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Krauss & Mohr Beam Steam Engine *SOLD*

Krauss & Mohr Beam Steam Engine For Sale

Manufactured around 1900, our primitive James Watt beam steam engine is a sought after form.  The “toy” would have used water and fire to produce steam, thereby powering a beam mechanism to generate power at the flywheel.  At this point, collectors usually use compressed air or simply enjoy the mechanical beauty on its own.

Our engine is extremely scarce and should be held in high regard despite its simplicity.  We have no equivalent or record of a sale before.

The toy is original and the flywheel and beam action work properly.  Tin detailing the the smokestack/steam-stack are either blued or painted to simulate the real German steam plants of the late 19th Century.  Lattice work below the beam is likely a metal alloy with zinc, popular at the time for forming intricate details.

Do not feel alone if  you don’t know Karuss and Mohr or M&K because their toys have a very low survival rate.  World War I and II recycled many of this manufacturer’s items, and they appear to be less of an exporter.  Domestic or German collectors value the Krauss and Mohr toys in a similar manner to Americans and their Weeden toys.  They are primitive, but represent some of the earliest steam toys ever made.  They border on scientific instruments at a time predating mass production.

1895-1903 Krauss, Mohr & Co
1901-1923 Mohr & Krauss
1923-1938 Wilhelm Krauss

Our friends at historytoy give a wonderful synopsis of the company and evolution:

“On 01.01.1895 the plbumers Wilhelm Johann Krauss Mohr, Emil Bell and Mathias Lechner founded a factory for the production of tin toys to prodruce mainly simple steam engins and hot air engines such as operating models. The distribution was carried out by publishers such as Ullmann & Engelmann from Fürth and A. Wahnschaffe from Nuremberg. They also manufactured products for Bing and possibly for Carette, Falk and Schoenner. Stylistic feature was the shape of the cylindrical sheet metal parts, boiler cover , etc. in the historicist style . From the side view, the parts looked like baroque flourishes.
1901 Krauss, Mohr and Lechner left the company probably after an disput.
1903 the company name changed in E. Bell & B. Breitenbach and existed under this name until 1919
1901 W. Krauss and J. Mohr founded after their departure a toy company whose name was Mohr & Krauss ( M & K). There were probably acquired tools from Krauss , Mohr & Co. In addition to the above-mentioned products they produced toy cranes and sheet vehicles with spring and flywheel drive. The production of steam engines was probably abandoned before the first world war in favor of operating models.
On 04.19.1923 the company has been renamed in Wilhelm Krauss (WK). It has been continued after the death of J. Mohr on 28.12.1927 under the old name. The main focus of production remained at the operating models which were always easier and cheaper.
1925 a whole series of simple operational models was produced for J. Falk, hich Falk offered in his catalog from 1925.
On 23/06/1938 the company was deleted. The company Keim & Co of Nuremberg should have taken over the inventories, tools and machinery. “

Additional information

Weight 5 lbs
Dimensions 25 × 25 × 16 in
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