Toys from the Attic REV scaled

This Norris Master machine, in excellent original working condition and made during the 1920s, sold for $600 in a 2012 auction.
Makes Good Cents: Vintage Gumball Machines

by Douglas R. Kelly   All of the debate surrounding the U.S. government’s potential elimination [...]

15
Apr
Robby the Robot windup from the movie Forbidden Planet and its killer box.
It’s A Cardboard Thing

by Douglas R. Kelly   Ironing vintage toy boxes and writing about the process in [...]

10
Mar
After ironing, the Hubley box flaps are now straight and true.
Crumpled Cardboard Toy Boxes: Doing the Ironing

By Douglas R. Kelly   On the annoyance scale, there are probably worse things than [...]

01
Feb
Rubber Toys
January 1, 2025

by Douglas R. Kelly   Best to get this out in the open, right off [...]

Cast iron beast: The Karl Heusser “ Hela-Bob” bobsled. Photo: Dennis Simanaitis.
Toy Sleds: Just One More Run

by Douglas R. Kelly When my editor, Judy Gonyeau, pinged me a while back and [...]

11
Dec
Ford’s Edsel Pacer postcard from 1958.
Paper Trail

by Douglas R. Kelly   Given the time and energy we spend pursuing antiquities and [...]

20
Nov
The Ford Delivery Wagon was the only model in the series that came with die-cast wheel hubs rather than tinplate.
Collecting Collectoys

by Douglas R. Kelly Louis Marx is never far from my mind. I didn’t know [...]

01
Oct
Tootsietoy’s pre-war bus looks like it stepped right out of a classic 1930s Frank Capra movie.
Summertime Scores

by Douglas R. Kelly   Seems to me it doesn’t get much better than going [...]

01
Sep
Bantam released the book version of Forbidden Planet when the movie debuted in 1956.
Out of This World Toys

by Douglas R. Kelly Science fiction movies made during the 1950s are among life’s greatest [...]

01
Aug
Could it be any more British? Wardie’s wonderful miniature newsstand sported great period signage.
Micro Signage

by Douglas R. Kelly   My great friend of many years, Renny Schoonmaker, likes to [...]

01
Jul
Wyandotte’s Sunshine Dairy van.
Doing The Rounds

by Douglas R. Kelly If there’s an alternate me in a parallel universe, he may [...]

31
May
The Packard taxi is straight out of a 1940s film noir.
Hubley Manufacturing Company

by Douglas R. Kelly   Hubleys have been pushing their way onto my radar screen [...]

02
Apr
Great period artwork graced the Bing Model T boxes, this one for the Touring Car.
The T in Tinplate

by Douglas R. Kelly   Most people familiar with automotive history know that Henry Ford’s [...]

08
Dec
Along with this hardtop, the CM Ford Thunderbird also came in a convertible version.
A Bird in the Hand

 by Douglas R. Kelly       American toys that are made in Asia are [...]

25
Jul
The radio bank was made by Reliable in Canada, but examples often turn up with the Ideal logo.
Coin Banks: Cold Hard Cash

by Douglas R. Kelly Strange, but I don’t remember ever owning a piggy bank. What [...]

14
Jun
This 39 series set, despite missing the Chrysler and with a sun-faded box, still sold for $4,100 at Vectis Auctions in 2011.
British Americans

By Douglas R. Kelly   There’s an old saying among collectors that is more than [...]

01
May
A superb Chris Craft model from Kellogg’s.
Prize Power

by Douglas R. Kelly   Who doesn’t like winning prizes? Real prizes, that is, the [...]

01
Apr
The Hubley tow truck passes muster in terms of originality, even if it does sport a few small paint chips.
Wishful Thinking

by Douglas R. Kelly You’d think I’d know better by now. I’ve been hunting and [...]

01
Mar