Pre-War Tootsietoys - article by Clint Seeley

A History of Pre-War Automotive Tootsietoys
by Clint Seeley
edited by Robert Newson

Part 8 & 9 - Tables

Clint Seeley's original text is in green, and my editorial additions are in blue.

Following is a tabular compilation of the models noted in the text. The name of the manufacturlng firm was Dowst Brothers Co. prior to 1926, The Dowst Manufacturing Co. from 1926 to 1964, and The Strombecker Corporation since 1964. However, these tables are limited to automotive toys made prior to 1941.

The catalogue numbers seem to lack consistency and do not follow a tidy chronological sequence. A very large number of very small Items preceded most of the items listed here, and careful study of the 64 page catalogue of 1909 suggests that there had probably been some order which had provided the basic foundation upon which the later chaos had gradually been built. Listing here will be roughly chronological, following numerical sequence only when similar numbers fall closely together. I have rearranged Clint's order here and there where it seems more logical to me. The first toy cars fell into a category of items numbered in the four thousands, and so the early cars pick up here and wander upward before encountering discontinuities which jump back down to lower numbers, even reaching 23 for the little racer bearing that number on its radiator, and eventually getting back to repeat nos.4634 and 4635. Many omitted numbers referred to non-automotive items, while others just seem to have sunk without a trace. Dates of first and last appearance in the catalogue include years in which a model may only have been shown in a boxed set while not being listed under its own number; a few models never appeared individually, and are thus listed here without any catalogue number. In 1933 all models issued with rubber tyres were given an "0" prefix, whether added to older models with optional tyres or on new models issued only rubber-shod. The "0" was dropped in 1937 and later catalogues and is not shown here, except (in the comments column) where optional tyres exist. Dates before 1925, and in 1927 and 1928 are estimated, and could be off by a year, but not likely more. Listed under "designation" is the name or names shown for the item in the catalogues. Many Items are known among collectors by some other title, and this is noted in parenthesis. Markings on the outside of the casting are shown in double quotes under "comments". The lengths may be off by a millimetre or so, due to swelling or distortion of some of the castings, to poor lighting in the museum storage vaults, the author's failing vision or shaking hand or some other alibi.