Here is a rare model of the Bantam BRC I bought a couple months ago on eBay; It is quarter-sized (1/76th scale) produced by Vac-U-Cast Plastics, Inc. On the one hand, I’d really like to assemble it; on the other, I like it’s original condition the way it is. The model number is VS-106 Bantam Jeep Prototype I.
toys Research Archives
Hamilton Pedal Jeep Chalfont, PA **SOLD**
UPDATE: **SOLD** Was $1600.
Roger Martin spotted this Hamilton Air Force pedal jeep ad.It was priced at $1600. It’s claimed to have sold. The aircraft gun is pretty rare.
Anyone Recognize This Tin Toy Jeep?
Andy mentioned he didn’t recognize this tin toy jeep. Neither do I. It looks similar to a Marx. The toy is about 4″ long. The grille’s uneven-ness suggests it is home made, but the rest seems manufactured to me. Any guesses? It sold for $29.99.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-Small-Red-Tin-Toy-Jeep-with-Wooden-Wheels-/233685380233
Battery Powered Toy Jeep Lexington, KY **SOLD**
UPDATE: It turns out that I didn’t have to scoop this up this toy myself after all; Tom from Kentucky obtained it, then mailed it to me. It surely was a cool surprised. In this note to me he mentioned it still runs, so I popped in some D batteries. Sure enough, this jeep still goes backwards and forwards. The only glitch on it is the broken windshield, but I’ll see what I can do to repair it. Many Thanks Tom!
This appears to be a rare Andy Gard G I remote control jeep. If it was near me, I’d scoop it up.
Tonka Fire Jeep Collegeville, PA **SOLD**
UPDATE: **SOLD** Was $100.
Steve shared this ‘all original’ Tonka Fire Jeep. It appears in good condition, but it’s missing a few items, including the ladder, the hood light, and one of the vertical cylinders on the back bumper. The rear bumper unit is also bent backwards.
“BEAUTIFUL RED TONKA JEEP, BETTER CONDITION THAN MOST, I HAVE HAD IT FOR YEARS BUT I AM MOVING AND SELLING OFF SOME TOYS – LOCAL PICKUP”
Wooden Pedal Jeep for Kids Turner, OR $150
TJ spotted this custom built toy jeep.
https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/382001502781786/
“Very sturdy built wooden pedal car, heavy, one of a kind.”
Wannatoy Wagons by Dillon Beck Manufacturing
UPDATE II: I managed to track down all four colors of wagons on eBay.
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UPDATE Posted July 2020: It turns out that I I had “Wanna Toy” as two separate words, but the brand name is actually “Wannatoy”.
From Chriscollectibles.com: Wannatoy, the trademark of Dillon Beck Manufacturing Co., produced toys made of acetate plastic. Based in New Jersey, they manufactured numerous toy vehicles (as well as doll house furniture, pot and pan sets and possibly other toys) after the end of WWII through the late 1950s.
From “O’Brien’s Collecting Toy Cars & Trucks” book, 1990, “Wannatoy was among the first toy makers off the starting block at the end of World War II. Of the millions of children born during the war, and the millions more who arrived soon afterward, a good percentage played with Wannatoys.
What seems to have been the company’s first offering, the twenty-five-cent futurist Coupe, was a hit toy for Christmas of 1945, selling a million units that season. With streamlined, Deco-influenced body and bible top, the Couple continued to sell well into the 1950s.”
Here’s an ad (thanks to Andy) from 1952 (available on eBay). The ad suggests there were only three colors of wagons, but doesn’t indicate what those were. So far, I’ve identified four colors (red, green, blue, purple … see them at the bottom of this post).
And this is an example of the packaging. The company targeted both girl and boys:
And this is an example of a display box (available with toys on eBay):
And now for the wagons …Here’s a photo of a blue wagon I just picked up.
And, this is an example of a (florescent looking) green wagon that I hope to acquire in a few days:
Wooden Kids Wagon with Trailer Princeton, IL $2800
UPDATE: Still Available.
(07/12/2020) Looks fun.
https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/315228506185780/
“1951 Willy’s Jeep replica. Wood body 18 1/2 horse Briggs motor. Fun toy for all ages. Hand made”
Dodge Command Car Model Moultrie, FL $65
Looks like a good price of this Dodge Command Car Model (once known as a jeep). If I were close, I’d probably get it.
https://valdosta.craigslist.org/clt/d/moultrie-metal-army-jeep/7161132912.html
Tonka Toy Military Jeep New Hope, MN **SOLD**
UPDATE: **SOLD** Was $5.
Can’t beat this for $5. The Buddy L in the background would have been fun as a kid, too.
Jeep Toys and Parts Middletown, CT
Gary’s got some jeep stuff for sale.
Hamilton Pedal Jeep Cincinatti, OH **SOLD**
UPDATE: **SOLD** Was $295.
Looks like this Hamilton pedal jeep spotted by Roger Martin has never been restored. The seller’s p# is in one of the images in the ad.
T. Cohn Superior Plastic/Metal Jeep on eBay
T. Cohn made a wide number of toys, but this is the only example of a jeep that I’ve run across. It’s about 5″ long.
View all the information on eBay
“This is a great hard plastic military jeep which also has a metal base, free rolling wheels and nice detail. It is marked “Made in Gr Britain” on both sides of each wheel and it would appear that this toy is missing a “driver” and an “antenna” ?
This toy has great olive drab marbled hard plastic and the brittle windshield is not damaged. It does not retract and it does not appear that this was intended to do so. There is no glue residue, stressed portions or repairs. This item is offered as found.
The entire toy measures approx. 5 inches long. This toy shows the slightest soiling and it is a very hard to find item. It is offered as found with a number of other vintage hard plastic, diecast metal, rubber and other vehicle related toys. These items all dated from the late 1940’s to the late 1960’s.”
3D Jeep Puzzle on eBay
This tiny 3D Jeep puzzle reminds me of a wooden one I have. This plastic version is currently priced at $39.
View all the information on eBay
“This JEEP keychain puzzle was made by J&L Randall company in UK in the early 50s. It comes with its original card which has the solution on the back. The card has a punch through or tear top middle and some bending’folds.
The 2 holes punched in the center of the card were used to attach the puzzle onto the card with a rubber band.
The puzzles are all complete, unbroken and in very good to excellent condition with any exceptions clearly specified.”
Midgetoy Jeep Pack: 5 CJ-5 Toys on eBay
Looks like a cheap set of toy jeeps for kids. Seller has three available as of this post.
View all the information on eBay
Example of the size:
“Assortment of Five Jeeps, all die cast metal with rolling wheels, Still in the Original Unopened Variety Store Display Card! All metal construction with rubber wheels similar to Matchbox. Accurate Jeep details! The jeeps were made by Midgetoy in Rockford Illinois from the mid 1950’s into the 1960’s. The package is dated 1980. The blister card packaging was done throughout the 1970’s to use up remaining stock before closing down in 1982. Same size as the ones in the Store Display Package of 36. We pull these cards out of a wholesale box of 36 cards. You get it just like the Dime Store had them! If you buy more than 1 card we will try to give you a diverse color assortment.
The set also contains a pair of Gas pumps made to the same scale as the cars! This set is one of many classic toy items found from unsold merchandise left in the back rooms of an old dime store distributor. The ultimate toys for owners of Diggers or Claws coin op prize machines! Ideal for the Jeep fanatic! No nicks, No scrapes, No missing wheels, No rust, No dings. The display card is slightly yellowed and warped around the edge, otherwise Perfect Unopened Condition. Original Package ~ Colors Vary.”
Tootsie Toy Jeep, Tractor, And Implements on eBay
The starting price for this set of Tootsie Jeep, Tractor and farm implements is only $10.99. Seems like a neat little set.
View all the information on eBay
Bantam BRC-60 Vac-U-Cast VS-105 Model Jeep on eBay
It is only $20 (includes shipping). This Vac-U-Cast VS-105 “Bantam Prototype 2” model tempted me. But then I spotted the “Bantam Prototype 1” Vac-U-Cast model jeep. I went with that instead.
M-38A1 Marx Jeep in Box Lexington, KY **SOLD**
UPDATE: **SOLD** Was $125.
Tom spotted this toy for sale on Craiglsist. Another of these toys and box sold for $118 (plus an 18% buyers premium). A different version of this toy came with a search light (and sold in 2018 for $92).
“Made for Marx Buddy Charlie, GI Joe, and other 1/6 scale figures.
Jeep is in extremely good condition. Box in very good condition with cardboard inserts. Only real box damage is on a end flap. Tear on corner.
$125 firm.”
Early(?) Plastic Jeep Hesperia, CA Auction **SOLD**
UPDATE: **SOLD** Was auction.
Blaine and Terry have identified this jeep as a Fix-it-All jeep. It’s missing multiple parts. Here’s a pic of how it should look:
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Blaine spotted this unusual plastic jeep that neither of us had previously seen. The fact that it is stamped “JEEP” on the hood and has a front weight are two unusual features that caught our eyes. Anyone recognize it? (this auction site has multiple premiums that will add to the cost).
March 1962 Articles on the Introduction of Tonka Jeeps
In March 1962, two different articles highlighted the introduction of the Jeep line of Tonka Toys.
1. Toys and Novelties Magazine: The article in this magazine noted that part of the reason the Tonka company had the financial and physical capacity to produce a wide variety of toy jeeps was that it had recently gone public.
View all the information on eBay
2. Playthings Magazine: Given this article is very similar to the top article, I’d guess both were written from press releases.
View all the information on eBay
You can also learn more about Tonka jeeps at the CJ-3B Page.
August 1962 Article on Hatari Dispatcher/Universal Tonka Toys
As reported in this post, in 1962 the Tonka company launched the jeep models many of us owned as kids (and some of us still own as adults). It didn’t take long for Tonka to introduce specialized packaging as well. The August 1962 issue of Playthings Magazine highlighted three different Dispatcher Tonka Toys, with Hatari-themed boxes, that were for sale in the lobby of movie theaters while Hatari played in theatres.
View all the information on eBay
The article appeared on this page:
Roy Rogers Sugar Crisp 3D Viewer and Photos
Unable to travel much this year, I’ve had a little extra cash to investigate the odder eBay finds. These Roy Rogers photos are a good example of that type of purchase. I’ve learned that if you see something on eBay that has been with a seller a while, put it on your watchlist. Sometimes the seller will respond with a discount offer. In this case, I countered with an even lower offer, explaining that I didn’t collect Roy Rogers stuff and only wanted the images for the one jeep image. That seemed to work, as the seller accepted my counteroffer.
Once delivered I was surprised by two things. First, the 3D viewer was much smaller than expected, but then I realized, duh, they are for kids. For me to view the image wasn’t all that easy through the tiny glasses (4.25 inches from end to end). It also didn’t help that my eyes (I’ll be 55 on Friday) are a little too old; I needed to wear glasses when looking through viewer at the focal length required, but that whole thing became awkward and I never could get the full 3D effect.
The second thing that surprised me that the glasses were still attached to the two images and the two images were still attached to each other, meaning these images and viewer had never been used. All three items still folded up into a neat little, compact package.
I just don’t know how stuff like this has survived more than 50 years!
Corgi 470 FC-150 Toy Jeep Huntingdon Valley, PA $50
Steve shared this Corgi toy listed on Craigslist. The photo makes is look a little larger than it actually is. These are pretty small.
https://philadelphia.craigslist.org/tag/d/huntingdon-valley-corgi-forward-control/7121538665.html
“For sale is a vintage 1960’s Corgi Forward Control 470 Jeep FC-150 Die Cast Car. Measures 3.50” long.”
General Box Company Cardboard Toy Jeep Middletown, CT $90
UPDATE: This was on eBay in March.
(03/19/2020) I’ve never seen one of these. The seller has a variety of jeep-related toys and Willys stuff for sale. The seller also has a variety of toys hanging in his shop.
“Cardboard boxcar USA Army Jeep Little General PUSH l car, circa 1960s, made by the General Box Company in Illinois.
VERY RARE. NOT MANY SURVIVE.
$90.00 OR BEST OFFER”
CJ-5 Mini Jeep Bellport, NY $2600
Unclear how much work is need to complete this project.
https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/553941262203881/
“Project vehicle. 2 passenger mini Jeep. New Fiberglass body steel frame. 10 hp Tecumseh electric start motor. Forward and reverse transmission.lights windshield side and rearview mirrors aluminum dash with gauges 22x11x8” front and rear wheels aluminum front and rear bumpers.”