Strauss Mechanical Toys Tin Windup “Play Golf” Golf Game in Box for Sale *SOLD*

Strauss Mechanical Toys Tin Windup “Play Golf” Golf Game in Box

Strauss tin toys predate Marx, so these are getting harder to find boxed and original.  Our example of “Play Golf” is in excellent lightly used condition with a well-worn box.

The tin has minor scratching, but works well and delivers a golf ball from below the green.  The man then swings to put the ball into several holes.  There are values for this random hit, so it has a bit of a gambling feel to it.

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

The Ferdinand Strauss Company was founded in the early 1900s 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 the early 1900s, 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 with color lithography.  Many of the toys also had wind-up or clockwork mechanisms 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 into Marx’s own line.