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Vintage Cast Iron Ship

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    Posted 12 years ago

    collector4…
    (153 items)

    This is a Vintage Cast Iron Ship 15" long and 3" wide at the widest spot.
    Both sides have the words "City of New York", appeares to be all original paint and wheels. When you run the wheels the top goes up and down simulating engine running. Don't know much about it, let me know.

    Unsolved Mystery

    Help us close this case. Add your knowledge below.

    Comments

    1. coke.moody.antiques, 12 years ago
      Is this real?
    2. collector4evr collector4evr, 12 years ago
      coke.moody.antiques, I do think this is a real toy as I have been told. I have not seen another like it in person, but for it's age it shows real well.
    3. Dr_Rambow Dr_Rambow, 12 years ago
      It has a chance. Those prices are high retail for really nice examples. If this is legit it may still be worth a fair amount, however.

      The screws scare me though, usually these were made with rivets. Screws are not typically a good sign. The cast doesn't give me good feelings either, at least based on that last image. Tell me, What is the surface of the metal like, particularly the exposed areas? What do the edges of the wheels look like; are they smooth or do they look scratched?

      I forgot to mention, very cool!
      -Todd
    4. Dr_Rambow Dr_Rambow, 12 years ago
      Well, it's not necessarily a bad thing to see painted hardware, the rivets in the examples you linked are painted, so I'm not bothered by that. In fact, I'd be more frightened if it were a clean looking screw.
    5. collector4evr collector4evr, 12 years ago
      Dr_Rambow, I don't know if this is original or not, I got this about 25 years ago out of a box of old toys from an estate sale. It looked old when I found it and never did any research on it. The screws are dirty looking with some paint in the middle and the wheels have a slight angle to them and not real smooth, a little
      roughness from what appeares to be childs play. I can't tell you much more about it.
    6. Dr_Rambow Dr_Rambow, 12 years ago
      Well you can't play with cast iron and make it course (like sand paper), so that isn't a good sign. Everything should be nice and smooth. The seams/rivets should be very tight and professional. The paint should be very consistent and near perfect in execution (no smudges or "oops" areas). The casts should be of high enough quality that no (or barely any) file marks should be found around edges of the casts/seams. This filing would be done to remove excess material from the edge of the cast, the wheels are a typical place to find that on reproductions.

      People have been making reproductions of these for a very very long time, so 25 years is nothing anymore. I knew a guy who made cast iron and lead reproductions of classic toys back in the 70s (perhaps earlier).

      I think it has a shot. I like the detail in the paint, and it doesn't scream fake like many modern pieces do. I'm still not 100% though. I would need to see larger, clearer images.

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