Tin toys retain value despite wear

This edition of What's It Worth covers two small toys that provided a lot of pleasure to their owners. Both have been played with and yet they retain most of their market value.

From two different generations, let's explore a Japanese windup robot and an American windup truck -- both made of tin.

Q. This small toy robot belonged to my husband. If he had it when he was in high school, that was the 1940s. If he got it while in college, it would have been the 1950s. I know these can be expensive and this one still works. Can you give me some background and value? -- Penny in Pasco.

A. Toy robots were once all the rage. The first toy robot was made in Japan and collectors disagree as to whether it came to market just before or just after World War II. It was called "Robot Lilliput." Next came "Atomic Robot Man," and then a flood of others.

Atomic Robot Man's introduction is well-documented. He was a promotional item at the 1950 science fiction convention in New York.

The Space Age soon dawned with the launch of Sputnik and later satellites from America and the 1956 movie Forbidden Planet, which introduced "Robby The Robot" to the world.

The early toys, including dozens of Robby lookalikes, were soon followed by machines with fantastical designs, battery operated motion, sound-making capabilities and literally all the bells and whistles.

This little fellow is called "The Mighty Robot," even though he's only about 5 inches tall. "Mighty" shuffles along when he's wound up and sparks flash from an opening at his tummy.

As with most of the robots now coveted by collectors, he is marked "Made in Japan" and also carries a mark of the letter "N" in a triangle. That's for the Noguchi firm, one of the several hundred Japanese companies which made toys similar to this in the 1960s.

Robot model names and the companies that made them were only occasionally printed on the toy itself. Most times, the name was on the box and having the box is about the only way a non-collector can identify the toy by name and manufacturer.

The box seems to have gone missing from this Mighty Robot toy and that lessens the value. Collectors love original packaging and they love pristine, operating condition. This robot is in good shape and could bring as much as $200 to the right collector.

A note of caution: All kinds of mid-century tin toys are being reproduced today -- mostly made in China. Mighty Robot is no exception. A brand new one can be purchased for $12.

Q. My grandfather's toy truck has been well-played with and he even "personalized" it by putting his name on it. So it's not in mint condition, but does it still have value? -- Robbie in Benton City.

A. While the value of this sand truck tin toy has been decreased with its evident wear, collectors still would call the condition good. And, as such, it certainly retains a good deal of value.

Ferdinand Strauss Co. was a major maker of American toys beginning as early as 1900. The firm, located in New York, went out of business in the mid-1940s.

From 1914-27 Strauss made many different models of tin mechanical toys like this sand truck. There were interstate buses, jalopies, delivery trucks, taxicabs and work vehicles.

The firm also made mechanical dancer toys, a Santa and reindeer toy that ran with a friction motor, and "Jenny the Balky Mule" (with cart and driver). Other models featured musicians at a piano and tin boxers duking it out in a small ring.

The company's products were quite popular with kids in their day and they are actively sought by collectors now.

Strauss was never as big as other American toy makers like Marx or Wolverine so the toys they made are somewhat difficult to find.

In the collector's market, "hard to find" always means "more expensive." That's the case with Strauss toys, which command at least a slight premium over more commonly seen makers.

In exceptional condition and with original box (which would also have to be in exceptional condition) the Strauss sand truck can bring as much as $600 to $800.

This toy is lacking the box, has been personalized as well as played with and the driven spring of its mechanism is weak. All those factors do detract from value and this example would be worth between $200 and $ 300.

w Terry Maurer, a Tri-Cities personal property appraiser and antique dealer, is a member of the Certified Appraisers Guild of America. Submit questions to What's It Worth by e-mail to whatsitworth@clearwire.net.