by Rehg | Jan 3, 2014 | Blog
A new year is on us and the question has once again been broached is it art or a toy? I assure you the artist that labors over creating that one of a kind doll, marble, kaleidoscope etc would respond with a definite yes so the battle is with the misconceptions of the...
by Rehg | Dec 27, 2013 | Blog
A photo of a hypothetical plus-sized Barbie doll has ignited a heated debate over body image, anorexia and obesity. What do you think? Is this a positive image for large girls or does it promote obesity? Is 3 chins too many? Poor Barbie has been the subject of many...
by Rehg | Dec 17, 2013 | Blog
People keep popping into the gallery looking for a place to buy Christmas cards. Some might think the Grinch got to the stores but apparently this is a tradition that few retailers supported this year most likely based on last year’s sales. There was an article...
by Rehg | Dec 15, 2013 | Blog
This morning I watched my favorite Sunday Morning show (which I record to zip thru the commercials and watch when I can) and there was this (grrr it makes me angry even to come up with a term for him) a guy who was basically selling his book that Sunday Morning was...
by Rehg | Dec 10, 2013 | Blog
Every Christmas holiday I have toys that come out to visit and then go back with the Christmas decorations! Alot of my art has to pack up for the month of December to make room for the 30 or so crates of holiday decorations I have accumulated but then it is wonderful...
by Rehg | Dec 6, 2013 | Blog
1. Myth: Items sold as “collectibles” have more value than play toys. Fact: Often items sold as collectibles have been treated with care and thus more are available in early markets- turn around is much longer to see value increase unless it is in the fury of the...
by Rehg | Dec 3, 2013 | Blog
Today is the kick off of the December holiday season at Art Of Toys with Midtown Business Association 12 Days and Art Of Toys is day 3! Should be a fun day with hot cider, cookies and a vintage toy to first 100 people! It even feels like winter with the first cold...
by Rehg | Dec 1, 2013 | Blog
Yesterday was the official “Shop Small” or “Support Small Business Day” ( that we have to have an official day should be a statement in itself but none the less) consumers were wonderful and came into Midtown small business in the droves. THANK YOU! My...
by Rehg | Nov 26, 2013 | Blog
Look at eBay and see if you can find the toy or any general information. DO NOT TAKE INFORMATION AS THE RULE! I find about 85% of listing info is incorrect or evasive on eBay but it is a good start. Look for multiple listing of same item for clues. Go old school and...
by Rehg | Nov 24, 2013 | Blog
You go to an art auction and pick up a nice little painting from a young unknown artist, take it home and hang it and there it is… you think you will remember the where, when and who of the artwork but life moves on or worse a tragedy strikes and what did you...
by Rehg | Nov 23, 2013 | Blog
This holiday season this seems to be a on going question in the gallery and online… Is it made in America? (Clarification up front: Now I saw in a discussion that the term is incorrect due to there is no “America” there is North America, South America etc. so it...
by Rehg | Nov 20, 2013 | Blog
Did you know emiko oye does fabulous museum pieces as well? emiko oye has been one of the featured artists at Art Of Toy from the early beginnings. Her art has grown as well as her standing in the international art community. Here is a interview from You tube about...
by Rehg | Oct 2, 2013 | Blog
Over the years I have heard of so many different kinds of collections that it is difficult to establish a definition. I personally have always gone for the rule of 3! If you have 3 bottle caps, 3 coins and 3 buttons what do you have? You have four collections, a...
by Rehg | Sep 24, 2013 | Blog
What is my brand? You think oh I will sell it on etsy or at craft fairs so I will sell it cheaper this is a step backward! Remember the first 2 chats and start to build your brand…your name and your art is your brand! Well I think everyone understands what a brand is...
by Rehg | Sep 18, 2013 | Blog
Make it and they will come? Well in a perfect world that might happen but even the best art has to have a way for the collector to see for it to sell. It takes time, energy and sometimes tough skin to go out and sell your own art to galleries and collectors…which can...
by Rehg | Sep 12, 2013 | Blog
UNDERSTAND PRICING! what is your cost of material what is your time worth or better yet how much would it cost you to pay someone else to create…your time is worth $ add a basic profit (this will be lower when you first start) So now you have determined a...
by Rehg | Sep 7, 2013 | Blog
Since site is in new WordPress format I decided to repeat a few basic chats on selling your art that I discovered were needed after posting a “Call to Artists” in early 2013. Since I have been told blogs are more about photos than words I will break into short...
by Rehg | Aug 20, 2013 | Blog
Dating Disneyana is often challenging, but there are hundreds of clues to help pinpoint a more exact age. Major indentifying factors include graphic style, nature of the copyright notice, the characters depicted, manufacturer’s name, country where produced, release...
by Rehg | Aug 15, 2013 | Blog
I just found an awesome reference book on collecting TV toys at my favorite used book store, Beers Books in Sacramento, CA. The book was published in 1996 but has loads of pictures and basic knowledge on TV Toys makes it easy to use. Here is the intro! Collecting...
by Rehg | Aug 10, 2013 | Blog
The earliest marbles weren’t called marbles, of course, because marble wasn’t the source material just yet. The earliest marbles were actually round stones, nuts, fruit pits or fired pieces of clay and pottery. Some say they were found in the Egyptian pyramids and in...
by Rehg | Aug 4, 2013 | Blog
Disneyana items are particularly attractive as collectibles. Some of the major reasons are as follows: Disneyana is ART. In most cases, it is good art that often reflects the popular culture of the era in which it was produced. Older pieces are recognized as art and...
by Rehg | Jul 28, 2013 | Blog
Why robots? Okay I do not have a robot artist on the site…yet… (there will be a few this month) so technically I should not have so many robots in the gift and vintage section but I love the design concepts of robot toys ! Tin windup robots have not only the wonderful...
by Rehg | Jul 26, 2013 | Blog
A.C. Gilbert, a toy manufacturer and Olympic gold medalist in the pole vault, unveiled his first Erector set in 1913, one-upping the contemporary Meccano building toy by allowing kids to build square girders. With a pulley, gears and strips of metal, kids could build...
by Rehg | Jul 23, 2013 | Blog
Yolanda Bello, whose dolls are critically acclaimed for their realism, their sculptural excellence, and their rich depth of emotion, says that her goal is to design dolls that “achieve purity of expression”. Yolanda Bello’s work as a doll maker is known to...
by Rehg | Jul 21, 2013 | Blog
Collecting anything-stamps, old bottles, primitive tools or baseball cards- has many self-satisfying rewards. Finding a rare or perfect condition piece in some junk shop is like discovering gold. Every antique shop or flea market provides the thrill of the hunt and...
by Rehg | Jul 19, 2013 | Blog
This poem or song is the basis for calling the porcelain nude bath dolls “Frozen Charlotte”. The poem- song came out sometime near when the dolls could be found in stores. I have not heard this sung nor seen music for it…I would not call this a song...
by Rehg | Jul 17, 2013 | Blog
Art Of Toys usually has quite a few Vintage toys from Marx Company so here is a great history from good ol Wikipedia on Marx. AOT includes this info with Marx toys Louis Marx and Company Louis Marx and Company was an American toy manufacturer from 1919 to 1978. Its...
by Rehg | Jul 15, 2013 | Blog
Any item associated with Walt Disney Productions or its affiliated companies is considered to be Disneyana. What is utilitarian today, will become collectible tomorrow. The degree to which any item of Disneyana becomes collectible depends on many factors. Certainly...
by Rehg | Jun 29, 2013 | Blog
Midgetoy -Brief Company History It was 1943 when Alvin and Earl Herdklotz formed the A & E Tool and Gage Co. Their first products included precision tooling such as gauges that measured the contours and shapes of airplane propellers. With the end of...
by Rehg | Jun 22, 2013 | Blog
To be or not to be a “Frozen Charlotte” I have collected small dolls for years and particularly love the frozen bisque dolls from 1920-1940s from Germany and Japan. I went crazy buying them in antique stores around the country and on eBay over the years but have had a...
by Rehg | Jun 22, 2013 | Blog
I love researching the vintage toys I offer on artoftoys.com and wish everyone did thou I have found just because you see it on the internet does not make it so. Including research and the provenance of an item can make a huge dollar difference down the road for you...
