Toys & Games

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Carved Noah's Ark painted blue with dove on roof with approximately 200 animals and figures.Just about any day now the fall rains are going to start.  Of course, it’s only going to seem like it’s rained forty days and forty nights, but when I’m lying awake at night wondering how much more water the septic system can withstand, I can think about Noah and his orderly pairs of animals.  Which usually makes my thoughts wonder off, because have you ever noticed that all the depictions include exotic animals and farmyard critters, but no cats?  That’s because Noah was probably unable to get the cooperation of cats, if any of his cats were like mine….

Anyway, arks are actually highly collectible, probably because they have crossover appeal, since they find favor among collectors of folk art, toys, and miniatures.  This helps support prices, and it doesn’t hurt that there are so many to choose from.  There are store-bought versions on a relatively small scale, like this one, and then there are early German-manufactured examples, like this one that has compartments for all the animals and measures nearly 3′ high!  In terms of sale prices, though, it’s all about folky craftsmanship and numbers – the one pictured above, complete with approximately 200 animal and human figures, sold for more than $28,000!

Howdy Doody marionette with original box

Howdy Doody marionette with original box

Television character collectibles were produced by a variety of manufacturers to help sell everything from the shows themselves to cereal and vitamins. Here are two popular shows from the 1950s and 60s and their nostalgia driven collectibles.

The Howdy Doody Show

First aired as a radio program in 1947, Howdy Doody with Buffalo Bob Smith ran for an astonishing 13 years. When the red-headed, gap-toothed western lad Howdy Doody ran for “President of all Kids” the network received 60,000 requests for his campaign buttons. This number represented one third of all US homes with television sets!

Due to the overwhelming popularity of the show, an almost unlimited number of items were made in the likenesses of Howdy Doody the puppet, and his costars, Dilly Dally, Buffalo Bob, Princess Summerfall Winterspring, and Clarabelle the clown (played by Bob Keeshan, aka, Captain Kangaroo). Howdy Doody themed toys were produced in mass quantities, and included puppets/marionettes, clothing, plush dolls, records, wind-up toys, beanies, a humming lariat, cookie jars, figurines, ear muffs, an electric doodler, a keychain puzzle, stickers, comic books and child sized chairs. Children loved Howdy and played with his toys, so vintage toys in excellent condition are hard to find and can run into fairly high sums.

Popeye the Sailor

Composition Ideal jointed Popeye figure, marked Popeye 1935 King Features Syndicate

Composition Ideal jointed Popeye figure, marked Popeye 1935 King Features Syndicate

Popeye got his start in the comics, but soon after, made a successful leap to the silver screen. Between 1933 and 1957, Popeye appeared in movie cartoons 243 times, and by 1935, he was more popular than Mickey Mouse. In 1941, Popeye the Sailor was drafted by the U.S. Navy to help the war effort, and appeared in several cartoons to that end. In the 1960s he became a syndicated television show, and from then until 2004 appeared on television somewhere or other around the globe.

Vintage Popeye memorabilia is plentiful, but much of it on the market has been made since 1980, so collectors looking for authentic vintage Popeye should check carefully. Popeye, Olive Oyl, Bluto, Wimpy, and Sweet Pea appeared in a wide variety of forms, including comic books, story books, candy cigarettes, Colorforms, coloring books, ramp walkers, wind-ups, banks, figurines, mugs, decals, crayon sets, jack-in-the-boxes, lunch boxes, noise makers, gumball machines, dolls, plush toys, puppets, pins, Pez dispensers and more. As with most collectibles, toys in mint condition in their original packaging bring the highest prices. In Popeye’s case, since he went both healthy and PC, and no longer endorses smoking, his pipes and cigarettes have gone up in value.

-Reference note by p4A Contributing Editor Susan Cramer.

Reference & Further Recommended Reading:


To search the Prices4Antiques antiques reference database for valuation information on hundreds of thousands of antiques and fine art visit our homepage www.prices4antiques.com


Boucher Steam Locomotive & Tender, No. 2100 pre-war 2-inch gauge locomotive and Pennsylvania RR tender

Boucher Steam Locomotive & Tender, No. 2100 pre-war 2-inch gauge locomotive and Pennsylvania RR tender

Based on searches this week at Prices4Antiques, some people are going to be having an old-fashioned Christmas! We’ve seen searches for toys jump up dramatically and for “little” boys, the top items seem to include a Boucher locomotive and tender along with Lionel train passenger cars, a fabulous LGB circus train, and a Wyandotte mining dump truck. For “little” girls, it’s Steiff squirrel, a Steiff parakeet, a Valenti donkey, and an Arnold Print Works hen with her chicks. Auctions are full of great Christmas gift ideas for the young and young at heart, and so is the Prices4Antiques database. It’s never too late to make a childhood dream come true!

Antique and vintage board, card, and chess games are prized for their high quality art and craftsmanship.

In the days before television, families would often gather of an evening to play board or card games. Kids and collectors still love games, and there is a wide variety of playthings from which to choose.

English Wedgwood & Son burl walnut game box or compendium with chess set, cribbage board and checkers

English Wedgwood & Son burl walnut game box or compendium with chess set, cribbage board and checkers

Chess
Chess has been played for centuries, and chess sets have been created in an almost unlimited range of styles and materials, from a plastic and cardboard Simpsons set from the 21st century to luxurious sets for the very wealthy created of ivory, mahogany, brass and marble. Popular English chess sets made by John Jaques & Son were made from 1849 – 1939, and are referred to as Staunton sets because they were endorsed by Howard Staunton, a chess celebrity.

Vintage Card Games
Thanks to high quality and pleasing graphics, collectors love vintage card games like Famous Five, Happy Families and Snap. Top dollar goes to sets in good to excellent condition in original boxes with instructions.

1933 Parker Brothers Monopoly game marked Chas. Darrow

1933 Parker Brothers Monopoly game marked Chas. Darrow

Monopoly Board Games
Monopoly is the most widely played and sold board game of all times. Because of the ubiquitous nature of this game, it is probably the least collectible in terms of value. Even the oldest sets do not command high prices. Newer sets bring even less, except for some of the “special collector editions” which almost always bring less than the original retail price.

TV Movie & Character Games
Character, and TV and movie tie-ins are very collectible, especially for the most popular TV shows and movies. These included 1950s Nancy Drew games, Twiggy Game by Milton Bradley and 1960s James Bond Thunderball. Early Star Wars games are highly collectible, as are early Disney games, as the rules of cross-over appeal apply to game collectors particularly. Newer and more common games such as the Mad Magazine Game and cartoon character games from the 60s and 70s typically are less valuable.

McLoughlin Bros board game- Dash For The North Pole

McLoughlin Bros board game- Dash For The North Pole

Vintage and Antique Board Games
McLoughlin games from the 1870s to 1910s like District Messenger Boy, Steeple Chasing and Magnetic Fish Pond are collected for their high quality lithography and handsome graphics. Collectors love games with tin game boards and playing pieces. Games with Bakelite pieces, even if they are incomplete, always have value, as collectors buy mah jongg tiles, poker chips, backgammon pieces, dominoes, etc. for jewelry making.

Games, especially antique and vintage examples aren’t just for kids. Collectors enjoy their high quality lithography and eye catching artwork, and are willing to pay real money for the pleasure of owning fine examples of these appealing playthings.

-by p4A Contributing Editor Susan Cramer.

Reference & Further Recommended Reading:


To search the Prices4Antiques antiques reference database for valuation information on hundreds of thousands of antiques and fine art visit our homepage www.prices4antiques.com


Historically accurate toy figures for collecting and play, toy soldiers have been around since the 18th century, and represent fighting men from all ages of history and all corners of the world.

Set No. 28 of Britains lead soldiers, the mountain gun detachment of the Royal Artillery

Set No. 28 of Britains lead soldiers, the mountain gun detachment of the Royal Artillery

History of Lead Soldiers
The earliest mass-produced figures were made in the 18th century in Germany. These were referred to as “flats, and were produced by pouring a tin alloy through a two piece mold that was clamped together. Semi-flats soon followed. These were more dimensional that flats, but not as three dimensional as solids, which were cast in a mold and made of solid led alloy. Solids were cast as one piece or parts that were then assembled, and soon became the most popular form for figures.

Lead Soldiers by Britains
Vintage and antique toy soldiers for play and collecting are loved by boys young and old, and nobody did them better than Britains. Famous for quality and knowledge of authentic arms and uniforms, Britains was established in 1845 in London after French and German manufacturers demonstrated the success of mass produced figures as toys for children and models for collectors.

A Britains No. 2090 Royal Irish Fusiliers set with 8 figures in the original box

A Britains No. 2090 Royal Irish Fusiliers set with 8 figures in the original box

Hollow Cast Lead Soldiers
In 1893, Britains had a major production breakthrough with the development of a technique for hollow casting. In this process, the outside layer cooled forming a skin and the excess still-liquid lead was poured out of a hole. In the days of cheap labor and expensive materials, hollow figures meant that Britains could manufacture their figures for lower costs than their German counterparts.

Dimestore & Plastic Toy Soldiers
Britains still manufactures popular toy soldiers, although they ceased the production of lead toys in the 1960’s, switching emphasis to plastic. In the 1920s through the 1960s, little boys could purchase bags of plastic dimestore toy soldiers for pennies. These plastic soldiers are also collectible. Look for Barclay, Manoil and Jones toy soldiers in hollow cast lead, Auburn figures in rubber, and Marx soldiers in plastic.

In 1972, Britians reintroduced the metal soldier. Collectors look for complete sets in original boxes, although any vintage toy soldier in good condition is desirable, depending on amount of paint loss and rarity.

Two boxed sets of the "British Heavy Brigade" issued as set 169 by William Britains in 1999

Two boxed sets of the "British Heavy Brigade" issued as set 169 by Britains in 1999

Toy Soldier Condition & Values
Most antique and vintage toy soldiers, whether plastic or metal, saw a lot of action, and consequently, condition is an issue. These soldiers suffer from paint loss, battle wounds in the form of chips and missing limbs, and broken swords and firearms. Hard core toy soldier collectors express condition as a percentage; the higher the percentage, the greater the amount of original paint on the figure. Top dollar goes to the toy soldiers with the most original paint.

Toy soldiers have been made to represent every era of history, including Roman foot soldiers, Napoleonic fighting men, and American and British Revolutionary War soldiers. Made of plastic, metal or rubber, toy soldiers are popular as both playthings and collectibles.

-by p4A Contributing Editor Susan Cramer.

Reference & Further Recommended Reading:


To search the Prices4Antiques antiques reference database for valuation information on hundreds of thousands of antiques and fine art visit our homepage www.prices4antiques.com


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