Vintage Toys

The golden age of toy development was at the turn of the 20th century. Wages raised steadily allowing working-class families to afford toys for their children, and industrial techniques and mass production to provide the supply to meet the demand. Frank Hornby was responsible for the invention and production of three of the most popular lines of toys based on engineering principles in the twentieth century: Meccano, Hornby Model Railways and Dinky Toys.

After the WWII society became ever more affluent and new technology and materials for toy manufacture became available, toys became cheap and households across the world were able to afford them. Among the products of the 1950sand 1960’s was the Danish company Lego's line of colourful interlocking plastic brick construction sets, Rubik's Cube, Mr. Potato Head, the Barbie doll and GI Joe.

Weather it is a metal wind-up toy from the 1940s, Star Wars collectibles, a Cabbage Patch Doll or a Barbie from the 1980s, or a vintage video game console from the 1990s. D.C.’s Aquaman or Marvel’s Spider-man, American Doll or a Disney Princess, all toys are collectibles, and whether you leave them in the box, put them out on display, or even bring them out to play with!

What are things to keep in mind?

First, always collect what you like, if you should decide to sell at some point and make money, great! Then condition, condition in collecting toys is the same as location in real estate. Always buy the best you can afford.

Keep in mind that there are endless amounts of toys, collecting should be focused on an era, type, or general personal interest. Collectors soon find that space and money, run short before the toys!

Study collector books and talk to other collectors and dealers. Try to attend in person collector shows. Nothing can beat being able to handle and see toys first hand.