Antique Wind Up Toy Cars
Early 20th Century French Antique Wind Up Toy Cars
Metal
Early 20th Century German Antique Wind Up Toy Cars
Metal
Early 20th Century German Antique Wind Up Toy Cars
Metal
Early 20th Century English Antique Wind Up Toy Cars
Metal
Early 20th Century Unknown Folk Art Antique Wind Up Toy Cars
Tin
1910s German Folk Art Antique Wind Up Toy Cars
Tin
People Also Browsed
1960s Korean Antique Wind Up Toy Cars
Maple
1950s Belgian Mid-Century Modern Antique Wind Up Toy Cars
Metal
20th Century French Antique Wind Up Toy Cars
Wood
Early 20th Century French Antique Wind Up Toy Cars
Pine
20th Century French Antique Wind Up Toy Cars
Iron
1940s American American Classical Antique Wind Up Toy Cars
Metal
Late 19th Century American Victorian Antique Wind Up Toy Cars
Glass
1970s Mexican Mid-Century Modern Antique Wind Up Toy Cars
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Antique Wind Up Toy Cars
Oak
Early 20th Century American Antique Wind Up Toy Cars
Metal, Brass
15th Century and Earlier Han Antique Wind Up Toy Cars
Terracotta
Mid-20th Century European Antique Wind Up Toy Cars
Metal
Mid-20th Century American Antique Wind Up Toy Cars
Metal
1930s English Antique Wind Up Toy Cars
Paint, Wood
1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Antique Wind Up Toy Cars
Bamboo, Reed
1920s Romantic Antique Wind Up Toy Cars
Canvas, Oil
Recent Sales
Early 1900s French Folk Art Antique Wind Up Toy Cars
Tin
Early 20th Century North American Antique Wind Up Toy Cars
Steel, Tin
Early 20th Century French Antique Wind Up Toy Cars
Metal
Early 20th Century French Antique Wind Up Toy Cars
Metal
Finding the Right toys for You
Children as well as nostalgic grown-ups are still finding pleasure in toys and objects designed specifically for playtime that are, in comparison to today’s digital device-oriented distractions, far more modest in nature. Indeed, antique, new and vintage toys of years past — handmade folk-art toys such as wooden train sets, dolls, rocking horses and more — can be enjoyed by the young and old alike. In contemporary interiors, gently aging toys are wonderfully uncomplicated decorative objects primed for display in a cabinet or other case piece.
With their romantic appeal and frequent incorporation of natural materials, some vintage toys and folk-art toys are treasured collectibles, showcasing the beauty of handmade craftsmanship. Alongside other works characterized as folk art — in this case, visual art, typically reflective of a community’s culture and usually handmade by craftspeople working within a popular tradition — handcrafted vintage toys are historical works of art worthy of any collector’s mantel. These are toys that tell a story of the time in which they were produced and the people who produced them.
Like any artifact, toys provide a window into the past. The ornamental dolls of the Victorian era, for example, produced in Germany and England, made of ceramics such as porcelain and dressed in textured fabrics, speak to the fashion of the era and will add a pop of color and a decorative flourish to the neutral corners of your home.
Mid-century modern toys are as sophisticated as the widely cherished furniture of the era. As much as they thought good design for the home should be available for all, iconic American design duo Charles and Ray Eames believed in making durable and interesting products for kids too. Today, their Eames Elephant is available from Vitra and Herman Miller, and it doesn’t even require a digital screen.
Explore a unique collection of antique and vintage toys as well as folk-art toys on 1stDibs.
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