Wednesday, March 4, 2009

AEROPAL TOY

AEROPAL TOY
Q: I bought this ferris wheel at an estate sale. It stands 30 inches tall and has working mechanisms. Can you give me any information on it?


A: Your Aeropal toy is similar to one pictured in a Marklin catalog c.1895-1914. It is a Russian Swing (Russische Schaukel), probably made c.1909. Marklin was founded in 1859 by Theodor Friedrich Wilhelm Marklin, a tinsmith in Goppingen, Wurttemberg, Germany. The first products were lacquered tinplate dollhouse accessories, but by the end of the nineteenth century the company made a variety of tin toys. Some of Marklin's mechanical tin toys sell for several thousand dollars, but buyers should be aware that reproductions were made. Your toy is in very good condition and it may be a reproduction. Marklin is still in business, now specializing in model railroads and accessories, but it recently declared bankruptcy. It hopes to reorganize.

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