Tin Toy
Tin Toy
Tin or Tinplate, as it is frequently called, was used in the manufacture of toys beginning in the mid 1800s. The toys were made from thin sheets of steel plated with tin, hence the name tinplate. They were a cheap and durable substitute for wooden toys. The toys were originally assembled and painted by hand. Spring activated tin toys originated in Germany in the 1850s. In the late 1880s a process called “offset lithography” was used to print designs on tinplate. After the colorful designs were printed on the metal, they were formed by dies and assembled with small tabs. The lightweight of the toys allowed them to be shipped less expensively and easier than the heavier cast iron toys.
Germany was the major producer of tin toys in the world in the early 1900s. The toys were innovative and well made. The most famous German manufacturer of tin toys was Ernst Paul Lehmann who is said to have exported 90% of his toys. France and England joined the fray and it wasn’t long before hundreds of thousands of these tin toys were being manufactured.
Production of tin toys in the US started earlier, but began in earnest when tin ore mines were opened in Illinois providing easily available and cheap raw materials. A number of manufactures scrambled to catch up in the beginning of the 20th century, but it wasn’t until after World War I, with anti-German sentiment high, that they began to make real gains. There was a growing demand for American produced products and by the 1920s American firms had overtaken the competition. The largest and most successful firm from the 1920s to the 1960s was Louis Marx and Company. Marx produced a huge number of designs and depended on large sales volumes to keep prices down.
The production of tin toys was discontinued during World War II because of the need for raw materials in the war effort. After the war, tin toys were produced in large numbers in Japan. Under occupation and the Marshall Plan, manufacturers in Japan were granted the right to resume production. The idea was to give Japan all of the low profit; high labor manufacturing and the US companies could sell the imported product. It worked better than they expected and Japan became a tin toy manufacturing force until the end of the 1950s. In the 1960s cheaper plastic and new government safety regulations ended the reign of tin toys.
China took over the role of the leading tin toy manufacturing country. They were noted for their cheap prices. Reproductions and new original tin toys are produced today by China and a couple of US companies. The quality is very good and prices remain reasonable.
Virtual Bargains features antique and collectible tin toys at discount prices on their website at http://www.virtualbargains.com
Looking for info on Maruya Toy Company, “YA” in a circle, Made in Japan, tin toys?
http://www.maruya-net.co.jp/maruya/09corpinfo.html
REMO | Tin Toys in Action
|
|
VTG LOT 10 WHISTLE BABY RATTLE TIN TOY JAPANESE 1960s $9.99 |
|
|
VINTAGE WIND UP TIN TOY CIRCUS ELEPHANT RIDING A TREE WHEEL BICYCLE $9.99 |
|
|
VINTAGE BANDAI 1960′S JAPAN RADIO CONTROL FORD GT40 TIN TOY W/BOX BAT. OPERATED $124.90 |
|
|
original vintage Marx PETE THE PARROT talking bird tin toy 1962 antique bird !!! $169.00 |
|
|
Vintage Marx Japan Funny Tiger Tin Litho Wind Up Toy Japanese Rare 1960′S $19.99 |
|
|
Vintage Tin Japan Friction Army Military Truck Toy Set Nice Condition Cannon $19.99 |
|
|
50s Chief Sitting Bull toy tin badge – Post Raisin Bran (cereal premium series) $14.00 |
|
|
VINTAGE TOY TIN CAR IN BOX TORPEAUTO $14.95 |
|
|
Vintage Japan Tin Toy Pop Gun No – 8 $9.99 |
|
|
**Rare MARX Smoky Sam the Wild Fireman / 1950′s Vintage Tin Toy $69.99 |
|
|
Tin Music Radio Classic Toy by Schylling FREE SHIPPING TO ALL DESTINATIONS $21.99 |
|
|
Vintage Tin Litho Clown Clicker Toy Circa 1950s Japan 3 3/4in $6.99 |
|
|
Tin Toy Car Lever Action Motor T M Modern Toys Working & Boxed Oldtimewrs 8 $25.00 |
|
|
★ RARE VINTAGE 1960s ALPS MAMBO DRUMMING ELEPHANT BATTERY OPERATED TIN TOY JAPAN $15.16 |
|
|
PAIR OF VINTAGE TIN TOY PARTY SHAKERS $9.99 |
|
|
Wilton 6-Cup Jumbo Muffin Pan $3.85 Recipe Right is constructed of heavy-gauge steel that provides an even-heating performance baking experts prefer for perfectly-browned baked goods. The non-stick coating makes food release and clean-up a breeze! Wilton 5-year limited warranty…. |
|
|
Wilton 415-9400 Easy Flex Silicone 3-Inch Reusable Baking Cups, 12 Count $8.95 Discover the convenience and easy release of flexible silicone bakeware! ?Exceptional baking performance for your favorite recipes ?Freezer, refrigerator, oven, microwave and dishwasher safe ?Resists stains and odors ?Oven safe to 500°F ?Easy and convenient storage ?Limited lifetime warranty Standard size, 2 in. diameter. Convenient fill line…. |
|
|
Doctor Who Tardis Cookie Jar Lights and Sounds $20.85 One of Endor’s finest! From the fantastically popular Return of the Jedi, this amazing 12″ taking plush re-creates Wicket (everyone’s favourite Ewok) as the perfect cuddly addition to any Star Wars fans collection!… |
|
|
James Taylor: Greatest Hits $3.38 James Taylor’s mid-’70s departure from Warner Bros. may be one of the best things that ever happened to the label; otherwise, it might not have been in such a rush to compile his Greatest Hits, one of the company’s biggest sellers ever at 11 million and counting. Taylor’s style, which all but defines the word diffident, has more backbone than it’s often given credit for. Here, as surprisingly comp… |
|
|
Walt Disney Treasures – Mickey Mouse Club $20.01 “M-I-C-K-E-Y-M-O-U-S-E.” Before the theme song’s memorable spelling became an audio icon, before the series even aired, the Mickey Mouse Club was the most anticipated children’s programming ever. This volume features the five episodes of week one of the b… |
|
|
Classics for Kids $4.61 All products are BRAND NEW and factory sealed. Fast shipping and 100% Satisfaction Guaranteed…. |
|
|
Pixar Short Films Collection: Volume 1 [Blu-ray] $18.98 Features include: •MPAA Rating: UNRATED•Format: Blu-Ray•Runtime: 54 minutes… |
|
|
Toy Story (Special Edition) (Walt Disney Gold Classic Collection) [VHS] $4.75 There is greatness in film that can be discussed, dissected, and talkedabout late into the night. Then there is genius that is right in front of our faces–we smile at the spell it puts us into and are refreshed, and nary a word needs to be spoken. This kind of entertainment is what they used to call “movie magic,” and there is loads of it in this irresistible computer animation feature. Just a pi… |
|
|
Disney Pixar Three-Pack (Toy Story/A Bug’s Life/Toy Story 2) [VHS] $39.99 Toy Story There is greatness in film that can be discussed, dissected, and talked about late into the night. Then there is genius that is right in front of our faces– we smile at the spell it puts us under and are refreshed, and nary a word needs to be spoken. This kind of entertainment is what they used to call “movie magic,” and there is loads of it in this irresistible computer-animation f… |
|
|
A Bug’s Life (Two-Disc Collector’s Edition) $16.49 There was such a magic on the screen in 1995 when the people at Pixar came up with the first fully computer-animated film, Toy Story. Their second feature film, A Bug’s Life, may miss the bull’s-eye but Pixar’s target is so lofty, it’s hard to find the film anything less than irresistible. Brighter and more colorful than the other animated insect movie of 1998 (Antz), A Bug’s Life is the swee… |
Tags: design, robots, tin, tin toy, tin toy arcade, tin toy cars, tin toy pixar short film, tin toy robots, tin toy short, tin toy works, toy, toys, vintage
This entry was posted on Saturday, May 22nd, 2010 at 4:05 am and is filed under Toys and Hobbies. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.