Tinplate Toy Cars Of The 1950s And 1960s From Japan

After the Second World War, Japanese toy makers made tinplate replicas of many American and European cars, often reaching surprising heights of realism. Today, these tin cars are the most desirable of all vintage toys, fetching prices at auction in excess of diecast cars such as Dinky Toys. Seeking out the finest examples of these toys has been a lifelong passion for Bruce Sterling of New York, who has allowed his collection to be pictured in this volume. 150 of the rarest and best toys are shown, all of them in pristine condition with their original boxes. Cadillac, Chevrolet, Buick, Packard and many other famous American names are represented, in addition to a good selection of European vehicles. All the toys are described in detail, and background information is provided about the prototypes on which they are based. A guide to current values is also given. This is a book that will be treasured, not only by specialist collectors, but by all who are passionate about vintage toys and classic vehicles.

Tin toys had been made in Japan before the Second World War, but they reached new heights of realism in the 1950s. The postwar American occupation of Japan gave Japanese toymakers ready access to the lucrative American toy market, and as a result most of the tin toy cars made in this period were based on American vehicles like Cadillacs, Chevrolets, Buicks, Oldsmobiles and Packards. Like the real things, these tin toys were big. A small one would be around eight inches long, with some of the largest stretching to eighteen inches. As such, tinplate was the ideal medium to capture the look of American styling of the 1950s, a period when size mattered, and car manufacturers tried to outdo each other with the extravagance of their designs, the size of their tailfins and the amount of chrome. During this era of consumerism, Japanese toy production was at its peak, with exotically-named manufacturers like Marusan, Bandai, Yonezawa and Alps turning out vast quantities of tin toys. It proved to be a short-lived phase in the history of toy production. By the early 1960s, tin toys were falling out of fashion for various reasons: their sharp edges gave rise to safety concerns; die-cast models were becoming increasingly realistic and sophisticated, with many action features that appealed to children; the development of plastics in the toy industry made tin toys look increasingly old-fashioned. Half a century later, there are very few surviving examples of these magnificent playthings. Bruce Sterling of New York has devoted years to seeking out the very best examples of Japanese tinplate cars and has built up what is probably the world’s finest collection of these toys, every one of them in pristine condition, complete with their original boxes which are works of art in themselves. Tinplate Toy Cars of the 1950s & 1960s from Japan showcases 150 examples of the very rarest Japanese tin toy cars, many of them never having been pictured in books or magazines until now. Almost every major American motor manufacturer is represented here, together with a selection of commercial vehicles and a significant number of European cars, too. All are illustrated in full colour and described in detail, and fascinating insights are provided into both the real vehicles and the companies that modelled them, together with a guide to rarity and current values. This is a book that will be treasured, not only by specialist collectors, but by all who are passionate about vintage toys and classic vehicles.

Collecting vintage diecast toy cars has become an increasingly popular hobby over the last 25 years, and this book provides a comprehensive overview of the companies that made these toys during the 1950s and 1960s. As well as examining the major names such as Dinky Toys, Corgi Toys and Matchbox (Great Britain), Solido (France), Tekno (Denmark) and Tootsietoy (USA), this book is unique in its coverage of many smaller and more obscure brands, not only from Europe or the USA but from countries as far afield as Japan, Israel and Argentina. The book provides fascinating insights into the history of individual companies, accompanied by 250 photographs of rare examples, most of them with their original boxes. A further unique feature is the inclusion of a large selection of colorful and evocative illustrations from catalogs and period trade advertisements. For the newcomer to the hobby, this volume will provide an ideal introduction to the history of the manufacturers active in this field, while experienced collectors will make many new discoveries.

"This volume accompanies the exhibition Buriki: Japanese tin toys from the golden age of the American automobile, the Yoku Tanaka collection at Japan Society Gallery, New York, July 9-August 16, 2009"--T.p. verso.

The bestselling 'Great Book of Corgi' has been fully revised and updated with over 100 new colour photographs; this book will be an essential addition to the library of all model collectors.

A tremendous resource for toy collectors and dealers, this new book compiles the catalogs of the Hubley Manufacturing Company from 1946 to 1965. Each page is reproduced in full color, making it an invaluable reference for identifying and dating Hubley toys. The catalogs in this book represent the production from 1946 to 1965, when the company was purchased by Gabriel Industries. Over 450 color images document each page and every toy Hubley produce in this period. A value guide is also included with current market values.

The rice belt of Laguna Province, Philippines (popularly known as the heartland of the Green Revolution for its early adoption of modern rice varieties), has experienced dramatic economic and social changes in the last quarter of the twentieth century. Besides the major advances in new rice technology, four major forces have prompted change: increasing population pressure on limited land; implementation of land reform programs; developments in infrastructure such as irrigation and roads; and penetration of urban economic activities. A unique data set generated from many surveys during the period 1966-97 in a typical village in Laguna, as put together in this book, illustrates a pattern of socio-economic change shared by many irrigated rice areas in the Philippines as well as in other Asian economies.

This nostalgic history looks back at vehicles, tracks, packaging and racing memorabilia from such popular slot-car manufacturers as Aurora/AFX, Tyco, Scalectrix, Strombecker and Cox, as well as dozens of smaller toymakers.