Carette/Hess ca. 1911 Torpedo Boat Medium #717 A Style Gunboat Tin Flywheel Floor Roller *SOLD*

Carette/Hess ca. 1911 Torpedo Boat Medium #717 A Style Gunboat Tin Flywheel Floor Roller

This is our medium sized Carette/Hess Gunboat tin offering.  It is a twin gun toy with an undulating wave action.

Condition is good, but there is corrosion on the front by the bow on one side.  The litho is crisp, with some scratching as shown.  Gold colors have aging and spotting.  Still, overall, it is a beautiful toy for any collection.

Hess made these to scoot across the floor and act like waves were causing the toy to rise and fall.  Then the flywheel is made of lead and spins fast to propel the toy.  This action is an evolutionary dead end, likely to not be replicated in newer designs.

Our boat was manufactured by the Hess Company in Nuremburg, Germany during the early 20th century. The “J.L.H.” makers mark on the base of the toy dates the motor to between 1906 and 1930, when John Leonard Hess took over the company.

A brief history of J.L. Hess of Nuremberg, Germany:

J.L. Hess was founded in 1826 in Nuremberg, Germany. Hess was one of the first to make railways from pressed steel. Johann L. Hess inherited the company in 1866, and it ceased production in 1934. They specialized in Tinplate pull-along trains and various other parlor toys, as wells as, toy autos that bore the trademark name “Hessmobil”.

**** confusing, but typical toy industry addendum****

We have also found this Hess boat in a similar style within a G. Carette Catalog.  So you may wish to ID this a Carette/Hess ……

Our catalog research really helped this toy come to life.  We found a similar, less deluxe, Carette “Gunboat” in a reprint of a 1911 Georges Carette toy catalog. Our toy has twin guns made of lead and then a lead flywheel, a more expensive design, so we date it around 1909.

Tin work is gilded on the edges and then the lithography shows a number of side cannons. Colors are strong and bright. Bodenläufer.  Each cannon turns from side to side.  The upper funnel is an early round design versus the more modern oval shape for streamlining.

This gunboat has a romantic and simplified look at war, with an undulating front wheel and splashes that simulate it churning through the sea.  Side canons and top canons show action and make war look beautiful with the splashes of color.

Our to is in original condition with some corrosion at the base of the bow.  Gold plating shows normal oxidation and spotting at times as shown in the photos.  The flywheel works well and the toy scoots across the floor nicely.  The deck has a brown to tan simulated plank deck.

For those that don’t know, Carette toys are treasured for their beautiful multi-colored lithography and detail.  They were produced in large quantities based on production numbers, yet just don’t survive; a testament to their play value for kids.

George Carette Nuremberg, Germany
1886 – 1917
Founder: George Carette (with Gebruder Bing`s backing).
Mechanical tin boats, cars, and trains.
Many of these toys were lithographed. Best known for electric streetcars and model trains. Carette, as a French citizen, was deported from Germany in 1917, thus closing the firm.