Blog posts tagged with 'antique toys'

Dent Hardware Company occupies an unusual place in American toy history. Founded in the 1890s as a serious manufacturer of refrigerator and cold-storage hardware, the Fullerton, Pennsylvania company developed one of the country's important lines of cast-iron toys. Surviving catalogs show a remarkable progression from horse-drawn carts, ice wagons and elaborate fire apparatus to automobiles, buses, airplanes, Zeppelins and battleships. At the same time, Dent remained an innovative industrial hardware maker whose patented refrigerator latches became the subject of a case before the United States Supreme Court. Primary sources—including an early Dent toy catalog preserved at Southern Methodist University, a 1908 Library of Congress Sanborn map, later catalogs, patents and museum objects—allow Dent's story to be reconstructed with unusual clarity. They also reveal why the company's largest fire toys, aircraft, ships and unusually intact examples now occupy an important place in advanced American toy collections.

A collector’s guide to Hubley toys: tracing the company from its 1894 founding in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, through its cast‑iron and die‑cast toy lines; highlighting scarce and valuable models (cast‑iron circus wagons, classic cars, motorcycles, and race cars No. 4/No. 5); offering resources for Hubley collectors; and providing guidance on fakes and reproductions using specific examples.

Explore the history of Kenton cast iron toys, from Overland Circus sets to cap guns. Learn how to identify originals, avoid fakes, and find market values.

Many collectibles considered to low brow have many examples with hefty price tags. Take a look at premium examples from Beanie Babies, Carnival Glass, Hummel, and more.