Description
A 1956 Hubley Toy Navy fighter/Bomber Hellcat Airplane that is a pressed steel die cast toy. This plane is painted in three primary colors, red, blue and yellow. The front part of the fuselage and the wings are painted red. Plane is missing the propellers single engine and the cockpit. Has retractable landing gear intact and both wings fold up. Marked Hubley Kiddie Toy, Made in USA.
The Hubley Manufacturing Company was first incorporated in 1894 in Lancaster, Pennsylvania by John Hubley. The first Hubley toys were made of cast iron, with styles that ranged from horse drawn vehicles and dogs, to guns, as well as household objects such as doorstops and bookends. With the arrival of automobiles, trucks, and later airplanes, these forms of transportation became their focus. The Hubley Manufacturing Company made accurate metal replicas of many popular American cars and trucks, as well as some lesser known foreign models. There are 7 Ford Model A body styles alone, including a Sedan, Station Wagon, Coupe, Roadster, Roadster Pickup, Victoria, and Phaeton. Hubley produced a wide range of airplanes, often reproducing actual military aircraft with a fine attention to detail. Like the automobiles, Hubley aircraft were manufactured from multiple pieces which were usually put together with screws. They had moving wheels and guns, and sometimes retractable landing gear. The wheels were often manufactured of rubber. As an interesting addendum, though mass produced, each Hubley toy and doorstop was largely handmade. Consequently, each one was also painted by hand, so each is somewhat unique. After WW II, die-cast zinc alloy models replaced the earlier cast-iron ones.
Reference: Big Book of Toy Airplanes, Identification and Value Guide, W. Tom Miller, Ph.D. page 73. Condition: some paint wear, minor wear
Weight: 1lb 1oz
Measurements (LxWxH): 9.5 inches x 11.25 inches x 2.75 inches
Provenance:
Five Brothers Rare Toy Estate: The core of the collection was actually established in the 1950s by the father (from Indiana) of the adult sons who are consignors to the May sale. As time went on, each of the five brothers set out on his own individual collecting path. Each took a different approach to building his collection, but the one important thing they had in common was a love of vintage American toys, primarily of the boomer era. The time-span for the toys is heavily focused on the 1950s and 60s, with a few from the 1970s.
