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Posts Tagged ‘tin toy’

Up for Auction: Antique Tin-Plate Toy Carousels

Posted in Artifacts, Auction, tagged Althof Bergmann, Bing, Krauss, Mueller & Kadeder, tin toy on December 1, 2013| 3 Comments »

Althof Bergmann Clockwork Carousel, The RSL Auction Co, Dec 7, 2013

These antique toys are a reminder that once upon a time, before steam power, carousels had to be cranked by hand or turned by a live horse. This charming tin-plated clockwork carousel was made in the 1800s by Althof Bergmann and Co. of New York City. The toy importer and manufacturer was in business from the mid-1800’s and exhibited their wares at the 1878 Philadelphia Centennial Exhibition. This carousel with tin gondolas, horses and riders under a fabric canopy will be auctioned on Dec 7 at the RSL Auction Co. in New Jersey. The pre-sale estimate is $8,000-$12,000.

Mueller & Kadeder Zeppelin-Carousel, Antico Mondo Toy Auction, December 7, 2013

The first Zeppelin took flight in 1900 and soon captured the popular imagination of German toymakers. This Zeppelin-Carousel, made in 1910 by Mueller & Kadeder, will be sold at Antico Mondo’s annual toy auction on December 7 in Germany. The pre-sale estimate is €1,600 – €2,500. According to Grand Old Toys, M&K produced a wide range of fanciful aeronautical toys, carousels, and novelty toys. The flag at the top of the carousel–in this case the red and white flag of Monaco–indicated market destination.

Another Zeppelin Carousel to be sold at the same auction was manufactured by Krauss, one of the early tin toymakers of Nürnberg, and includes a fragment of the original box. The presale estimate is €15 – €20.

Krauss Zeppelin-Carousel, Antico Mondo Toy Auction, December 7, 2013

The company that made the Bing carousel seen below (Presale estimate €390 – €600) was founded as Gebrüder Bing in Nürnberg in 1865 as a tin and kitchenware manufacturer. They became the largest toy manufacturer in the world by 1900. Today there’s a Bing Toy Museum in Freinsheim.

Bing Carousel, Antico Mondo Toy Auction, December 7, 2013

Up for Auction: Vintage Cast-Iron & Tin Toy Ferris Wheels

Posted in Auction, video, tagged Chein, Ferris wheel, Penny Toy, tin toy, vintage toy on November 4, 2013| 4 Comments »

Hubley Ferris Wheel, Bertoia auctions, November 8, 2013

Last week, the cars were removed for the winter from Deno’s Wonder Wheel as Coney Island’s amusement parks closed for the season. Meanwhile, vintage toy Ferris wheels, which are perenially popular with collectors, are up for bid at several auction houses. These old-fashioned toys would look enchanting set up under the Christmas tree. This clockwork-driven Hubley Ferris Wheel is made of cast-iron and tin. The 17-inch tall toy has six original gondolas and a dozen riders. It will be on the auction block at Bertoia’s Christmas Wishes Auction in Vineland, NJ, on November 8, and via online bidding. The pre-sale estimate is $1,000-$1,200.

Penny Toy Ferris Wheel, Bertoia Auctions, November 9, 2013

This circa 1920 miniature Penny Toy Ferris Wheel was manufactured in Germany by Meier. The tin toy features four gondolas and is just two-and-a-half inches tall. Its pre-sale estimate is $250-$350. Along with the Chein Ferris Wheel shown below, it will be sold on November 9th at the second session of the Christmas Wishes Auction.

Chein Ferris Wheel, Bertoia Auctions, November 9

The Chein Ferris Wheel sports Mickey Mouse’s face on the hub of the wheel. Another version features a clown’s face. The 16-1/2 inch tall lithographed tin wheel is clockwork activated and has a pre-sale estimate of $200-$300. There’s also a Chein toy roller coaster, rocket ship and carousel in the sale. The Ferris Wheel whirls really fast!

Rare & Vintage: 1906 “La Boule Mysterieuse” Circus Toy

Posted in Artifacts, Auction, circus, tagged antique, circus act, La Boule Mysterieuse, Leon LaRoche, Mysterious Ball, tin toy, toy on January 28, 2013| 3 Comments »

La Boule Mysterieuse Tin Toy, 1906. Potter and Potter Auctions

Legend has it that circus contortionist Leon LeRoche took his inspiration for “La Boule Mysterieuse” from a popular gambling game that set up outside the show’s tent in Romania. After gamblers placed bets on one of several numbers, the showman let a ball roll from the top of a foot-high spiral, shouting as the ball made its way to the winning number. LaRoche’s legendary act, which was celebrated by this 1906 tin litho toy, had him scaling a 12-foot high spiral while inside a metal ball that rolled slowly and mysteriously upwards.

La Boule Mysterieuse Tin Toy, 1906. Potter and Potter Auctions

“If it had not been evident that the idea of the trick had come to him from seeing the spiral of the Turkish showman, one would positively have believed the whole thing to be a miracle,” according to LaRoche’s story in the 1928 book Star Turns. The trick was regarded as “an unfathomable mystery, a sudden stroke of genius. Everywhere the agents arranged performances of the Man of Wonder with his troupe.” LaRoche doubled the height of the spiral to 24 feet and by the time he began touring with Barnum and Bailey in 1896, the track was 30 feet tall.

“Pull the string on the toy and it duplicates his feat,” says the catalogue description for the antique toy, which was made in Paris by Fernand Martin. On February 2nd “La Boule Mysterieuse” will be on the auction block at Potter & Potter in Chicago. The pre-sale estimate is $800-$1,000 and the online sale already has bids.

Serendipitously, Tin Mania in the U.K. also has one of these rarities for sale and made the delightful video below to publicize it. The price is 1,119 GBP (1,889 US Dollars)