Antique Toy Boats: A Nautical Trip Down Memory Lane
By: Megan Cooper, M.A.S., B.S. History
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
Antique Toy Boats: A Nautical Trip Down Memory Lane
Antique toy boats can create a nostalgic experience for many, and some of them can be worth a lot of money. Find out more about these popular nautical collectibles.
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For many, antique toy boats invoke images of sprawling, bucolic Sundays with the metropolitan elite's offspring, spending hours watching their miniature wooden ships travel between from one side of the pond to the other. For other people, toy boats call forward childhood memories of reading about the mouse Stuart Little and his tumultuous travels on a model boat. But, it's because of people's personal connections to these centuries old playthings that people have made an art out of collecting them.
Centuries of Toy Boats to Choose From
You might've realized, but people have been carving natural materials to look like ships for thousands of years. Archaeological evidence has uncovered wooden toy boats from centuries ago; one such thousand-year-old boat was recently uncovered in a filled-in well on a small farmstead in Norway. As it seems, children have always wanted to float things on the water, and they've done their best to craft toys to fit the bill.
GraphicaArtis/ Archive Photos via Getty Images
Yet, as building model boats show, these youthful toys aren't just meant for childhood, and collectors of all sorts enjoy adding a decorated boat to their collections. Undoubtedly, toy boats were really prominent during the 19 th century and into the 20 th century, making those 200 years the period of time that you're most likely to find examples of these boats from. Similarly, as the 19 th century turned into the 20 th century, and the development of cheap materials and production methods overtook manufacturing, toy boats became less decorative and precious, making them less collectible as well.
Antique and Vintage Toy Boats to Collect
When it comes to old toy boats, collectors tend to gravitate to two specific eras: wooden toy boats from the 19 th and early 20 th centuries and the brightly colored tin and plastic toy boats of the pre and post-war period. Of course, given that these toys were meant to be recreational aids for child's play, a lot of them were manufactured. Chances are high that you've got one of these toy boats shoved in a box somewhere that your grandfather gave you from his own stash.
Antique Wood Toy Boats
Antique wooden toy boats are the oldest type of toy boats out there. Usually made in the image of famous boats from the period, these ships were typically painted and either hand carved for machine-cut. Although wooden boats were still produced after the early aughts, the most valuable ones were made during the mid to late-19 th century. Additionally, a few of the major manufacturers who built these boats include:
- Meier
- Basset Lowke
- Hornby
- Marklin
- Sutcliffe
- Bing
Hulton Archive via Getty Images
Vintage Tin Toy Boats
As child labor laws and better wages helped create a space for middle and lower-class children to be able to have recreational time, toy manufacturers turned to making their products out of cheaper materials. This meant that they could get their products out to the public at a quicker pace, garnering greater profits. Toy boats were one of these popular toys that got this treatment, and soon toy boats made out of aluminum and tin flooded the marketplace.
DE AGOSTINI PICTURE LIBRARY/ De Agostini via Getty Images
Typically, these toy boats are smaller than wooden boats, being modeled after types of boats like speed boats and skiffs. However, they're just as detailed in their decoration as their wooden counterparts are, and were frequently paired with candlestick, wind-up, and battery-powered motors. Usually, these metal boats were crafted between the 1940s-1960s.
Vintage Plastic Toy Boats
When it comes to vintage plastic toy boats, bright yellow and chunky Fisher Price boats probably come to mind first. While Fisher Price wasn't the only brand to make plastic toy boats, most other brands' boats were shaped very similarly to theirs. These boats became popular during the 1960s and are the simplest and most cartoonish in design. Out of all three major types, plastic toy boats are by far the least collectible and least valuable since they were made in such an abundance and for a particularly young target audience.
H. Armstrong Roberts/ClassicStock / Archive Photos via Getty Images
What Antique and Vintage Toy Boats Are Worth
Although collectors have their preferences when it comes to which of these old toy boats that they're willing to spend money on, the consensus is that the extravagant model boats from the 19 th century are the cream of the crop. In contrast, mid-century and later plastic toy boats are definitely the least valuable of those for sale.
If you're thinking about selling or buying one of these toy boats, here are a few that've recently come to market to give you an idea of what to expect:
- 1950s Renewal wheeled plastic toy boat - Sold for $5
- Vintage Line-Mar tin litho battery operated boat - Sold for around $150
- 1905 Bing King Edward all original pieces wooden toy boat - Listed for $9,000
Places to Find Antique and Vintage Toy Boats
The internet has become the single most valuable resource for antique collectors, as it allows them to hunt down the perfect finds from the comfort of their home. No matter what kind of collection you have, there are usually great resources online, and this is particularly true for antique and vintage toy boats.
Don't Jump Ship on These Antiques
You don't have to be a collector to appreciate the whimsical nautical energy that antique and vintage toy boats bring to any space that they're in. Whether you want a heartier choice to let the kids in your life play with or a massive model boat to sit above your fireplace, you shouldn't jump ship on the next great deal on an antique toy boat that you find.
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Back when we had a lakeside chalet and my son was about 6 or 7 years old I spent a lot of money and bought him a model battery-operated remote-controlled police boat that was about two feet long, it even had a siren. That weekend he brought his neighbourhood friend with him to our chalet. The weather was beautiful, the water calm, a perfect day to launch that prize toy. The friend carried the boat down the steps, dropped it, and broke it. I'm not a violent person but I have to say that if I could have gotten away with killing him I was angry enough to do it, but I had to squelch thoughts of murder and be nice to the kid the whole rest of the weekend.
What about ships in bottles?
I never had a toy boat (but had some small toy cars, fire engines etc.)
My father also built me a soap box racer that I sat in and "drove".
I tried to find a picture of the type he made but couldn't. A few of these are similar..
I never had a toy boat (but had some small toy cars, fire engines etc.)
I had one friend who collected small toy soldiers-- and he had lots of them!
The main thing I remember was playing with two Chemistry sets. (When I was a kid I wanted to be a Scientist when I grew up).
Oh-- almost forgot! The main small toys I played with were electric trains! I had a lot of them. Trains, tracks, even a few small buildings, It was a pretty big layout in our basement-- and occasionally I got another type of train car to add on-- or another small building.
It ran by an Electric transformer with small handles used to control the speed. (The transformer was connected to the layout by fairly long wires.
I had a chemistry set too as a kid, and a meccano set as well.
I also had a simple train and tracks set, but I never got into it the way some people developed them into grandiose layouts. I actually spent most of my time outside, so the things I mentioned above were more for rainy days.
I had a chemistry set too as a kid, and a meccano set as well.
I don't know what a Meccanano set is--- is it like an Erector Set (I had one of those...plus some extra parts, you could keep buying extra pieces to add):
I just googled it, it explains:
Actually I was pretty much the same way. My train set tracks were just one oval layout-- not that big. IAnd I never got into much "landscaping"-- bldgs, trees, etc.
I had a few friends in the neighbourhood, and spent a lot of time outside.
But I have seen train layout by some people who were really into it-- they spent hours building elaborate setups.
Yes, I remember that my train set was on a simple oval track as well, and no landscaping.
for rainy days
Ever play any board games (besides Monopoly of course and Scrabble)?
Risk!
Actually a good topic for another NT seed would be card games...I bet most people here have at times played a few
OR
We could continue our most erudite and fsscinating discussions about Trump. And Biden.
And politicians who love murdering cute little puppies!
"Ever play any board games (besides Monopoly of course and Scrabble)?"
Both of those, of course. Both my brother and his oldest friend Roy are in their 90s now, and stay in touch although they're half a world apart. Back when I was a kid, the three of us used to combine Monopoly with a game called Stock Ticker, as both used money invested, not only real estate but also stocks (YOU would have loved that game), and rolled all the dice from both games to make moves on both games. My brother actually invented a game back then that had travel and battles between different planets and galaxies and if you can believe it, he called it Star Wars. I recently asked him why he didn't start an action against the Star Wars movie people for infringement and he explained that the game was only in our hands and nobody else even knew about it and it wasn't copyrighted or patented. As well I played Chess and Backgammon.
I think that the next article I post on this group will be about classic toy cars.
Why don't you post something interesting. Something that takes a little thinking. Like, maybe, some more politics? I know-- something about Trump/Biden.
Heck, we haven't had an article about that in (K. makes a "pretending to look at a wristwatch" motion)-- haven't anything new about Trump Biden in at least 2 minutes!
LOL. Welcome to TheNewsTalkers. I've posted articles that get wiped off the Front (Home) Page in 7 hours, while Trump/Biden articles can remain for a month or longer. I don't care, I'll keep posting articles that are a variety of non-political non-religious topics.
I think we may be starting a conspirac yhere-- a conspiracy to make NT have a lot (perhaps even a majority?) of interesting intelligent articles-- or even some not so interesting but at least not political proselytizing.
You already started--with your phots and aritcles about life in China, China travel, history, art etc.
And movie quizzes.
Then expanded into cars and boats,etc.
AMAC with his photography column.
John Russell on occasions on music/popular songs.
So we can all contribute our own seeds-- and comments to seeds of others-- where its not politics.
I've been trying. It's frustrating, but it's a worthwhile effort. Anyway, now's the time I go to watch a daily movie. See you later.
And English Literature, and humour, and heartwarming stories, and festivals and culture of a foreign land.......
Watched two good movies today - UFO and The Game.
Depends upon how we define "success', We don't have to totally dominate the front page with intelligent & interesting seeds-- but rather just be very prominent, very noticeable.
I have model trains, got a O scale when i was 4, Later HO. I have been member of a club for 40 years and spent doing all my modeling time there, then we lost our building. Now we have solid plans for a new building. In my junky basement is start of HO layout. Our club was given an old N Scale 5x6 layout and I rebuilt it for portable display.and to play with. It is fun and I want to get the stuff out of the way and start on the HO.
Those train layout are fun-- and can be amazing. I never stayed with it that long, but when I did it was pretty amazing!
One reason I neverstuck with it too long was that I had too many interests, and they kept changing. At one point I was really into stamp collecting-- a lot. Also some collecting og coins, U.S. and foreign. My stamp collect is in a box somewhere around here-- haven't opened it in decades-- it may be worth some money by now! ??
Too many things to have fun with. Trains ended up getting most of my time.
So many fun things, so little time.
I think you're a person who when you do get into something, you don't do it casually but really dive into it.
I had a chemistry set and and 2 erector sets, I played with the Erector sets a lot. On my first job after college, I was a planner at a plant that made apple packing equipment. What I learned playing with the erector sets helped me on that job. My degree is business and what I learned building things with the erector set helped me work with the engineers
From some of your previous comments I had the feeling that you have a lot of interest in mechanical things also abilities in that area.
The job I retired from was project manager and Field Engineer. My engineer boss said that means you are an engineer that doesn't have a degree in it. He did the drawings, calculations and formulas and I tried to make it work .
I'll tell you something I learned about charger 383. When he starts something he perseveres at it and will not stop halfway, but will continue to work on it until he gets it right.
What you learn with the toys you play with as a kid can help you later in life.
When I just googled "Erector Sets" in the article there's an interesting section about what you just mentioned (helping you with other things later in life). In the erector set article ( HERE ) scroll down to the section called
Applications
Over the years, Erector Sets have been used to prototype a variety of devices, including:
I agree with that.
Kids can learn a lot from Legos
They can learn a lot from toys generally. Play with cars as a kid, drive them when you're older.