TEXAS TOY MAN

Wyandotte ’1939′ Medical Corps Ambulance

In 1921 Wyandotte Company was formed.  They were originally known for making toy pistols as their main product. However, by 1935, the Wyandotte, Michigan company became noted for their production of streamlined Art Deco, steel cars and trucks. Interestingly, these simple metal, stamped-steel toys came with wooden wheels.

Wyandotte toys were noted for:

• Heavy gauge steel construction
• Baked enamel finish

Due to World War II interrupting the toy industry and its sales, Wyandotte begin making ammo clips for the M-1 rifle. After the war was over, they again began production of toys in their new location in Pigna, Ohio.

These toys included:

• Aircraft
• Doll buggies
• Musical toys
• Wagons
• Games
• Trains (Hafner Train line)

Sadly, Wyandotte went out of business in 1965, after many attempts to diversify their toy market.

The toy in the picture above is a Wyandotte “Medical Corps Ambulance”. It was manufactured circa 1939 and was one of the several different models that were produced over the many years they were in business.

The steel stamped cars and trucks they manufactured were  so well made, there  is a good chance that when you find one it will be in excellent condition. This is due to the outstanding craftsmanship Wyandotte utilized in their manufacturing technique.

If you are looking for a good toy collector market, you will find starting a stamped steel toy collection to be affordable.

Mystery Puzzle – What is It?

This is a vintage toy circa 1950, stamp steel, advertising. Can you guess what it is? Every couple of days I’ll reveal another piece of the puzzle to help you in identifying it. If you think you know what it is – leave a comment. Hope you find this challenging.

Cox, Hubley & Wyandotte Toys

Received questions regarding the following 4 cars – so I’m responding here so everyone can see the cars along with my answers.
	This is a Thimble Drome Special manufactured in California circa 1950′s. This is similar to my Mystery Car No. 3 – but in yellow. Value $300-400*. For more information see post ‘Mystery Car No. 3 – Thimble Drome Special’.
In my opinion, this car is a Hubley racer made circa 1930′s. These cars have a value of $200-300*. If you’re lucky enough to have one made out of aluminum it’s worth between $800-1,000* and should be marked No. 2330
	This dump truck is made by Wyandotte circa 1931. It would appear to be in very good condition with a book value between $95-135*
This Wyandotte dump truck is similar to the version No. 318 which is much shorter in length. Style is the same. It is circa 1934. The book value of this truck is $150-225*.
For more information on toy prices visit Texas Toy Man Price Guide
*Estimated values shown above were taken from Collecting Toy Cars & Trucks by O’Brien.

Tonka Toys – Refurbish for Value

When you talk to most collectors, most will tell you that when you refurbish any toy the ‘collector value’ will drop by 50+%. Surprisingly, there is an exception to this statement. That is Tonka Toys – stamped steel. If you use only original parts from other Tonka’s and match all proper decal’s and paint for restoration, it is very acceptable in the market place to have these refurbished toys retain their value

You will be able to sell such restored items ‘as-original-refurbished’ for 90+% of the collector market. The key is that most Tonka’s can easily be refurbished since original material is in most cases readily available.

The most difficult parts to find are the decals, wheels, tire hubs and wind shields. The body’s are built very well and can be brought back to life with some TLC and a fresh coat of ‘Tonka’ matched paint.

I have seen and bought Tonka’s that have been ‘originally reworked’. They will be as close as you can find to ‘Mint-looking’ .

If you have a good eye for repair, you may become a ‘Tonka Refurbisher’, and make some money in this market where finding ‘good’ collector Tonka items is becoming increasingly difficult. For more Tonka toy information and prices check out Texas Toy Man’s Price Guides.

WHAT’S THE SECRET TO COLLECTING TOYS?

Barclay Transporter

The best kept secret to buying toys (or any collectible) with the thought of maximizing an ivestment is simple good, common sense. Always buy the best condition item you can afford. This translates to your purchasing the closest to MINT condition you can find. And, the older the toy the better you want the condition.

With the older the toy, the conditon becomes even more important when you are buying for investment. Remember buying poor condition will almost always mean a loss or lower monetary return on your investment.

This being said. . . why DO people collect toys?

1. Investment
2. Recapture their childhood
3. For their children (or grandchildren)
4. Display purposes (say, let’s decorate the play room!)
5. Collect a particular model of car, boat, plane, character
6 Just for fun!

I collect because I like wheels. Why do you collect?