1930’s Pre-War Matsuzo Kosuge KSG Tin/Sheet Metal Litho Windup Buick Car Vehicle Japan *SOLD*

1930’s Pre-War Matsuzo Kosuge KSG Tin/Sheet Metal Litho Windup Buick Car Vehicle Japan

This is a beautiful original pre-WWII KosugeToys Industrial Co., LTD. tin/sheet metal lithographed windup vehicle manufactured in Japan. It is in a Buick body style with some hints of Graham- Paige. We suspect this to be an earlier version of this vehicle due to the imperfections in the stamping of the tin/sheet metal. It does not come with its original key, but we have included a comparable key. The windup mechanism works fine with a little nudge. We have noticed that there was a small split on the top of the left rear fender that was re-soldered and blended to repair it. The only other thing we noticed is a few spots where someone did some paint touchups. On the passenger side it reads “Made in Japan” and on the driver’s side we see the Kosuge “KSG” mark. This car is in very good original condition with some light surface rusting. The lithos and “chrome” both have wear, scuffs, scrapes, and chips due to age and play. It measures approximately 11 ¼” x 4 x 3 ½”

A bit of history about Matsuzo Kosuge of Japan for those that are interested:

Matsuzo Kosuge was a master craftsman who could stamp thin sheet steel into a variety of shapes, as well as, making one-piece car bodies without splitting the actual sheet metal. Before the war Kosuge designed models of many American cars by makers like, Cadillac, Buick, Graham-Paige, and Packard to name a few.  What makes this toy so rare is that many toys such as Kosuge’s sheet metal cars were often donated for the war effort for metal. To make it even more difficult to find, many Japanese toys were destroyed due to the anti-Japanese sentiment in this country due to the war. After the war, Kosuge went to work making toys for Marusan making many of the same designs.