Tin toys are very desirable as collectables currently thou most do not meet safety standards for toys so are no longer labeled “toys” but “collectables” and this is usually accompanied by 14 years and up.
Prior to the mid-seventies tin toy collection with the exception of trains were almost exclusively concerned with German-made items. With an inclusion of other tins in a book by Peter Pressman in 1976 the tins of Japan and other nations were deemed “collectible.” “As obsolescence and collectability become ever more condensed the tin toy treasures of the 1950s and 1970s have in many instances achieved parity in both value and rarity with the illustrious forebears.” Allen Levy-Director of London Toy and Model Museum.
With so many people discovering the wonderful designs and lithos on earlier tin toys the trend has gone to producing new toys that have the look and feel of old designs but are actually new. The Schylling company is a wonderful example of quality reasonable priced tin toys that are new.
Schylling, along with the Star Wars franchise, has created a whole new series of tin toy windups in the Star Wars characters out new in 2014.
Tin toys have often evolved with the era or political climate…for example, the original “Coon Tapper” is now Fred the Tap Dancer and is white.
There have been so many different types of tin toys produced by such a wide range of manufacturers that is would be almost impossible to collect an example of each type. Many collectors will choose a concentration such as trains, planes, robots or cars or even a specific type such as TV cartoons or a particular manufacturer such as Marx, Shuco or Schylling.
What ever your preference there are many options to begin a Tin Toy collection from tin penny whistles to detailed moving windups worth thousands. Art Of Toys carries both old and new in the gallery and some online. Places like eBay, Etsy and toy auctions are other places to expand a collection. When buying just confirm and pay accordingly if the tin toy is a “reproduction” of an old toy be sure dealer is selling as new not vintage or antique. It is fun to get both the old version and the new to make your collection even more robust.
As always buy what you love…a bit more than you can afford…if you are doing as an investment and not just for fun. DO YOUR HOMEWORK!
