Vintage and Classic Clockwork and Wind-Up Toys
Have hours of fun playing with vintage and classic clockwork and wind-up toys. Wind them up and watch them go! Great for use as toys or as part of your collection, clockwork and wind-up toys come from different eras and are available in different designs, styles and colours.
If you’re looking for collectors’ wind-up toys, there are certain characteristics to keep an eye out for, including the maker’s mark. Look up the known manufacturers from each era and see what you can find.
Larger, more impressive models include a large clockwork submarine boat from 1919 - a true collector’s item. This vintage tin model is almost a century old and has stood the test of time. This model would make a great main piece in a collector’s cabinet.
For something a bit more affordable, a vintage tin plate friction car model would look right at home in your collection, alongside other windup cars. The pleasant blue colour is still strong and the window wipers also still work.
For a modern take on a classic toy, wooden windup trucks are available. These work great as stocking fillers for your kids or as a simple desk toy. Add a touch of whimsy and magic to your collection with a vintage fairy clockwork toy. This toy walks around once wound up.
Designed to be a collectible, the Schylling Collector Series Duck On Bike toy mimics vintage toys with its tin fabrication, bright colours and absurd design - a duck pedalling a bike with a spinning propeller atop its head. The simple design on the box also imitates vintage toy packaging.
The materials and designs of wind-up toys are often the main indicators of their era. Popular icons and characters from the time were often made into wind-up toys, for instance in the 1930s, you may have found Popeye and Mickey Mouse toys. Match the toy to the appropriate era to find out when the vintage toys were from.