Posts Tagged ‘toys’

Jim Sneed’s website — All About Old Toys (http://www.oldwoodtoys.com/) — is constantly growing and evolving.  Originally Judy’s Old Wood Toys, the name change came about to reflect the inclusion of metal toys.  400 pages of articles, more than 4200 photos, over 50 toy company histories — most contributed by researchers, collectors and family members of old toy companies.  You’d think that would be enough, but a planned merger with Richard Mueller of Antique Toy Collections (http://www.antiquetoycollections.info) later this year will more than double the scope of information.

New information is added daily to what is already the largest collection of Schoenhut circus photographs on the Web and the best Humpty Dumpty circus identification guide.  Collectors have contributed photos of some amazing collections that are a feast for the eyes.  Several museum collections are included.

Well-written and informative articles are categorized by subject and include photos, catalogs and advertisements, original and current estimated prices, dates produced, measurements, and more.  A vast storehouse of information on the companies and their toys.  ‘Dating your wooden toys’  along with a guide for researching your toy is invaluable.

Want to sell your collection?  Need repair or restoration service?  Need professional photos taken?  Jim covers all these subjects and offers several services.  You can sell your toys through his website or set up your own toy shop.  He also buys toys and has a ‘toys wanted’ list.  Many, many links with a summary of each, saving you a lot of time.

Visit All About Old Toys (http://www.oldwoodtoys.com/), you’ll find it very user friendly and easy to navigate.  Be sure to bookmark it — always something new — you’ll want to go back again and again.

Tell ‘em I sent ya’. ~ Victoria

Whatever you collect, you know the thrill of the hunt and the pure joy of adding a new found item to your collection. How do you share this with young children or grandchildren? Obviously, digging in the dirt with your prized spoons, or playing catch with your fragile water globes is not the way to go. Why not start a collection of their very own?

While Fenton glass may fascinate you, odds are your child is going to be more interested in the very things he/she is playing with now – dinosaurs, dolls, action figures, tea sets, balls, marbles, etc. Does he make a beeline for every lizard, insect, and crawly thing he sees? Is it love at first sight for any dog she encounters? Since you’ve already recycled a zillion birthday and holiday presents, which ones does she still play with? What item has stood the test of time, perhaps advanced, but still the same thing?

Let’s face it, kids want to PLAY with their things, and no collectible can long be played with, buried, left outside, dropped, etc. and remain a ‘collectible.’ So buy two. Yikes, that could get expensive! Well, not two exactly alike, just similar. A porcelain doll that will be kept in a glass cabinet can be accompanied by a ‘hands on’ doll. A finely detailed museum dinosaur is put on a shelf, while the big rubber dinosaur is ready for action. If action figures is your child’s joy, buy two of newly released figures and keep one pristine in its packaging.

Fill out an index card for each piece. Where and when it was found/bought, history of the item and all the information you can find out by researching books or online. You might have memorized everything about your Jim Beam decanter collection, but you’re not going to remember the biography of the player who signed that baseball if you’re not a fan.

And take it out once in a while. Let your child have a ‘hands on’ experience with you.

It doesn’t have to be expensive. A department store ceramic horse for display with a toy horse for play won’t break the budget. Nature provides a huge opportunity to start a collection that doesn’t cost a cent. A walk along the beach is the beginning of a shell or sea glass collection. Digging a hole yields rocks to identify. Leaves, seeds, nuts can be found anywhere, flowers can be pressed.

Expand the experience with a book or movie, visit a museum, take a nature walk, go to an auto show – whatever ties in with your child’s collectible. This is one ‘bug’ you won’t mind spreading around.