==== ==== "Would You like to learn how to Make Money Buying And Selling Collectable Toys?" http://www.successfultoycollecting.com ==== ====
Collecting tin toys is not a recent phenomenon. Tin toys came into fashion in the mid 1800s when toy makers found that they were a cheaper and more durable substitute for wooden toys. Germany was a major producer of it till World War I. Most German tin toys ran on clockwork and included toys like trains and boats. Around the 1920s, American manufacturers became the market leaders for it, the most famous among them being Louis Marx and Company. After World War II, the action shifted to Japan. Japan specialized in friction and wind-up tin toys till electronic toys finally took over in the 1960s. It was around this time, that collecting them started to become a hobby in America. Several societies like the Antique Toy Collectors of America, the Mechanical Bank Collectors of America and the American Train Collectors Association were formed. Tin toys fetched such high values during the 1980s that collecting these toys has emerged as among the top five hobbies in the United States. Many collectors consider them as an investment although the markets can be volatile. To start collecting, you can start off in your own attic, basement, garage and any other storage areas. Look for long-forgotten toys inside trunks and chests. One word of caution here: don't try fixing broken toys on your own. Take the help of a restoration expert. To be on the safe side, don't even try cleaning them yourself. You may unknowingly rub off some of the paint off the toy. This is because the finish on them is delicate and wears down with age. Tin toys that are closer to mint condition fetch the highest prices. In fact, those that are still in their original packing sell at a premium. So don't throw away the packing even if it is torn. It may contain the patent number, the year of manufacture and other details that would make your tin toy even more highly priced. Most importantly, collect those that bring you pleasure. Decide on the category of tin toys that you would like to specialise in. If clockwork and wind up toys fascinate you, stick to collecting just these instead of collecting all kinds of toys. This will help you to maintain focus. Keep yourself abreast of marker prices by studying toy sale catalogues and keeping in touch with toy dealers.
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==== ==== "Would You like to learn how to Make Money Buying And Selling Collectable Toys?" http://www.successfultoycollecting.com ==== ====