Before Plastic - The Toys

[JohnW.]

You're probably correct, some would have been out of the reach for the poor. I'm guessing the doll furniture was made- so many are unique, no 2 alike, you'd have to guess these were created by fathers ho wished their little girls something quite special for Christmas one year. Maybe the pull along toys too, may not have terrible pricey.

Rag dolls seem to have had a universal appeal- I see an awful lot of charming African American rag dolls which would fit a certain socioeconomic status held for some time, by most anyway. Newly freed black people were still scrambling for a foothold in a society which may have ensure they were no longer in bondage but seemed quite happy to keep them in the bondage of poverty. You can't keep ' Play' from a small girl and her doll- not sure any of the former owners of these was anything but delighted when presented with her new friend and companion.
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The doll in the blue dress is probably Amish in origin. Amish dolls were/are faceless....it has alot to do with worshiping graven images.

 

[Allie]

My mom gave me a cast-iron stove for Christmas! This one is a reproduction, but it's a vintage reproduction - she got it from a friend who played with it as a child in the 1950's. Her friend was going to throw it out! The Grey Iron Company made toys starting in 1840, and made this type of stove starting in 1881. Their molds were used to make repros in the 1950's and 60's. Originals had a nickel finish. Repros are frequently sold as originals today, so purchasers should be careful. One other way to tell an original is that it will have a "silky" feel to the iron rather than the pebble feel of modern cast iron.

My mom's friend used to actually cook on this little stove as a child, using a spirit lamp! The spoon shaped object is a burner lifter.

 

[Bruce Vail]

My mom gave me a cast-iron stove for Christmas! This one is a reproduction, but it's a vintage reproduction - she got it from a friend who played with it as a child in the 1950's. Her friend was going to throw it out! The Grey Iron Company made toys starting in 1840, and made this type of stove starting in 1881. Their molds were used to make repros in the 1950's and 60's. Originals had a nickel finish. Repros are frequently sold as originals today, so purchasers should be careful. One other way to tell an original is that it will have a "silky" feel to the iron rather than the pebble feel of modern cast iron.

My mom's friend used to actually cook on this little stove as a child, using a spirit lamp! The spoon shaped object is a burner lifter.

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My Mom had a similar toy, which she played with in the 1930s. It wasn't well cared for and much worse for wear than your example. Most of the accessories were lost.

Thanks for kindling a fond memory of my Mom, who just passed away about a year ago.

 

[JPK Huson 1863]

My Mom had a similar toy, which she played with in the 1930s. It wasn't well cared for and much worse for wear than your example. Most of the accessories were lost.

Thanks for kindling a fond memory of my Mom, who just passed away about a year ago.

It's always so odd to me when we see collectors valuing these toys in pristine condition. Those shows- when buyers come across one of these always try point out how awful an old toy is, hoping the seller will knock quite a bit from the price. You'd think the opposite, where some child valued it so much and played with it so extensively it showed. I don't know. Someone's mother's or great grandfather's childhood was right there, this weird ' new in box ' comparison seems absurd.

 

[Yankeedave]

There would be a riot if my kids got these for Christmas. Except for the stove. They played with that for years. I would get home from work and they would make me a plastic egg and a cup of air.