Country Living (USA)

Metal Toy

- Toys · Consumer Goods · Petaluma, CA · California · Japan

SUB­MIT­TED BY:

N.B., Pe­taluma, CA

PROVE­NANCE: Spot­ted in a case at a lo­cal an­tiques mall

WHAT IT IS: “Your sleigh-rid­ing Santa is an early 1950s lith­o­graphed tin toy man­u­fac­tured in Ja­pan for Elvin,” says ap­praiser Bene Raia of Raia Auc­tion­eers. These brightly col­ored lith­o­graphed toys be­gan re­plac­ing wooden toys in the early 1800s, but they re­ally grew in pop­u­lar­ity start­ing in the 1930s, when man­u­fac­tur­ing al­lowed for cheap and pro­lific pro­duc­tion. “The con­di­tion of your toy is very good,” says Bene. “Plus, it still has its key, and you have the box!” She adds that the rein­deer’s miss­ing antlers don’t re­ally de­value the toy, be­cause ap­plied pieces are of­ten miss­ing when found on the sec­ondary mar­ket.

WHAT IT’S WORTH: $100 to $150

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