Dating Wooden Toys
We are often asked if we can date a particular toy. Well, sometimes we can and here is how we do it and how you can too: Identify the maker - Look carefully for a manufacturer's mark. If the maker can be identified, dating the toy becomes much easier. Sometimes a maker changes the name of their toy company at a certain date, then they changed the toy labels, all the while the toy remained the same. Frantz Manufacturing did this. Their early toys were identified with Frantz while later ones were labeled Hustler Toys. There is a transitional period when they applied Hustler decals over the Frantz marks. Look at the style - Toys, like clothing and automobiles, reflect the style of their era. During the Art Deco period of the 1920s and 1930s, toys tended to take on an Art Deco look themselves. Dolls of this period had hair styles of the period - the flapper look. Also, manufacturers often retained only one or two toy designers, so their toys generally look similar. The manufacturers often shared components between toys to save on production costs. Check parts material - Check the materials that the toy was made from. Plastic was introduced into toys in the late 1920s but not in any great amount. By the late 1930s, plastic was being used commonly but still not as the main material. By 1955, most toys were being made with plastic because of the low production costs. Glass eyes usually indicate an early age. Metal was in short supply during WWII so toys of that period contains little or no metal. Before WWI, a lot of toys and toy part came from Europe - mainly Germany and France. These included glass eyes and bisque heads for dolls.
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