Before Game Boy and Play Station, there were tin toys. During their heyday, these whimsical toys amused children for hours. Today, these toys have great nostalgic appeal. Heres your guide to tin toys.

The Players.

In England, Wells, Hornby and Chad Valley were dominant players in the tin toy market. During the post-1930 period, these companies were at their peak and any of their work from this period is very desirable. In Germany, Mrklin and Bing were the big guns. In France, it was Fernand Martin. Toys by any of these makers are desirable.

How It Started.

Before there were tin toys, children played with wood and paper toys. Tinplating was developed during the Industrial Revolution. Its discovery made the tinplated toy industry possible. Tinplate was fashioned into boats, submarines, cars, planes, horse drawn carriages and more.

Germany dominated the pre-WWI export market. The outbreak of WWI forced the rest of Europe, Japan and the US into the market due to wartime shortages and to counteract the German dominance.

After WWI, Germany refocused their economy and regained market dominance in tin toys.

But once again, war affected commerce when WWII resulted in shortages in raw materials and a battle-focused economy.

Post WWII, when Germany and Japan received financial aid to revitalize their economies, the tin toy industry in these countries was revived.

Just as tin toys were once the hot new toy replacing wood and paper toys, tin toys were usurped by plastic toys by the 1970s. These new plastic toys captured the imaginations of children since they were cheaper to produce, didnt rust and were sturdy.

How Theyre Made.

Tin toys were made from sheet iron that was plated with a protective layer of tin to prevent rusting. Before the Industrial Revolution, tin toys were stamped out, molded and hand painted. The Industrial Revolution led to mass production.

Around 1875, lithography - a transfer printing process whereby a series of dots make up colors - was invented. This eliminated the time-consuming hand painting and increased production.

Part of the charm of tin toys is that you wind them up and away they go. The clockwork mechanism (the mechanical part of a watch that makes it tick) is responsible for this action. In 1945, clockwork mechanisms were replaced by battery-operated mechanisms.

Condition.

If a tin toy looks brand new, works perfectly and is in a pristine box, it is considered to be in mint condition. Very good condition refers to a toy without spots or dents. Some fading is acceptable. Good condition means reasonable condition. Play-worn implies just that a used toy which may have chips in the paint and missing parts. Keep any original boxes regardless of the shape because they help to authenticate the manufacturer and date.

Paint Repairs.

The lithography process makes paint repairs almost impossible to do. And a poor restoration job will lessen the value of a toy.

How to Date Tin Toys Part I.

A little knowledge of lithography can help to figure out the age of tin toys. In older lithography (1875 1960) each color was printed on a separate plate. Under a magnified glass, youll see dots appearing in an irregular pattern. Newer lithography (1960 to present) only four colors black, red, yellow and blue are combined to make up all the colors in the rainbow. Under a magnified glass, dots will appear in a regular pattern.

How To Date Tin Toys Part II.

From the end of WWII until 1950s, German toys were labeled Made in US Zone and items made in Japan were marked Occupied Japan. After 1950s, Japan used Made in Japan and Germany used Made in West Germany. Keep these two tips in mind when youre trying to figure out how old a tin toy is.

Hot Toys.

Japanese robots and exotic limousines from the 1950 1960s are desirable to serious collectors. Plus, any Batman and Disney tin toys continue to be popular.

Spotting Fakes.

Spotting fakes with tin toys is tricky. The marks on many new toys are the exact same as the marks used on old items because some manufacturers such as Paya, a Spanish company, continue to use the original moulds and dies. One thing for you to watch for is that newer models tend to be marked with Limited Edition.

Martin Swinton

A lifelong lover of all things old, Martin was born in Toronto, Canada and spent time in Malaysia as a child.

Martin learned to restore furniture when he was a teenager and has worked at an auction house. He owns Take-A-Boo Emporium, an antique shop located at 1927 Avenue Road, Toronto, Canada.

His television appearances include Canadian Living Television, Breakfast Television, Daytime and Toronto Living.

Martin teaches courses on antiques and he writes a regular column "Let's Talk Antiques" for the Town Crier newspaper and "Antiques 101" for the Home Advisor. He also does appraisals for estates and community events.

When Martin is not appearing on television or teaching, he can be found in his shop restoring well-worn furniture, gluing vintage tables or re-caning and rushing chairs. On warm summer days, he has been seen multi-tasking out front of the shop when he chats up the locals and works on his tan.

Martin recalls that he has always been interested in things from the past, so it is not surprising that he graduated from the University of Toronto with a degree in Archaeology. He holds a high school equivalency diploma from the Ontario Ministry of Education. Martin completed his grade 2 course of studies at Cedarvale Public School before being home school through to high school. At the age of 7 Martin was diagnosed with a bad case of dyslexia, which explains a lot of the problems that he had in Mrs. Mansica's grade 2 reading circle.

His personal areas of interest are Asian art, European furniture and the Arts & Crafts movement. Martin is a member of the Monarchist League of Canada. He lives in Toronto with his wife Andrea and Kurt, his basketball mad 14-year old son.