Hello and welcome!
As a child in Ireland I played with Triang, Dinky and Corgi toys. I came to the US in '82 and little did I think that I would later fall in love with toys that were unknown to me in my youth.
Sometime in the '90s, I was introduced to an extensive Tonka collection...mostly restored. This guy had his trucks displayed throughout his finished basement. I was enthralled...they were gorgeous. The colors were primarily orange, red and white and seemed so real as they sat there upon shelves just waiting to shovel or carry or save a life.
As the years passed and my youth became more distant, I thought...now is the time...time to revisit a past that I had never known.
I started on Ebay...let's face it, where else? I began to notice that some toys were often judged by their looks. But this can be a double edged sword. There are many savvy sellers on ebay with thousands of sales who still take photos as though from across the room.
I searched out toys that looked to retain much of their original glory (on ebay and through auctions) but were victims of neglect. I would endeavor to rekindle the fire of their original luster with the application of various compounds...I do NOT restore!
There are those that make a living from selling vintage toys and it is a full time job. I do this for a hobby...sometimes at a loss, believe it or not. But the pleasure of bringing a truly well made toy back to life is itself reason enough to pursue my endeavors.
That said....there is little so satisfying as the discovery of a true gem...a toy that is so unique or in such a wonderful state after so many years.
Again...thank you for visiting and please come back as I continue to strive to find what I believe to be toys worthy of collecting.
Noel