Clyan Hall Sturdi-Circus

 

Q: I have a two-piece wooden pull toy but I can’t find any information about it. Two horses pull a wagon that says “Sturdi-Circus” on the side. There are six wooden clowns inside the wagon. It’s stamped “Clyan Hall” on the bottom. Can you give me any information about it?

A: Clyan Hall Sturditoys seems to have been in business for only a few years in the 1940s and not many items were made. Clyde H. Hall was born in Illinois in 1894 and moved to California about 1920. He was a high school manual arts teacher in Los Angeles and worked with copper as well as wood. Pieces marked “Clyan Hall Sturditoys” were made in Corona Del Mar, California, in the 1940s and included trays, lazy susans, album and scrapbook covers, children’s desks, chairs, and toys. Hall was mayor of Newport Beach from 1942 to 1946, at the same time he was making Sturditoys pieces. He and his wife moved to Hawaii in 1953 and opened a gift shop there. A Clyan Hall Sturditoys sand toy was offered for sale online for $100, but we haven’t been able to find the circus toy. Don’t confuse this company with Sturditoy, a Rhode Island company that made miniature pressed metal replicas of trucks, tractors and trailers from 1926 to 1933.

Trilby Puzzle Update

A reader writes about the Trilby puzzle, the Kovels Komments Mystery Mark from December 2:

“You had mentioned that if anyone knew about such an item, you would be interested in knowing as well. Jerry Slocum (the puzzle expert) dug through his files and found this advertisement…in an 1896 catalog by C.H.W. Bates, Boston. He is quite sure there are no patents for the Trilby Puzzle, and this is the only ad he ever found for it. The original Trilby was made of brass. The Lilly Library at Indiana University, Bloomington, has two Trilby Puzzles from Jerry's collection, but they are made of cast iron.”

– David Beffa-Negrini, editor of the American Game & Puzzle Collectors Quarterly.

 

 

 

Trilby Puzzle

Q: We found this puzzle in the drawer of an antique sewing machine we bought in 1976. The drawers were filled with the previous owner’s sewing equipment, and we discovered this puzzle in a box in one of the drawers. It’s cast metal and has two parts. The name “TRILBY” is on one side and “PAT. APL’D” is on the other side. The star-shaped piece twists into one side of the cage and is trapped within. If you don't know the secret, it’s quite challenging. but it’s a “lock and key” kind of mechanism, so once you've figured it out, it's much easier. Can you tell me something about the maker and possible age of the puzzle?
 

A: This type of puzzle has been around since 1896. It is sometimes called “Hedgehog in a Cage” and involves trying to remove the “hedgehog” or a star-shaped piece from a cage-like holder. The earliest version was made of wood. Similar puzzles are still being made today. Nothing is known about the maker, although there evidently was a Trilby company in Brooklyn, New York, at one time. If any of you have information about the company, let us know.

Vilas-Harsha Toy Dressing Table

Q: My mother received this toy dressing table as a gift in 1918. It has a label on the back that says "American Toys, Manufactured by Vilas-Harsha Mfg. Co., Chicago." I'd like to know something about the maker and value.

A: Vilas-Harsha Manufacturing Co. was founded in 1919 with the consolidation of A.H. Vilas Co. and L.R. Harsha Manufacturing. Albert H. Vilas founded his company in 1878 and made moldings and picture frames. L.R. Harsha Manufacturing was founded by Leslie R. Harsha before 1893. By 1918, Harsha's company was making moldings, picture frames, gift novelties, and toy furniture. The companies merged in 1919 and became Vilas-Harsha Manufacturing Co. Your toy dressing table is worth about $25 to $50 in very good condition, but since it has paint loss and damage, it will sell for less.

August Riedeler Mark

Q: I have a little dollhouse boy doll with movable arms and legs. He is marked with a heart with the letters "ARI" inside and "Konigsee Thur" in a banner across the bottom of the heart. The doll is made of rubber and is wearing his original outfit of pale blue shirt, black pants, red belt and bowtie. He is 4 1/2 inches tall. Who made this doll and how old is he?

A: The mark was used by August Riedeler, a manufacturer of porcelain and dolls in Konigsee, Thuringia, Germany, starting in 1864. Riedeler made porcelain, while his wife made toys. His son took over the factory in 1872 and began making porcelain dolls and doll heads. Riedeler built a factory in Garsitz in 1892. The company has made dolls of porcelain, cloth, celluloid, rubber and vinyl, and has also made some other toys. Dollhouse dolls were usually sold in sets. Sellers list them as made in the 1970s and '80s. A family of five dolls, with mother, father, boy, girl and baby, was advertised online for $65. Single dolls sell for $4 to $24, depending partly on the condition of the doll and its clothing.

Toy Stove

Q: This toy stove was part of a cousin's collection and as near as I can figure, it could have been given to her around 1907. It is 14 1/2 inches long, 8 3/4 inches wide and 6 1/2 inches high. I've searched through books and inquired at antiques shows and can't find any information about it. The top burners have a cotton-like material in them and the burner is adjustable. The trim on the front is brass. There is a water-heating unit on one side and a trivet, baking sheet, roasting pan, and three cooking pans with brass lids. This logo is on the ends. Can you give me some information on age, origin, and value?

A: The mark was used by Gebruder Marklin & Co. of Goppingen, Germany. Marklin is best known for its production of toy trains and clockwork tin toys, but the company was also one of the major producers of doll-size stoves and accessories. The alcohol burner could be filled with alcohol or methylated spirits and the cotton in the burner acted as a wick when lit. Theodor Friedrich Wilhelm Marklin (1817-1866) began making tinplate cooking utensils for dolls in 1859. His wife ran the business after he died. By 1888 his sons were running the company, which traded under the name Gebruder Marklin & Co. beginning in 1908. Your stove's mark was used after the name change. The value of your toy stove could be as high as $1,000.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Marx Racer

Q: I have wanted to own this windup tin toy car for a long time. Recently my old friend decided to part with it. It was a Christmas present given to him when he was a child. The front license tag says “50-50” and it’s marked “Mar” on the trunk. It winds up and works nicely. I want to add it to my collection of other toys and want a fair value for insurance coverage. Can you tell me who made it and what it’s worth?

A: The logo on the trunk, the letters “MAR” in a circle with an “X” through it, was used by Louis Marx & Co. The company was founded by Louis and his brother in New York in 1919. Your racing car, called “King Racer,” was first made in 1925. The first version, like yours, was made in yellow with red trim, a green top, and blue wheels. A second version was made in yellow with black outlining, a blue top, and green wheels. Your insurance company may require a report from an appraiser with recognized credentials. If you have a large collection of valuable old toys, you should have an appraiser or dealer who specializes in toys determine value for insurance purposes. You must decide if you want full replacement coverage for each toy or a lower wholesale value. You would probably want to shop carefully for replacements for your collection. This toy in great condition sells for about $300 to $400.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mystery Mark Comment

A reader wrote after he saw our Mystery Mark about the Acme doll (Feb. 6, 2013): “Acme Toy Mfg. Co. was owned by my father, Isaac Ricklin. He designed and made high quality character baby and mama dolls. He also made the Kiddiejoy dolls for Jacobs & Kessler Hirtz and baby dolls for George Borgfeldt Co. His distributor was Kaufman, Levenson & Co. Some of the dolls were Honey Baby, Patsy, and Tynie Baby-like. Acme Toy Mfg. Co. remained in business until the late 1950s.”

 

Heart Shape Mark

Q: I have an old doll with this mark on the back of the head. Can you tell me who made my doll?

A: The mark on your doll was used by Bahr & Proschild (Baehr & Proeschild), a company founded in Ohrdruf, Germany, in 1871 by George Bahr and August Proschild. The company made bisque, celluloid, and porcelain dolls as well as doll heads and doll parts for other companies. The initials “B & P” were used as a mark beginning in about 1895. The company’s mark was a heart with the initials inside from about 1900 to 1919. In 1918 Bahr & Proschild was bought by Bruno Schmidt, another German dollmaker. The next year, Bruno Schmidt changed the Bahr & Proschild mark to a heart with the initials outside–the mark on your doll. The mark continued to be used until about 1940. So your doll was made between 1919 and 1940.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Acme Doll

 

Q: I bought this baby doll at an antique shop in Maine last summer. It’s not in very good shape. The eyes work but the crier doesn’t. “Acme Toy Co.” is marked on the back of the doll’s neck. It has a cloth body, but I’m not sure of the material of the arms and legs. It’s about the size of a 1-year-old child. I have another doll just like this I have had since I was a child about 70 years ago, but its face isn’t in good shape. (I left mine in the rain, so I pretended it had the measles.) Can you tell me something about the maker?

 

A: The Acme Toy Co. was in business in New York City from 1908 until at least the 1930s. The company made composition doll heads, baby dolls, mama dolls, and doll parts for other manufacturers. The dolls have composition heads and limbs and stuffed cloth bodies. The doll, in excellent condition, would sell for about $100.