BY STEVE BUTLER COLOR CONSIDERATIONS ARE covered in marketing 101, probably even in the first week of the course. The undeniable fact is that color sells with some colors much better than others. Consider the colors used for political campaign posters and signs, packaging for the most popular soft drinks, and lately the popular movie rental vending machines. Red tops [...]
BY STEVE BUTLER THE 1950S seems to have been the golden era of dream cars. At least that was my impression at the time. Exquisite examples were produced by all of the major U.S. manufacturers with the most notable issues from General Motors. Theirs at least seemed to have been reduced in toy form more than others. Included were the [...]
BY STEVE BUTLER THERE ARE MEGABUCK Japanese tin toy vehicles out there, but you already knew that. They generally show up at nationally advertised toy auctions and at major toy shows. In fact, they show up with such regularity that their purported scarcity may be subject to question. However, it is possible that some of these megabucker appearances are simply [...]
BY STEVE BUTLER IN THIS TOY COLLECTING HOBBY there are several adjectives that are chronically misused. Included in the group are original, mint, scarce and rare among many others. Misuse of these adjectives most often occurs when toys are offered for sale. Where and how seems to make no difference, shows, auctions, internet—still no difference. Consequently and unfortunately, these words [...]
BY STEVE BUTLER CHRYSLER PRODUCED ITS FIRST “Woody” in 1941. Called a Town and Country station wagon, this vehicle was more like a four-door sedan. For 1946 Chrysler introduced their Town and Country convertible. These and otherwood bodied Chryslers of that era became and continue to be cherished by antique vehicle collectors. In the 1940s someone in a position of [...]
BY STEVE BUTLER PRESENTED HEREIN ARE a pair of private labels semis made by Smith-Miller for two department stores that were related. Before delving into that matter, it’s worthwhile to present a few facts about the source Smith-Miller trucks. Based on company literature and a review of surviving company files, the following information about Smith-Miller trucks should be considered pretty [...]
BY STEVE BUTLER Few toy versions of hot rods were made in the U.S. While there are likely others, two designs from three makers most easily come to mind. In order of their appearance herein, the makers were Saunders, Unknown and Marx. Saunders Tool & Die Company of Aurora, Illinois (see last month’s article) introduced a limited line of plastic [...]
BY STEVE BUTLER Northern Indiana had its share of stock car tracks which served as the primary source of our family entertainment in the early 1950′s. Add to that my youthful (and continuing) preference for vehicular toys and the appeal of vintage, toy stock cars becomes obvious. Unfortunately, I can only remember owning two as a kid. Both were plastic, [...]
BY STEVE BUTLER Confusing, then explaining the issue seems the best way to describe what is meant by a “promotional adaptation.” This will take a number of words, so a bit of patience is needed. “Adaptation” is the easy part and simply means using an item for a purpose other than for which it was intended. It’s the “promotional” part [...]
BY STEVE BUTLER TOY SERVICE stations make excellent stages for the display of collectible toy vehicles. However, most stations are quite large. Conserving display space has tended to be the primary reason for not purchasing any of the many service stations offered for sale each year. That ended, however, a couple of weeks ago. The featured exception is the relatively [...]
