Old Toys and Old Toy Pictures

Old Toys & Photos– What is  your time frame?

Old Toys or Antique seems to be a relative term in the world of toy collecting.  Antique has a stronger definition, but the word old is a relative term.  The article below shares a great conversation with an older collector, and how we found a way to tighten up the definition of old toys.  Enjoy!

Marty asked me to define and antique.  ‘It is officially a toy over 100 years…’ I said.

Then he asked about vintage toys. ‘..To me a vintage toy is at least 15 years old’.

batmobile-old-toy

Then asked me to define the term “Old Toys” and define his Batmobile.  This request had me a bit stumped.

Should we stick to the strict definition of Antique as being a 100 year old toy?  This would place old toys as 99 years old or newer to an arbitrary new toy cutoff.  -Possibly toys from this year would be considered the only new ones.

Old Toy with Robot driver

Old Toy with Robot driver

Old toy motorcycle picture.

The is the normal definition of an “Old toy”. It is a well used toy from a generation or two ago…. This old toy is an Antique

Back to Marty and my response.  ‘Old Toy; maybe! It is the Batmobile from the 1960’s and made in Japan and definately a vintage toy.’

‘What is old?’, I think to myself, and then I wax philosophical.  To me toy age and the term “old” depends on your reference.  In the age of the Earth, 100 years is a blink of the eye and new.  If I roll back to a single human’s brain, then reference of old is 40 years.  Then again, I have to roll back to the perspective of the person asking.

Don’t dare ask my kids what is old, because to them, 4 years is old.  To them (say my 8 year old), 4 years represents half of a lifetime!  So I have to cut her slack.

To me, a Gen X guy, something made in the 1980’s and earlier is old.  -Or then again maybe the 80’s represent vintage and the 60’s are the time of “old toys.”  I stump myself there.

So now have to roll back my perception and keep it simple.  Old toys are anything that aren’t currently in production.  -Make sense?  This way I can say that the “old Star Wars toys” in Target last year were nice; the new ones for Rogue One are better! 🙂

-Be sure to check out our “Old Toys” for sale here at AntiqueToys.  I’ll be inclusive of some soon-to-be classics of the 60’s and may even edge towards showcasing a few from the 1970’s!

Be well & Happy Old Toy Hunting!

Best Regards,
Ed

Old toy by Althof Bergmann

This Althof Bergmann two horse carriage or gig will surely meet anyone’s definition of an old toy.

Old toy- steam engine by Weeden

Old Toy picture of a Gibbs wood and tin horse toy with carriage

Best Regards,
Ed