these drastic new body designs, no doubt, capitalized on it.

Both companies turned to General Motors to supply the power plant, but, they selected different car builders. Union Pacific used to the established Pullman Company to build their cars. Like the Railplane, the UP train was constructed out of aluminum. In the other corner, CB&Q looked to a new comer on the railcar scene, Edward G. Budd Manufacturing Company (no relationship to Ralph Budd). Budd had been producing auto-bodies before the Great Depression; however, with business down, they decided diversify and construct a light weight, stainless steel railcar. They finished their first coach in 1932. The stainless steel coach was made possible because the Budd Manufacturing Co. had developed the first successful method of welding stainless steel only a few years earlier. Prior to Budd's innovation, stainless steel was used only for cutlery and surgical instruments.

Pullman was able to accelerate the construction of the UP train, however, General Motors was unable to deliver a diesel power plant at an earlier date. So, to win the race against the CB&Q, the Union Pacific decided to use a distillate (gasoline) engine instead. The M10000 was delivered to the UP on February 25, 1934. General Motors was able to complete a diesel electric power plant for CB&Q's later delivery date. CB&Q received the Zephyr in April, 1934. Both trains were actually three car articulated motorcars, but that hardly mattered to the public. The new trains were immensely popular.

Both railroads embarked on a massive publicity campaign, sending their trains to newsworthy sites. Here is the M-10000 at the site of Boulder Dam, actually using the construction railway and not the regular commercial right of way. VIPs were carried directly to the site of the dam construction and even into the gigantic penstock tunnels. This was posssible because the train was small and light. Much of the right-of-way covered in this boulder Dam visit is now underwater.

The M-10000 "City of Salinas" at Boulder Dam
c. 1934-1935

Both railroads were unsure of what the new trains could do or how reliable they were. After the initial fanfare died down, the high speed trains were put into service on relatively flat, lightly traveled, short distance runs that could easily be completed in a single day. In such a fashion the trains were given the opportunity to prove themselves, but if they were to fail, it would not be a catastrophic disaster. The M10000 was a mild success, but the Zephyr was a huge success. Before the end of 1934, eight major railroads had ordered high speed diesel powered trains. This Website shows all the streamlined trains of the 1930s.

If you haven't looked at the M-10000 Streamliner (immediately above), you should do that before you get very far into the next toy:

The Honeymoon Express One of Louis Marx's Most Endearing Toys

This is a wonderful toy for young children -- the little train races endlessly around the track, passing through two tunnels and a bridge. Kids will sit and watch this thing forever -- at least as long as the spring-wound motor will drive it (about two minutes). It is very simple -- a spring motor is in the "station" (the little thing that looks like a house in the center). The spring is wound with a key. A series of reduction gears transmits motion to a main axle which has several radial arms that are connected to the train. A small lever on one of the tunnels allows you to regulate the speed by a friction buffer wheel. A push-button on the engine engages a catch that will hold the train in position (it is effectively an "on/off" switch)

 
Controls for the Honeymoon Express


Instructions for the Honeymoon Express


Underside of the Honeymoon Express
No Rocket Science Here

I know that this is an original Honeymoon Express toy probably from 1934, because I received it as a bequest from my cousin Serafino. When he enlisted in the Army, he packed all his things in a wooden box and said that if anything ever happened to him, I should get them. Unfortunately, he died in action in the Korean War. I kept the box of toys at my Dad's house and it got shuffled around. When my father passed away, his second wife (not my Mom) stayed in the house for some time. When she moved to Florida early in 2005, she sold the house. While she was cleaning out the attic, she found the box that Serafino had left me, so I received a "Time Capsule" from 1953. I was thrilled to find a "Honeymoon Express" in the original box.

This is the oldest Honeymoon Express toy that I have ever seen -- my guess is that it is from 1927 or before because it has a "patent pending" notice on it. The graphics are wonderful and evoke the feeling of an unhurried childhood that could wonder in the mechanical mysteries of the steam locomotive.

The Honeymoon Express -- 1927 Model
No Streamliner Here

Why is it called a "Honeymoon Express"? A play called the "Honeymoon Express" starring Al Jolson, had been all the rage on Broadway in 1918, running for 356 performances and touring for 6 years. The play was revived on Depression-ridden Broadway of the mid 1930s to rave reviews.

Music from "The Honeymoon Express"
"You Made Me Love You" was the most famous song from the play

 
Press Kit for "The Honeymoon Express"
Cast, Synopsis and "Catch Lines"
The Dancing Daddy's Daughter was a Doormat UNITIL
Something Deeply American cried "Don't Tread on Me!"

Freudians may enter the mind of the [then] toy developers and speculate about the darker implications of a little train endlessly going into and out of tunnels. However, my guess is that the toy is named for the play...

There is no doubt that the toy struck some kind of chord because the Marx Company reissued more than 40 versions of this toy into the 1960s and it always sold well. There was no limit to the number of ways that the toy could be re-painted or "re-dressed" to appeal to kids. One of the very first modifications was to include a second connection to the motor shaft that would permit an airplane to be added to the display. Some models have a clever reversing gear to permit the airplane to fly in the opposite direction of the train. Here is one of the earliest airplane versions that is also dressed to incoprorate a popular cartoon character. This toy is owned by my reader Horace from Decatur, Georgia and may be the finest surviving example of the "Honeymoon Express." I am very grateful to Horace for sharing them with us!

 
The Popeye Version of the Honeymoon Express
Train and Plane


The Original Box for the Popeye Version
Astoundingly Good Condition!

Here is another "re-dress" of the toy as the "Mickey Mouse Express"

The Mickey Express

Note that these two early versions of the toy have a representation of the M-10000 Streamliner on the box and as the little toy train. Here is a box from the 1940s that shows that the train has been "adjusted" to reflect the most modern Diesel trains with an E-8 Locomotive.

Technology Advances from the M-10000 to the E-8

We note that some train signals have been added and that the little box that holds the motor has been changed from the "Glendale Train Station" to the "Honeymoon Cottage."

 
1940s "Re-Dress" of the Honeymoon Express - from City to Country

 
The EMD E-8 Diesel Locomotive in (l.) ATSF "War Bonnet" Colors (r.) Florida Champion Colors
EMD = "Electromotive Division, American Locomotive Works"
ATSF = "Acheson, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad"
"War Bonnet" - Red: the Chief's Face, Yellow: War Paint, Sliver cars: Feathers
The "Florida Champion" was an exclusive train that ran from New York to Miami

Here is a later version that has been re-dressed to suggest "New York City" with skyscrapers, brownstones and much more elegant tunnels and bridges. This is an early set and at one time, it had a little airplane as well. I really like this one!

The New York Version of the Honeymoon Express

This moves us to the 1960s when the "Honeymoon Express" was recycled as the "Subway Express." In this case, the train runs entirely in a little plastic "tunnel" -- perhaps kids could fantasize about having X-Ray vision or something!

 
The "Subway Express"
X-Ray Vision

Finally, I was very concerned when a reader sent me this photo from the internet:

Problematic Honeymoon Express
The Box and the Toy Don't Appear to Match

According to my reader, the toy was being offered for a large amount of money, principally due to the presence of the original box. This certainly looks like an original box, but you will note that the toy has an airplane. Also, you will note that the speed control is not original either. The airplane, a low wing monoplane with a "greenhouse" canopy, is from much later than 1934. Also note that the airplane is not pictured on the box. So, from what I can see, the toy and the box don't match -- what's wrong with that? Well, a bit more research turned up the fact that you can actually BUY "Exact Reproductions" of the Original Box. The photo that the reader sent me gives me quite a bit of concern. Personally, I would not be interested in that particular object, because I would have too many questions. I would certainly not want to buy it in an electronic auction. If you want to buy a "Honeymoon Express" toy, I reccommend that you look at it very carefully and buy it because you like it, not for investment value. There are so many of them out there that it would be fairly easy for an unscrupulous operator to mislead the unwary public. Get the opinion of a reputable person before you spend any more than $25 on one of these things!

Here are two pressed metal submarine toys. Take a look at them first:

Wolverine Sub, WWI Version

Wolverine Sub, WWII Version

Both of these toys were made (in the USA) by the same company, "Wolverine Supply and Manufacturing Co." of Pittsburgh. (That's how I got hold of them) They are substantially the same toy, differing only in the trimming. The Blue sub dates from the 1920s and the Red sub was made in the mid 1940s. Note that the older toy has MUCH more detail -- there are little deck guns, a railing and a net cutter on the bow. The newer toy has many of the same details simply painted on. The delicate railing would probably be the first thing to disappear on the WWI version and I am surprised that my sub still has it. Both were made from the same dies, and simply "dressed" to look like submarines of each period. Cost-cutting may also have played a role.

Our reader Scott found this (below) version of the same Wolverine Sub -- note that it is midway between the WWI and WWII versions: it still has the net cutter and 3-dimensional guns, but the process of "abstraction" has clearly begun.

Wolverine Sub, Interim Version

These things actually work --- well, they used to work when I was a kid, even though you'd have to be a nut to stick these things in water today. You insert a winding key into the slot in the conning tower, tighten the spring, and hang on to the propellor. Then you set the bow planes. Stick the thing in a swimming pool and let the propellor go. It will skim along, take in water through a hole in the stern and slowly "dive". The counterweights on the bottom just offset the buoyancy of a sealed tube in the center. The thing will actually run nicely underwater the whole length of a swimming pool. In excellent condition, the WW1 sub could be worth about $300 now and the WW2 version about $200 --- mine are NOT going swimming.

Here's another example of the contunuous re-use of designs to keep production of toys going for quite some time. Remember, the expensive part is changing the "dies" that are used to press out the metal parts. The cheap part is how you pait the thing. We want to thank our friend Lloyd Olson for putting us onto this.

Wolverine Drum Major, circa 1933

New Drum Major, circa 1950

The tin toy drummer, "Drum Major No. 27" by Wolverine has a 1933 patent date 1892546 is shown in the Top photo. It is about 13 1/2" tall and has a rectangular base measuring 4 1/2" by 6 1/2".T he windup key goes in the back. The 1950s version is shown in the second photo. The 1933 version is worth about $350-$400; the 1950 version is worth about $150.

The Patent Diagram for the Drum Major
Click here if you want to learn how to get Patent Drawings

History: Wolverine was founded in 1903 by Benjamim.F. Bain in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The company originally made and repaired tools and dies. A toy manufacturer contracted with Wolverine to manufacture the tools to build a toy. When the contracting toy company went out of business, Wolverine used the manufactured tools to begin their own line of toys. The Drum Major was designed by Howard N. Barnum of Cleveland, Ohio and was pateneted on December 17, 1932. Note that the spring-wound motor turns two pawls that alternatively raise and lower each arm.

Of all things, the Drum Major toy has a bit part in a 1953 film, The Bigamist directed by Ida Lupino and starring Dana Andrews and Joan Fontaine. A couple who have been married for 8 years, and can not have children, wish to adopt one. When going through the form-filling procedure, Mr. Graham (Andrews) pauses very noticeably at one form which allows the adoption agency to delve into their private lives and "check him out", if you will. The reason for this pause is told in retrospect to the agent (Edmund Gwenn of "Miracle on 34th Street fame) after it is found that he not only has another wife, but a son by her. Joan Fontaine was the standout star from this film. Just watch her face in the final courtroom scene - her expression really speaks a thousand words. A short film, but utterly compelling. If you get the chance to see it - do!

In 1950, I, like alost every other six year old, was a NUT for Hopalong Cassidy. The "Hoppy" craze made Pokemon look very small. Here is a picture of me in full Hoppy regalia. That's my dad on the left. He's wearing a complete Hollywood outfit with gabardine shirt and high-waisted trousers. The photo was taken outside our modest flat at 3625 Liberty Avenue, just across the street from a brewery.

The Hoppy Suit

All that I have left of the Hoppy period is my Milk Tumbler. I wish that I had some of the rest -- In addition to the fond memories, the cap guns would be worth $100 each, the jacquard knit sweater, $50, etc, etc. I am lucky to have my glass. I insisted on having a glass of milk from it every morning and every evening. Because, Hoppy Says,"When milk for breakfast is the Rule, you're smart as any kid in school."

Hoppy's Picture on the Front

Hoppy's Wisdom on the Back

There are two more verisons of this glass, but I have only seen them at High End toy shows. I don't know if future children will have anything "real" to play with. The same computers that make it possible to share these things with you also provide hours of entertainment for kids that are a whole lot more engaging than sitting in a drab sooty apartment dreaming that you are riding on a white stallion ridding the world of "bad guys"

History: Hopalong Cassidy was a character in a series of twenty-eight books written by Clarence E. Milford, first published in 1907. Movies and television shows were made based on the character. The best-known actor playing Hopalong Cassidy was William Lawrence Boyd. His first movie appearance was in 1919, but the first Hopalong Cassidy film was not until 1934. Sixty-six films were made. In 1948, William Boyd purchased the television rights to the movies, then later made fifty-two new programs. In the 1950s, Hopalong Cassidy and his horse, named Topper , were seen in comics, records, toys, and other products. Boyd died in 1972.

From 1946-1954, I also ate a whole lot of Popped Wheat (and Rice) Honnies mainly because they were disgustingly sweet but also because they sponsored radio programss by another heroic cowboy --- Ranger Joe.

The Box for Ranger Joe Cereal
The Rice version

Ranger Joe (1939) may have been the first presweetened "sugar coated" cereal. They encouraged you to eat this cereal like a sweetened snack right out of the box. Renamed Wheat Honey's in 1954 when Ranger Joe was replaced by Buffalo Bee. They offered a whole lot of premia, some of which I have managed to hang on to:

My ranger Joe Mug and Bowl
Marked AH on bottom.
This child size white glass mug is 3" tall with a diameter of 2.75".
Produced in 1951 as a premium for Ranger Joe Honnies cereal.
Ranger Joe was a NBC-TV Saturday morning show from 1951-52.
In excellent condition each piece is worth about $24.00

A Hangar for a Toy Plane

For some reason, avaition-related toys seemed to be featured --- you made hangars for them out of stuff on the boxes. They also had a big catalog of stuff that you could buy with Ranger Joe Money which could be found inside the cereal. They really encouraged little kids to eat this stuff --- maybe the Dentists were behind them...

The Hazel Atlas company made four Ranger Joe children's pieces, a cereal bowl, plate, tumbler and mug and they were made in blue as well as red. The heavy milk white glass with the bright pyroglaze designs have held up well over time. There seems to be a plentiful supply of bowls and mugs but the tumblers and plates have been more difficult to locate --- I broke mine and I have not seen any at flea markets.

Here are some toys that I have purchased in the past few years, mostly at thrift stores and yard sales. Real metal toys are getting scarcer and scarcer.

The Elephant Bank

This is a very nice pressed metal toy made in the USA by "J Chein & Co.". A lovely Indian elephant (with a Mandala on his head) sits on a drum. You put a coin in the trunk and then pull his tail. The trunk rises as if he were trumpeting and the coin rolls into the bank. This is very nicely molded and in excellent shape. He was made between 1930 and 1940 and is worth about $150.

HISTORY: J. Chein & Co. New York City, New York and Harrison, New Jersey. 1903 - 1979 (toy producing years)
Other names: Became known as Chein Industries, Inc., in the 1970s.
Founder: Julius Chein
Specialty: tin mechanical toys, banks, drums, and tea sets.
Tin toys were lithographed. Chein's line of comic and circus tin toys received wide acceptance in the 1930s and leading up to World War II.

Here is a really nice Chein toy: it is a kid's version of what is now an antique gas pump. This would have been "cutting edge" technology in 1926, however. In the old pumps, you had to move the gasoline from the tank into the dispenser by turning a crank. When you could see the correct amount (and color) of fuel in the glass, you opened a valve and gravity drained it into your car. This proceedure assured consumers that they were getting the correct amount and quantity of gasoline.

 
The Filling Station Toy
Click here if you want to learn how to get Patent Drawings

You will be surprised to know that Mr. Chein also invented the "clacker" a rather ubiquitous Halloween and New Year's staple. They certainly mak a lot of noise!

The Clacker
Click here if you want to learn how to get Patent Drawings

Snappy the Aligator

This is a wonderful toy. The Aligator moves along the floor by means of a toothed wheel. A cam causes the jaws to open and shut. Minor imperfections in the mechanical linkages, plus slippage of the wheel on the floor give "Snappy" a realistic and menacing appearance.

However, a reader informed me that this is only part of the story! This is another Chein toy, but it is missing a Politically Incorrect part. The original Chein Alligator toy had a "Native" (i.e. a fellow in a grass skirt...) riding the alligator with reins, no less. My specimen is missing this detail (I think that I prefer it this way...). Here is what the complete toy looks like:

 

 

The Chein Alligator Toy

The Plane

Above is a little pressed metal airplane. The dime stores used to be full of these.

The Pan-Am DC6

Dinky "Shooting Star" jets

First is a pressed tin model of a DC-6, made by the Louis H. Marx Toy Company, and below that are two F80 "Shooting Star" jets sent in by our friend Bob who also has the Rocket Banks (below)

Rocket Bank

Rocket Bank detail sheet

This is a bank in the shape of a rocket ship. A coin is placed in a little tray (it's on the right side, in the middle of the ship in the picture. The small red button (barely visible) is the trigger that shoots the coin into the bank. The bank has the following markings: "RD 1957 BERZAC Creation, Astro MFG, E. Detroit, USA"

Until February of 2007, I did not have the red nose tip -- then one of my wonedrful readers sent it to me! I do have the key (it is seen taped to the bank at the top left)

HISTORY: This bank was widely used as a giveaway at banks. With the rocket standing upright a coin placed in a slot on the side of the rocket shoots up the side of the rocket into a hidden slot under the nose cone. There is usually a decal with the name of the bank across the bottom of the nose . Parts include the Rubber nose cone ( often missing), four rubber fin tips and a key that opened the tail cone to remove the cash. These things fetch between $65 and $80 at auction. Mine would be at the low end because it does not have the rubber nose tip.

We are blessed by an addition from one of our readers! Steve Devoney of Forest Glen, Maryland has sent in photos of his rocket bank. Not only is Steve's bank more complete than mine, he has a Macro Lens and can show you details that my poor little camera cannot.

The Whole Bank and Nuthin' but the Bank

Steve writes: "This is an Astro Rocket Bank, made of cast aluminum, dating back to probably the mid 1960's (my guess, '66-67.) Unlike most, this bank has no graphic touting a financial institution or any other kind of company. It's a generic rocket! It comes almost complete with the key and the rubber tip at the top. IT IS VIRTUALLY IMPOSSIBLE to get a bank in COMPLETE condition because the first things to go were the little rubber caps on the ends of the rocket fins."

Coin Mechanism

Steve writes: " Here's the coin mechanism. You pull back the 'little rocket' until it clicks into place. Place the coin in the coin holder (from the looks of it, only coins smaller than a quarter can fit, this is definitely pre-Susie B!) Press the red button and 'blast off to savings!' "

Rubber Tip

Steve writes " Aha! The infamous RUBBER TIP! This is the one that, when missing, renders your AERO ROCKET into a worthless piece of cast aluminum. I'll let you in on a secret-- my grandmother had an Aero Rocket identical to mine. I lost the rubber tip on mine years ago. One summer, I was visiting her house and found the rubber tip to hers under her bureau. The cat had been playing with it. I asked her where her bank was and she said she gave it to some neighbor kid to play with and it never returned. So my grandmother's cat unknowingly saved the most valuable piece of the Aero Rocket. Cats are wonderful creatures...sometimes. "

The Naked Tail Fins

Steve writes " IT IS VIRTUALLY IMPOSSIBLE to get a bank in COMPLETE condition because the first things to go were the little rubber caps on the ends of the rocket fins "

Our friend Bob proves that it is NOT IMPOSSIBLE to get a complete rocket bank -- he has the most pristine and complete Rocket Bank collection that I have ever seen:

Bob's Completely Mint Rocket Bank
Fins AND Feet!!

Bob writes:

"... I visited your website and saw the rocket banks there. In 1968, while in the Army, my parents moved and my rocket banks were thrown out. Why didn't they ask? Maybe they felt a grown man doesn't need his childhood toys? Wrong! I still remember playing with them, take offs and landings, what fun it was! It took me years to find replacements. If you look real hard, you'll find them. I found a case of chrome rocket banks. All mint with all the parts. I included a photo of the chrome banks. I found every model I had. If you're missing something, don't give up as it's out there waiting for you!
Good Luck, Bob ..."

A Portion of Bob's Collection


More of Bob's Collection
Note the Original Boxes!


The Flying Saucer Bank

 
Spaceship Mercury Banks

 
The "Plan-It" Bank

Here is the Patent Drawing for the rocket bank as submitted by its inventor, Mr. John Berzac of Detroit, Michigan:

The Patent Diagram for the Rocket Bank
Click here if you want to learn how to get Patent Drawings

The Duro Satellite Bank

There was competition, even in bank giveaways! Thanks to our friend Lloyd Olsen, here is the Satelite Bank, made by Duro Mold and MFG. Inc, It is cast metal, featuring a vertical gold rocket ship (resting on a globe) with a mechanism at the side for shooting pennies onto the top portion of ship. Like the Astro bank, this was a 50's or 60's giveaway at banks -- in perfect conditon, it might be worth $ 125

Trolley

This is a little cast iron Trolley (#14) It has no other markings, but it is very nice.

Tinker Toys

This is a Special Edition Tinker Toy set --- it has a widlass drive that allows you to make any number of gadgets that are powerd by the wind -- a cream separator (?), carousel, saw mill, drill press, and zillions of other things limitied only by your imagination and the number of little wheel thingies. As I recall, you needed about a dozen of these to make anything reasonably complicated.

HISTORY: A stonemason named Charles Hamilton Pajeau invented Tinker Toys in 1913. Inspired by the sight of children playing with sticks, pencils and spools of thread, he decided to build a playset for children that would incorporate these shapes. The heart of the set was a series of wooden spools that had eight holes on their perimeter and one larger hole through the middle. Also included were a series of cylinder-shaped wooden sticks that could be stuck into the holes of these spools to create all types of three-dimensional shapes and objects.

 
Mr. Pajeau's Patent 1,915,835
Click here if you want to learn how to get Patent Drawings

After perfecting the Tinker Toys set in his garage, Pajeau took his new creation to the 1914 American Toy Fair. Legend has it that that the Tinker Toys gained their first public fame when Pajeau asked a local druggist to put a display of Tinker Toy windmills with little paper blades in his store window. An electric fan made the little windmills come to life, attracting much attention and prompting people to buy Tinker Toys of their own. Another story claims that Pajeau did not score big at the Toy Fair but made the toys a success later during the Christmas of 1914. He supposedly pulled this off by buying space in a department store window and hiring little people to dress up in elf suits and play with the Tinker Toys.

Either way, Tinker Toys quickly became a hit. Kids have enjoyed the challenge that Tinker Toys provide for their imaginations, and parents love the intelligent and constructive thinking that comes with the use of Tinker Toys. Because of this combination of fun and mental challenge, Tinker Toys have become an enduring favorite. Although there have been changes over the years (Giant Tinker Toys were introduced for a while, and plastic Tinker Toys replaced the familiar wooden style in the early 1990’s), Tinker Toys remain consistently popular today. As long as parents and kids need a toy that is both fun and smart, there will continue to be a space for Tinker Toys on the toy store shelf.

MORE INFO: Collector's Guide to Tinker Toys by Craig Strange, Paperback (May 1996) Collector Books; ISBN: 0891457038

Squirrel Nut Cracker

This is a cast iron nut cracker in the shape of a squirrel. You place a nut in his paw and press down on the tail to crack it. It's sort of a "Squirrel Nut Zipper". (forgive that...)

The Pool Player

This photo was sent to us by Charlie from Poplar Bluff, Missouri. Charlie writes: "I was given this wind up clown pool player a few years ago. He stands about 4 inches tall and has 'made in Japan' with what appears to be a hand imprinted on the side of his leg. Other than that I don't know any more about it. I basically collect cocktail shakers, but the clown was kind of interesting..". Write us if you can help identify the figure.

The Etch-a-Sketch

The Etch-a-Sketch, manufactured by the Ohio Art Company is one of my favorite toys. It was invented by Arthur Grandjean of Paris, France as an educational device that would enable one to "trace on a transparent surface all the lines, symbols, drawings and letter-press which may be desired and to wipe them out instantaneously." The French patent application was made on May 28, 1959 and the US patent application was made on July 23, 1959. US Patent 3,055,113 was granted on September 25, 1962.

The original version of this toy was manufactured by Kremlin-Bicetre a Soviet-French cooperative venture. It is unusal that the quintessential American toy of the early 1960s should have its origins with a Russian venture, especially as the period 1959-1965 was perhaps the peak of the Cold War. In the United State, the Etch-A-Sketch is manufactured by the Ohio Art Company of Bryan, Ohio -- this ultra-American company name may have handily concealed the origins of the toy... Who knows, maybe the Etch-A-Sketch was a clever Russian conspiracy to infect the minds of a whole generation of American youth.

M. Grandjean's Patent for the Etch-a-Sketch
Click here if you want to learn how to get Patent Drawings

Mr. Grandjean's original device was kind of clumsy -- the problem has always been to keep the ultra-fine aluminum powder from leaking out of the box. Indeed, Mr. Grandjean relied on a wide variety of other inventors, particularly those concerned with sealing observation gauges in chemical reaction vessels. He also used rather heavy laminated safety glass for the screen, so the original Etch-A-Sketch tends to look like those old Soviet airplanes or lady weightlifters. It took the work of Mr. Earl D. Clark to render the toy in lightweight, shatterproof plastic. For his work, Mr. Clark was granted US patent 3,760,505. So, there is a patriotic American twist to the tale after all.

As you will see below, lots of other folks have pushed the limits of the toy:

• Click Here to learn how an Etch-a-Sketch actually works!
• Click Here for an on-line version of the Etch-a-Sketch
• Click Here for an on-line gallery of noteworthy Etch-a-Sketch oeuvres
• Click Here for an adaptation of the Etch-a-Sketch for use as an output device for a computer (parallell port...)

Mexican Puppet

I found this lovely puppet in a Thrift store -- I know nothing about it. Can anyone out there give me more information?

Here is the "Holy Grail" of the pressed metal toy collector; it is the Lil' Abner Family Band, or the "Dogpatch Four".

Lil' Abner Family Band

Based on the famous cartoon strip by Al Capp, this toy has FOUR animated figures and a music box. Pappy Yokum plays the drum, Daisy Mae plays the piano, Mammy Yokum taps out rhythm and Abner tap dances.

This is a tour-de-force of the toymaker's art!

Li’l Abner and his Dogpatch Band is one of the most magnificent examples of tin toy making and design as well as old school mechanical engineering. Watching this toy in action is impressive to say the least. The design of the mechanics that make all four figures move is nothing short of astounding.

Lil' Abner Family Band - front
 
Lil' Abner Family Band Right and Left Side

Pappy Yokum Plays the Drums

This toy is not "Unique" ( a pun on the manufacturer)- it shares much with other animated toys, including the Marx Merrymakers, Ham & Sam, Cowboy Bob & Howdy Doody and others. These toys all have the same concept; a piano player sits and plays while other figures dance and/or play other instruments. The Marx Merrymakers and this toy have all four characters doing the same things. With the Merry makers, the band is comprised of mice in tuxedos. With the Dogpatch band we have all our favorite hillbillies from Dogpatch USA in the same position as as the Merry Makers Mice, doing virtually the same things.

The Marx Merrymakers

The Manufacturer's Plate for the Marx Merrymakers

Ham and Sam
Made by the Ferdinand Strauss Corporation of New York

 
The basic design patents for the Mechanical Band toys

 

 
How the Mechanical Band toys work...
Click here if you want to learn how to get Patent Drawings

The "four figure" bands have their antecedents in smaller toys, beginning with single dancers like "Somstepa" (Some Stepper and "Jazzbo Jim", the former by Marx and the latter by Unique. Basically, this toy is just a shaft attached to a wheel in such a way that it moves up and down in the vertical direction. If a doll is attached to the shaft, it appears to do something that looks like Tap Dancing. Prior to wind-up toys, a similar device operated with a foot pedal was a common toy in Appalachia. When the WPA (a New Deal Agency) tried to create an urban market for Appalachian crafts, reporters focused on this toy -- known as a "Boondoggle" -- as an example of wasteful spending (and hence the modern sense of the word as a useless government project)

The Jazzbo Jim Single Dancer toy

The "Somstepa" Single Dancer Toy

Mechanical bands have found their way into the movies:

• In The Captain's Christmas (Warner Brothers cartoon, dir Tex Avery, 1930) A fake Santa over cranks a single dancer toy and breaks it.
• In Toyland Broadcast (Warner Brothers cartoon, dir Rudolf Ising, 1934), a roly-poly doll that looks like Paul Whiteman cranks a four piece "Sambo Band" to set off an evening of jazz in a toy store.

Mechanical Bands have also found their way into Museums. Here are some photos taken at the Museum of the City of New York, in which your author is pictured with both the Marx Merrymakers and the Dogpatch Band.

The Marx Merry Makers at the Museum of the City of New York (MoNYC)

Dogpatch Band in MoNYC

The tooling for the piano and the inner workings are the same for these toys. Marx Toy Co. and the Unique Art Co. were known to share tooling and mechanical designs. They would simply change the graphics. A great example of this sharing is Unique Arts Lincoln Tunnel and the Marx toys, Main St., Big Parade and Busy Bridge.

The Unique Art Lincoln Tunnel

The Marx Company Busy Bridge

Detail from the Lincoln Tunnel

As shown below, the piano is marked following: "Copr. 1945 by United Features Syndicate, Inc." and "Unique Art Manufacturing Co Inc. Pioneer Toymakers since 1916."

Lil' Abner Family Band, Piano Back

By way of background: LI'L ABNER YOKUM was the title character in the long-running (1934-1977) syndicated newspaper strip by cartoonist Al Capp. Hardly 'li'l,' Abner was a hulking, naive man-child, and the frequent foil for Capp's satiric stories about American life and politics. This simple-minded citizen of humble Dogpatch was a paragon of virtue in a dark and cynical world. Li'l Abner was the unlikely son of tiny Mammy (Pansy) and Pappy (Lucifer) Yokum. Mammy was the industrious 'sassiety leader' of backward Dogpatch who instilled honesty and All-American ideals in Abner. Pappy, in contrast, was an illiterate and hopeless parasite. From the inception of the strip, Abner was vigorously pursued by Daisy Mae Scraggs, a beautiful Dogpatch damsel hopelessly in love with the bumbling, unappreciative and seldom amorous bachelor. Abner spent nearly two decades outracing Daisy in the annual Sadie Hawkins Day race. But the couple finally married in 1952, a fictional event that captured national attention and was a cover story for Life magazine. Their only child, Honest Abe Yokum, was born in 1953. Li'l Abner generally had no visible means of support but he sometimes earned his living as a mattress tester. When not involved in worldwide escapades, he was engrossed by his favorite "comical strip," Fearless Fosdick (his "ideel"), a unique strip-within-a-strip masterfully orchestrated by Capp. Abner interacted with many marvelous and fantastic characters over the years, creating language and situations which have become permanent parts of the American lexicon.

There are many humorous references to characters from the Lil Abner comic strip, including:

• Sadie Hawkins Day in which unmarried women chased bachelors in order to capture and marry them.
• Sadie Hawkins, herself, is at Daisy Mae's right
• Old Man Mose, the seer/hermit, who was clad only in his own beard. His predictions always came true and they were always unpopular.
• The Shmoo a small animal which looks like an animated ham. From its round rump a plumpish neck narrows toward a tiny head; from above a sparse mustache, a pair of trusting eyes peer myopically but ingratiatingly at the world. In the words of the greatest living authority on shmoos: "They lays aigs at th' slightest excuse! (The aigs may be retrieved on the right side of the piano...) They also gives milk. And as fo' meat—broiled, they makes th' finest steaks; fried, they come out th' yummiest chicken." The shmoo is so sensitive and so eager to please that when a human merely looks at it with a faint suggestion of hunger, the animal falls flat on its back and dies of happiness, all ready for the frying pan.
• Salomey, the world's most lovable and succulent pig. A special Ecstasy Sauce, the dream of gourmands the world over, could only be made from a nearly extinct porcine breed -- the Hammus Alabamus -- and it be reduced by complicated means to one flavourful drop. Salomey was the sole surviving member of the breed. Plots to capture and cook Salomey were thwarted again and again thru the years.
• Turnips, Lil Abner's favorite dish (The sheet music is labeled "Turnip Time")

Buyer beware -- there are a number of online sources for a reproduction of the box for this toy. I, personally, would not pay extra for a box becuase of the possibility of fraud. This is what the original box and directions look like:

Lil' Abner Family Band, Directions

Lil' Abner Family Band, Original Box

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