WARNING. The tinplate toys on this page are not children's playthings and do not comply with Toy Safety legislation.

CHINA

Nowadays more clockwork tin toys are made in China than anywhere else. Very few, if any, are original concepts, and many are indisputable copies of European or Japanese originals. They are still comparatively cheap, although prices are now beginning to rise. Some of the early ones are not particularly well finished. This doesn't detract from their collectability, in fact is part of their charm: we mention it only to warn those who would find the occasional scratch or paint blemish unacceptable. Certainly Chinese toys should not be overlooked: some of their movements are extraordinarily ingenious.

CLOCKWORK FIRE ENGINE

Bumper contact makes the bell ring and the ladder slowly rise. The motor creates a loud siren-like whine. Finish often imperfect, but an interesting mechanism, approx. 7" in length.  

THE WHALE AND FISH

'MEXICAN' CLOCKWORK HORSE AND CART

TINPLATE SEAL

TINPLATE BUG FAMILY

CLOCKWORK PLODDING SNAIL

CHINESE 'E-TYPE'

CLOCKWORK KANGAROO

Jumps as expected of a Kangaroo. Clockwork, 15cm.  

MONKEY ON TRIKE

(left)

ICE CREAM VENDOR

(right)

Legs pedal furiously as he goes. Soft rubber-like head. Clockwork, 10cm.  

ROLLING BUTTERFLY

All metal except wheels and antennae. Its wings flap up and down as it moves, stopping from time to time to perform backwards somersaults. Clockwork with 18cm wings.  

Tinplate clockwork toys for collectors

WARNING. The clockwork toys on this page are not children's playthings and do not comply with Toy Safety legislation.

CZECH REPUBLIC

TURNING CLOCKWORK LADYBIRD

Moves in a circle, and cleverly will not fall off the table. The keyhole is subtly disguised as one of the spots. Clockwork, 10cm.

TRACTOR AND TRAILER

Long-run motor with three forward gears, reverse, brake and steering-wheel operated steering. Heavy-duty, robust and well finished. The remarkable, in fact perhaps unique, feature is the gearing. The tractor can reverse, of course, and not only does it travel at different speeds in each of the three forward gears, but its load-pulling ability also really changes. This must be by far the most ingenious piece of precision engineering in any tin-plate toy in current production. Clockwork, 33cm overall.  

Josef Wagner operates in a village near Nuremberg, the original clockwork toy-making centre of Europe. It's a real family business: two generations, both living on the premises. From outside it looks like the smithy, and perhaps was. Inside, improbable machines clank and whirr. One cannot believe that anything complies with current regulations concerning Health and Safety, but the staff seem happy enough, with all their limbs in place, as does the cat. "All is how it was," says Herr Wagner, and we believe him.

CLOCKWORK CATCHING ELEPHANT

The long-running motor spins the propeller on the elephant's head and turns the augur which carries the balls upward. At the top they roll down the chute, drop through the elephant's basket, and run down the slope back into circulation. It is particularly colourful and interestingly-printed, a decorative ornament even for non-collectors. Clockwork, 9" tall.  

This is a re-make of an old German original and is of the same high quality as the rest of the range. Although use of plastic for its legs is regrettable, the mechanism is exceptionally efficient allowing several revolutions. Clockwork, 20cm. 

TINPLATE GLOBE CAROUSEL

The Globe Carousel is a good example of one of the few high-quality tin toys being made in Germany. The powerful pull-and-release mechanism gives a long, quiet run making the boats fly out horizontally as in the real thing. Sturdy with excellent print detail and finish, they are an attractive ornament even when not in motion. 18cm tall.  

There is a tradition of tin toy making in several parts of the former Soviet Union, and their products are distinctively old-fashioned in both design and construction (and therefore often passed off as 'antiques'). Recent political and economic reform make this a precarious source, and many fine models are no longer obtainable.

DANCING DOLL

The Dancing Doll is some 6" tall, made in Russia, well finished and finely printed. Propelled by an unusual and long-running motor, she glides gracefully on hidden wheels, doing pirouettes in both directions and moving her head gently from side to side as she goes, all very pretty. Clockwork.

Now also available in two different colours!

A predominately green version (TX552), and the 'Ice Maiden' (TX551) pictured right.

MINI BUS TRACK

The raised tray has two revolving circles on each of which travel three miniature buses which spin round passing in and out of the tunnels. Delightfully old-fashioned with evocative and detailed printing. Well-finished and solid. A small lever controls the starting and stopping of the mechanism. Clockwork, 23x10cm.

Tinplate clockwork toys for collectors

WARNING. The tinplate clockwork toys on this page are not children's playthings but collectors items and do not comply with Toy Safety legislation.

INDIA

There are several small factories in India which make fascinating clockwork tinplate toys from time to time. Production is always spasmodic, though, and at present the range is very limited.

CLOCKWORK POLICE PATROL

The small patrol vehicle races round the bends and in and out of the tunnel completing at least three laps when fully wound. Clockwork, 38 x 17cm.  

* TWO NEW TINPLATE POP-POP BOATS FROM INDIA *

Dirty and smelly with sharp edges! What more could you ask of a tin toy? An Indian company has recently started producing small quantities of unusually designed, oil-burning pop-pop boats. The workmanship is not the world's best, and there are many small scratches and flaws in the printing. But they are packaged in nicely-dated if not very sturdy packaging, and include a pipet for injecting water into the pipes, oil tray, wicks, and they have an adjustable rudder. None of the other pop-pop boats we have found over the years have been comparable, in size or design, and these boats are already 'making waves' in the world-tin-toy collectors' market.

POP POP TUG BOAT

Unusual deep-bow design. 16 x 8 x 8cm. 

TINPLATE TITANIC

Huge. Boasted as the world's largest commercially-made Pop-Pop Boar. 39 x 8 x 7cm. (Waiting list for this item)

Nikko Kogyo Kitahara From Japan

Tinplate collectors toys from Spain

We are now able to offer the superb hand-assembled clockwork tin toys of Classicos Paya which are produced from the tools and dies which were used to make the originals in the early part of the century.

WARNING. These expensive toys are collected by those who appreciate their authenticity, a feature extending to their clockwork motors, also made exactly as originally which means that they are not often very effective by late 20th century standards! They are things of historic interest, beauty, intricacy and ingenuity rather than high-powered working models.

These items therefore are intended for adult collectors only. They are not made as children's playthings, and they do not comply with current Toy Safety legislation.

All models shown below are very large (all sizes are approximate), and all have a key-wound clockwork motor. The original year of production is shown by the products name.

PAYA / SPAIN

Paya have been making clockwork tin toys near Alicante since 1902. At first they produced under contract for the better known German and French brands, but by the 1920s were enjoying world-wide success with their own models. General production continued until 1985 when it was decided to concentrate on remaking all their old classic toys on a limited basis. Only 5000 of each model is made, and a numbering certificate to that effect is provided with each toy. An attractive feature of Paya's products is the superb boxes in which they come.

Opening doors and boot reveal fine interior printing and moveable front seats. Steering wheel adjusts the front wheels' angle. Probably one of the biggest clockwork tin plate cars available. Clockwork, 50 cm long. 

Clockwork, spectacular, and noisy. The basic noise mechanism placed under the motorcycle produces a characteristic 'tuf-tuf' sound, giving the motorcycle its name. Clockwork, 32 cm long. 

A black and white tram. It includes both a clockwork motor and battery-powered lights. Clockwork, 32cm long. 

One of a range of three boats. It moves in a circle driven by its wheels, the bow rising and falling to simulate wave-action, the result of an off centre front wheel axle. Clockwork, 38 cm long. 

STUDENT

This delightful figure is held upright by his wheeled cases, but is propelled by the walking action of his legs. Always erratic, he scurries around, changing direction at complete random. This is probably the most entertaining of the reproductions in the Paya range. Clockwork, 7". 

ROAD SWEEPER (1935)

Unusual movement, the arms turning at the shoulders to sweep broadly with the wood and straw brush. The movement is so powerful that the vibration moves him if he is not restrained. Clockwork, 10cm.  

CARRERA MOTORCYCLE

Clockwork, 17cm. 

COMPLETE TRAIN SET (1930)

Twelve-piece track, oval track, 77cm at widest; clockwork engine with coaches 39cm. Signals, and telegraph poles included.