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The T in Tinplate

ost people familiar with automotive history know that Henry look. Like the real coupe, Bing’s version came with “suicide” style doors
Ford’s Model T put America on wheels. In fact, the T (with the hinge at the rear of the door); this despite Ford giving the real
Mchanged the course of history, being the first automobile to Model T standard doors later in the production run. The Roadster
be built using true assembly line production processes when it was could be called the sports car of the lineup, or as close to it as a
introduced in 1908. As time went on, Ford actually reduced the price Model T ever got. It actually was more show than go, given the T’s
of the Model T, due to increased efficiencies in the production of comparatively low-power engine, but the Bing version at least sported
the car; this drove sales higher and higher, and Ford produced a “pebbled” roof.
something like 15 million of the things before the Model T was phased The Touring Car sported a gently curving roof that had a pebbled
out in 1927. finish, mimicking the leather-covered top on the real touring car.
But there were very few miniature Model T’s, not even a handful of Bing called the last body style a Sedan, although some might call it
toys, made during the actual car’s lifetime. This doesn’t add up, to my an early station wagon. It was a boxy, squared-off design and was based
way of thinking; seems to me that toy makers would line up to have a on Ford’s “Fordor” model and featured the same suicide-type doors
chance to produce toys of the most popular car on the roads. The as the Coupe.
Moline Pressed Steel Company did produce a 12-inch, more or less, All four body styles apparently came with both male and
Model T in pressed steel during the 1920s, as a part of its “Buddy L” female drivers.
line of toys. Finding these today isn’t easy and even battered examples
sell for substantial dollars.
Strangely, it took a German toy manufacturer to give kids (and
parents) an affordable model of the American success story. Gebrüder
Bing, based in Nuremberg, Germany, had been making toys since the
1860s, and in the early 1920s, the company started producing a series
of toy Model T’s that combined the play value of a toy with decent,
model-like accuracy. That kind of realism is difficult (often impossible)
to achieve with the tinplate sheet stock that Bing used for these toys,
and it’s a constraint that was later avoided by the makers of Corgis,
Dinkys, Tootsietoys, and so forth, which were made of diecast metal.

Four Versions
Bing offered the tinplate T in four body styles, all in the range of
6.5 inches in length, and each was a well-made toy that featured a
clockwork motor. But they also had tinplate wheels, which of course Great period artwork graced the Bing Model T boxes, this one for the Touring Car.
offered little traction on tabletops and hardwood floors. The key for the
clockwork motor was attached to a metal rod that protruded from Incredibly 1920s
beneath the running board on the driver’s side of the toy. And, Bing For toys that are now 90 years old, Bing Model T’s are not
made the front axle adjustable, so the car could run in a circle as well as particularly rare. They’re just so incredibly 1920s, and are accurate
straight ahead. models for their era. But check for originality. A Bing can be repainted,
and there are producers of replacement parts out there, some of which
are well-made and tough to tell from originals. Original condition
(excellent or better) examples usually sell for $350 to $450. That’s for
the standard black versions. If the original box is present, add $100 to
$200 to the price. For colors other than black, I’d expect to see a price
tag in the range of $750-$1,000 (again, for an original example in
excellent condition).
By the way, along with the Bing photos here, if
The 1924 Sears, Roebuck, and Co. catalog offered the four Bing Model T’s.
The prices have gone up somewhat since then. you cast your eyes upward to the “Toys from the
Attic” banner on this page, you’ll see that the
In terms of colors, Bing followed Henry Ford’s lead, offering only Model T under my name is the Coupe version.
black models until Ford changed its color policy during the last year or Looks to me like the cowboy’s in for a surprise.
two of the Model T production run. Most surviving Bings are all black;
those with the original red or blue paint are considered more valuable
Douglas R. Kelly is the editor of Marine Technology magazine. His byline has
than the standard black examples. The Coupe was probably Bing’s appeared in Antiques Roadshow Insider; Back Issue; Diecast Collector; RetroFan;
most basic of the four body styles, with its two doors and boxy, upright
and Buildings magazines.
38 Holiday Shopping Guide Journal of Antiques and Collectibles