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A Bird in the Hand

merican toys that are made in Asia are nothing new. Over the friction motors worked
the last 35 years, many American producers have switched just fine. They’re based on
Aproduction to China. Before that, Japan and Hong Kong were the 1958-1960 model
toy manufacturing powerhouses. While Japanese tinplate toys have Thunderbird, also known
been popular with collectors since the 1970s, plastic playthings from affectionately as the
Hong Kong took longer to register with most hobbyists. “Squarebird.” The Hong
Granted, many plastic toys from Hong Kong truly are cheaply Kong model was produced
made, throwaway items. But starting in the 1950s, a few of the more around that time, and it’s a
ambitious manufacturers turned out higher quality toy cars for the faithful rendition of the The baseplate of the Thunderbirds
American and British markets. A few months back, two such models full-scale car. It also bears sport a CM logo.
turned up unexpectedly on eBay. more than a passing resemblance to the smaller die-cast version that
Cragstan, an importer/distributor based in New York, put its name Corgi Toys produced at the time; that’s not surprising as Hong Kong
on countless toy cars and trucks from Hong Kong in the 1950s toy makers often made “scaled-up” copies of popular die casts. In this
and 1960s, including a beautiful Ford Thunderbird that came with a condition and with the original boxes, each of the models is a $200 to
friction motor. At eight inches in length, it was around 1:24 scale, and $250 piece.
it was made both in convertible and hardtop versions. I had never seen Of course, I was thrilled to have gotten the two of them, and I began
one “in the flesh,” as it’s a rare bird today in any condition. But I to wonder: did Andrew Ralston own one of these? The photo caption
had a couple of photos to go by, from the pages of Andrew Ralston’s in his book indicated that the examples pictured there belonged to
excellent book, Toy Cars of Japan and Hong Kong, which I’ve found to another collector. Andrew and I have been friends for many years,
be a very useful resource over the years. and our tastes in miniature cars and trucks overlap quite a lot. We often
When I came across these two examples on eBay, I initially thought surprise each other with oddities and rarities, and I decided to take a
that both were damaged and incomplete, due to the seller posting odd chance in this case. So I wrapped up the blue Thunderbird and shipped
photos of them in the listing. Both appeared to be missing parts of it over to him—he lives near Glasgow, Scotland—and waited to hear
a couple of wheels and also the rear fender of one of them appeared what he thought.
damaged. It looked like Following a three-week delay—thank you, Royal Mail—Andrew
the photos had been silhou- finally received the package, and I was pleased as punch to hear that he
etted using image editing didn’t have one of these in his collection, that the only one he’d seen
software, but it was hard to was the example in his book. He told me that he liked the T-bird
tell what was what. The very much and that it was going on display in his collection next to his
price—$40 each—tended Corgi example.
to reinforce my impression Interestingly, these two toys each have a “CM” logo on the box and
of damaged models. So I on the baseplate, while the two shown in Andrew’s book sport the
pinged the seller and asked Cragstan logo in both places. Neither of us knows what CM stands for,
about their condition, and but I’m sure we both will be on the lookout for other items with that
received a prompt reply logo. Hong Kong models of American and British cars were made of a
saying that both were in fairly brittle plastic, a fragile state of affairs that has contributed to their
complete and original scarcity today.
condition and how does By the way, take a
$35 apiece sound? look at the original
I hit the Buy It Now Woolworth price tags on
button as I was still reading the boxes … there are
that sentence, still thinking several on each box, and
that something had to they go from 88 cents
be wrong with these two down to 59 cents. In
T-birds. To find one at what alternate reality
such a bargain price would would these treasures
have made my week, but sit unsold on a shelf at 59 cents for a stunner like this?
two of them together … 88 cents? What were people thinking in 1960?
Along with this hardtop, the CM Ford When they arrived, I
Thunderbird also came in a convertible version.
was surprised to find that
the seller had been correct: both toys were what I consider perfect Douglas R. Kelly is the editor of Marine Technology magazine. His byline has
condition originals, both were in their original and complete boxes, and appeared in Antiques Roadshow Insider; Back Issue; Diecast Collector; RetroFan;
and Buildings magazines.

42 Journal of Antiques and Collectibles