L.A. Museum Sees Value of Antique Toys Escalating

Toys that have been delighting youngsters on Christmas morning for the past 100 years are on display at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County in Exposition Park.

“We decided to assemble an exhibit that would portray the kinds of playthings that appealed to children during the past century,” Guy Bishop, a curator of history at the museum, said.

“In our storerooms are hundreds of toys that are antiques today. They have been given to us over the years by families as their children outgrew them.”

These toys are now collectibles. A cast-iron, horse-drawn fire truck complete with a team of seated firefighters, which was manufactured in the United States shortly after the turn of this century, could be worth several hundred dollars. The value of antique dolls has escalated. Others difficult to find are ships, carriages and figures of people and animals that were powered by clockwork mechanisms. After 1900, spring-driven vehicles became popular. These were made of tin plate and were inexpensive. With the introduction of plastics in the late 1940s, tin toys were phased out. They are highly prized today.

Bishop removed a cast-iron hansom pulled by a trotting horse from a showcase. It was manufactured in

America around 1880.

“It resembles the buggies that were seen on the streets during that era,” he said. “Toys reflect the evolution of transportation. First there were horse-drawn vehicles, then automobiles made of iron or tin. Next came the airplane, and of course still among the most popular of all, particularly among adults--the electric train.”

Other Items

Other items displayed include antique dolls, cast-iron wagons, steam engine, marionettes and wind-up toys. There is a group of paper soldiers mounted on the front of wood bases, which include World War I doughboys and a nurse wearing a Red Cross uniform. Paper soldiers, like their lead counterparts of the 1920s and ‘30s, suffered a high mortality rate because of the aggressive nature of young generals who would deploy them in battle formation across a living room floor and decimate their ranks by firing volleys of cork bullets from pop-guns and salvos of marbles shot from spring-powered cannons. Collectors of toy soldiers, now called military miniatures, prudently keep their prized troops of horse and foot soldiers out of harm’s way by locking them in cabinets or arraying them on high shelves beyond the reach of curious moppets in their households.

“Of course we wanted to have examples of the toys children play with today,” Bishop continued. “They’re not interested in those of yesterday. They want toys of the ‘80s; Star Wars, space, fantasy, robots--the ones you find in the stores now. We didn’t have many of these. Local stores and manufacturers like Mattel, the Tomy Corp., the May Co., and Toys R Us donated the ones you can see here.”

Bishop pressed a button activating a robot named Omnibot. “This is the latest in high-tech entertainment,” he said. “It can be programmed to tell jokes, carry a snack tray or play a favorite song on a cassette.”

Five Children

Bishop returned the robot to its display case. “I’ve watched families view this exhibit,” he added. “The children will stand enchanted by the modern toys, while the parents will wander over to the cases holding the older ones. I’ll hear them exclaim ‘there’s one like I had when I was little.’ ”

Bishop has an evaluation committee in his own family for what toys are popular today. He and his wife, Kathy, have five children; Angela, 11, Monica, 9, Adrienne, 7, Michael, 5, and Marinda, 2 1/2.

“Michael favors He-Man in the Masters of the Universe series. This is a plastic figure with movable arms and legs. We have several hundred dolls in our collection here at the museum. They’re really beautiful, the kind collectors would pay dearly for when they can be found. I showed them to my three oldest daughters. They were not impressed. You know what they all want for Christmas? The Cabbage Kids.”

The exhibit runs through Jan. 15. The museum is located at 900 Exposition Blvd. It’s open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday. Closed Monday. Admission is $1.50 for adults, 75 cents for children 5 to 17, students and seniors. Children under five are admitted free.