Antique ca. 1930’s Strauss Rare Orange “Interstate Bus” #109 Tin Lithographed Windup Toy for Sale *SOLD*

Antique ca. 1930’s Strauss Rare Orange “Interstate Bus” #109 Tin Lithographed Windup Toy

This is a circa 1930’s rare orange tin lithographed windup “Interstate Bus” double-decker bus #109 manufactured by the Ferdinand Strauss Company of New York City, New York. Our antique Strauss “Interstate Bus” is a sizable toy and wonderful tin litho for collectors.

This early bus has the same charm of Kenton’s green bus, yet is about twice the size and in tin. Yellow lithography contrasts well with the eye catching orange. This bus has a built-in windup mechanism with a dedicated key. When the key is wound and you release bus it rolls across the floor in a straight path. We tested the windup and with a little push it rolls across the floor. We only gave it a few winds, as to not over wind it so it may actually work without the encouragement.

The condition on this is very good with a restored back stair case. We can only imagine that this excellently preserved toy had an overzealous kid pull off the staircase and it was lost. So like other examples of this piece, sometime in the past, the stairs were replaced with a vintage tin lithographed set of hand-made replacement stairs. The radiator cap is also missing from this piece, but it does nothing to detract from the beauty and charm of this bus.

It is worth noting that most of these toys get a thick layer of dust on the top deck then start fading and corroding.  This example must have been kept in a case, because the colors there are extremely strong and bright. It is marked “Strauss Mechanical Toys, Known the World Over” on the left rear of the bus. Down both sides it is says, “Inter-State Bus, Trademark”. On the back of the bus it says, “The Ferdinand Strauss Corp., New York U.S.A” and on the front “109”, “Inter-State Bus, Trademark”. This bus has a full lithographed tin driver and steering wheel.

Our example of this Strauss “Interstate Bus” is in great original condition with no restorations, repairs, breaks or touch ups. The lithos on this piece are strong and show the usual patina, chips, scuffs, scratches, and wear that are normally found with age and play. It is approximately 10 1/2” L x 4” W. This would be a great addition to any collection. We invite you to view the photos to further determine quality and condition.

A brief history of the Ferdinand Strauss Company of New York City, New York:

The Ferdinand Strauss Company was founded in the early 1900’s in New York City, New York by Ferdinand Strauss. Strauss was from the Alsace region of Germany. In the beginning, Strauss imported various toys that he sold from his New York Shop. Strauss specialized in importing tin mechanical toys and produced toys from 1914 to 1927.

During early 1900’s, European toy manufacturers had already perfected color lithography, and were manufacturing many tin toys and pressed steel toys for the North American market. Like most European toy manufacturers, Strauss also manufactured pressed tin toys that had color lithography on them.  Many of the toys also had wind-up or clockwork mechanisms in order to have them move on their own. In 1912 Strauss hired Louis Marx, who later founded the Marx toy Company.

In 1918 Strauss began manufacturing toys on his own instead of importing them. Strauss produced (wind-up) toys for the Abraham & Strauss Department Stores and was a pioneer in the friction tin toy industry. They managed to capture much of the 1920’s mechanical tin toy craze, but Strauss was eventually out manufactured by other toy companies that had similar toys.

The Ferdinand Strauss Company’s eventual fate is unclear, but it appears that the company faded into history by 1927. There is some evidence that the company was absorbed by Louis Marx’s company as there are several items from the Strauss line that seem to have been incorporated in to Marx’s own line.