Antico Mondo auction number 104 on March 7 – 8 , 2025

The 104nd auction will feature more than 2200 items of tin toys, trains, figures, space toys and model cars.

On Saterday March 8, there are some very beautiful Fernand Martin pieces in auction

catalog number 6682
catalog number 6684
catalog number 6903

This is a room bidding but you can also take part in the online bidding live via telephone, register your written predids or using the auction platforms lot-tissimo, the-saleroom and liveauctioneers and Sixbid you are able to to bid online. So you can submit your bids in real time during the auction. Therefor it is necessary to register on the platform of your choice not later than 24 hours before the auction starts.

The easiest way to participate in our auctions is to use our online catalogue. Here you can view all the items and directly place written pre-bids. See the catalog in the link below. You can also read the catalog in English

Catalog link: https://auktionen.anticomondo.de/en/objekte?aid=65&Lstatus=0

We hope you enjoy reading and browsing through the new catalog!

After the auction, I will publish the realized prices for this Martin toy.

Regarding the objects described in this article, I do not make a statement about condition or value.
I advise interested collectors always do to research yourself, to view the object or to contact the seller / auction

Results of the Martin toys in the: BERTOIA WINTER AUCTION February 14, 2025

A WINTER 2025 AUCTION
February 14th 2025
Friday at 10am

Preview from 9-5pm full week of the auction as well as during the sale. Advance preview by appointment available in the weeks leading up to the auction. Please contact us to schedule.

Our team is dedicated to offering our quality customer service, experience and support. Do not hesitate to contact us for assistance with registration, bidding or any other questions.

A large assortment of tinplate toys from around the world to include Lehmann’s, Distler, Fernand Martin, robots and space toys, Marx and LineMar, nearly 100 penny toys, German tinplate boats and autos, carrousels and amusement toys, and much more.

In this auction are this time 4 toys from Fernand Martin and Victor Bonnet

The Bertoia team is dedicated to offering our quality customer service, experience and support.
Do not hesitate to contact us for assistance with registration, bidding or any other questions.

For the complete overview, Auction terms & Info, Shipping & Payment look at this site: http://www.bertoiaauctions.com/

The result price is in US $ and without Buyer’s Premium and subject to errors.
Always check the auction site for the results.

Regarding the objects described in this article, I do not make a statement about condition or value.
I advise interested collectors always do to research yourself, to view the object or to contact the seller / auction

The Millon toy auction on February 19 -2025

The French auction house: Millon from Paris, has this time 4 nice Fernand Martin/Victor Bonnet toys in this “LIVE” toy auction on February 19 -2025
Furthermore, there are many more other beautiful toys in this auction that we can look for.

Collectors’ paradise: Tin soldiers, dolls, cars, model railways and miscellaneous.

Here the link for the entire collection to be auctioned: https://www.interencheres.com/art-decoration/jouets-anciens-648562?universe=art-decoration

FOR MORE INFORMATIONS MAIL TO: Alexis JACQUEMARDajacquemard@millon.com

After the auction, I will publish the realized price for these toys.

Regarding the objects described in this article, I do not make a statement about condition or value.
I advise interested collectors always do to research yourself, to view t

Don’t miss the March 2025 issue of the Antique Toy World Magazine.

In this issue is a Fernand Martin related article, it is about the race cars produced by Victor Bonnet. See page: 54-57

An overview of the contents of the new Antique Toy World Magazine March 2025

Antique Toy World is the leading publication for toy collectors worldwide.

Published since 1970.
Antique Toy World is a monthly magazine published in the USA by Dale Kelley, the magazine’s founder, editor and publisher.

To subscribe go to https://antiquetoyworld.com/about-atw/
Email: ads@antiquetoyworld.com

Result of the Martin toy in the Milestone Auctions : WINTER ANTIQUE TOYS EXTRAVAGANZA SALE

SATURDAY FEBRUARY 8th 10:00AM 2025

MILESTONE AUCTIONS PROUDLY PRESENT “COLLECTION OF PHIL HELLEY” AMAZING SELECTION OF VINTAGE TOYS INCLUDING WINDUPS, BATTERY OPS, CAST IRON, PRESSED STEEL, & MORE!!!! MAKERS INCLUDE MARX, NYLINT, SCHUCO, HUBLEY, BING, TECHNOFIX, LEHMANN, CHEIN, GUNTHERMANN, KINGSBURY, DAYTON, WYANDOTTE & MORE!!!!

In this auction is one very nice Fernand Martin toy

Lot number 0334 $ 425

“FULL CATALOG & LIVE BIDDING THRU”
WWW.MILESTONEAUCTIONS.COM , LIVEAUCTIONEERS , & INVALUABLE

PHONE BIDS & ABSENTEE BIDS Call 440-527-8060

AUCTION PREVIEW AVAILABLE WEEK OF AUCTION & 8:00 AM AUCTION DAY

For the complete overview, Auction terms & Info, Shipping & Payment look at this site: https://www.milestoneauctions.com/

The result price is in US $ and without Buyer’s Premium and subject to errors.
Always check the auction site for the results.

Photos courtesy Milestone Auctions

Regarding the objects described in this article, I do not make a statement about condition or value.
I advise interested collectors always do to research yourself, to view the object or to contact the seller / auction

L’Artiste Capillaire – The Barber from 1904 number 196

From the magazine Soleil du dimanche dec. 1905

Produced from 1904
Product number 196
Hand lacquered
Mechanism: Clockwork
Height approx. 24cm / 9,44 inches

How it works: After winding up the clockwork, the barber will alternately move both arms, the arm with the lotion bottle will suggest that he apply lotion to the customer’s bald head and with the other hand he will suggest that he rub the lotion over the head.

This toy was produced for a long time and therefore not all models are dressed the same, there are different hairstyles of the hairdresser himself and there are also different versions of the bottle used in metal and in wood.

Original box

On the box and on the original catalog page from the 1908 states that this toy won a medal at the “Concours Lépine” in 1902,
Martin bought the rights for this toy at this “Concours Lépine” from Mr. Noguier

I took this photo myself in 2002 at the home of my old friend Arthur Verdoorn who passed away in 2017 (He was co-creator of the book Fernand Martin Toymaker in Paris) This setup is now on display in the “Spielmuseum” in Soltau Germany
the clockwork inside the barber

Most of the clockwork at Martin usually had the same basis, only the functions for the movements were slightly adapted per toy model

The barber alone, this figure was later used by Charles Flersheim for his conductor: Chef D’orchestre – Number 234
Page from the original 1908 catalog

Alsacienne – woman in traditional Alsace costume – number 242 from 1917

This toy is a woman in traditional Alsace costume from the region Alsace on the border of Germany and France. It is still unclear what number this should have, but we assume it should be one of the numbers 242 -243 -244.

Produced from arround 1917
Product number probebly 242
Hand lacquered
Mechanism: Clockwork
Height approx. 20 cm / 7,8 inches

It was unclear for a long time whether it would be a real Martin/Flersheim or from another manufacturer.
Fortunately, we found the existence of a black and white film where this figure can be seen, on this film are many Martin/Flersheim toys.

The face
The hole in the right hand for the flag

This woman also appears in the, probably from1917, Youtube movie https://youtu.be/8-DcWR6csy4?si=Rv1xafHFJQqlZWA5 with the French flag in the hand

Pictures from the toy thanks to Renaud Fournier

BERTOIA WINTER AUCTION February 14, 2025

A WINTER 2025 AUCTION
February 14th 2025
Friday at 10am

Preview from 9-5pm full week of the auction as well as during the sale. Advance preview by appointment available in the weeks leading up to the auction. Please contact us to schedule.

Our team is dedicated to offering our quality customer service, experience and support. Do not hesitate to contact us for assistance with registration, bidding or any other questions.

A large assortment of tinplate toys from around the world to include Lehmann’s, Distler, Fernand Martin, robots and space toys, Marx and LineMar, nearly 100 penny toys, German tinplate boats and autos, carrousels and amusement toys, and much more.

In this auction are this time 4 toys from Fernand Martin and Victor Bonnet

The Bertoia team is dedicated to offering our quality customer service, experience and support.
Do not hesitate to contact us for assistance with registration, bidding or any other questions.

For the complete overview, Auction terms & Info, Shipping & Payment look at this site: http://www.bertoiaauctions.com/

After the auction, I will publish the realized prices for these two toysMartins.

Regarding the objects described in this article, I do not make a statement about condition or value.
I advise interested collectors always do to research yourself, to view the object or to contact the seller / auction

The rope-jumping girl – La Sauteuse De Corde in red

During my collection years, I only came across this toy in five different color versions.

  • dress in yellow with the details in red
  • dress in blue with the details in red
  • dress in green with the details in red
  • dress in orange with the details in blue
  • dress in light blue with the details in gold-colored
  • dress in yellow with the details in green
  • dress in red with the details in bleu

See this link https://fernandmartintoys.nl/fernand-martin-the-rope-jumping-girl-number-31-la-sauteuse-de-corde/

Now a reader of my blog has sent me some photos of a new color variant, dress in red with the details in bleu, we now know that there are 6 different color variants.

Picture from Ebay October 2024

Don’t miss the February 2025 issue of the Antique Toy World Magazine.

An overview of the contents of the new Antique Toy World Magazine February 2025

Antique Toy World is the leading publication for toy collectors worldwide.

Published since 1970.
Antique Toy World is a monthly magazine published in the USA by Dale Kelley, the magazine’s founder, editor and publisher.

To subscribe go to https://antiquetoyworld.com/about-atw/
Email: ads@antiquetoyworld.com

“Present arms” – God save the king – number 180 from 1901

Martin made a special figure for the foreign market more often.
In 1901 he made 3 figures especially for the English market.
Here I present the first one:

Produced from 1901
Product number 180
Hand lacquered
Mechanism: Clockwork
Heigth approx. 20 cm / 7,8 inches

Courtesy Bertoia auctions

Below is the only known image of this toy.
Here you can also see the product number 180.
From the text you can see that it was produced especially for the English market.

Courtesy Massilia Toys in Marseille France : picture from the original advertising sheet from 1902

On this label you can read the term C&E LONDON but I have not been able to find out what this means, an importer? a shop?
Anyone who knows, please let me know.

Milestone Auctions present the : WINTER ANTIQUE TOYS EXTRAVAGANZA SALE

SATURDAY FEBRUARY 8th 10:00AM 2025

MILESTONE AUCTIONS PROUDLY PRESENT “COLLECTION OF PHIL HELLEY” AMAZING SELECTION OF VINTAGE TOYS INCLUDING WINDUPS, BATTERY OPS, CAST IRON, PRESSED STEEL, & MORE!!!! MAKERS INCLUDE MARX, NYLINT, SCHUCO, HUBLEY, BING, TECHNOFIX, LEHMANN, CHEIN, GUNTHERMANN, KINGSBURY, DAYTON, WYANDOTTE & MORE!!!!

In this auction is one very nice Fernand Martin toy

Lot number 0334

“FULL CATALOG & LIVE BIDDING THRU”
WWW.MILESTONEAUCTIONS.COM , LIVEAUCTIONEERS , & INVALUABLE

PHONE BIDS & ABSENTEE BIDS Call 440-527-8060

AUCTION PREVIEW AVAILABLE WEEK OF AUCTION & 8:00 AM AUCTION DAY

For the complete overview, Auction terms & Info, Shipping & Payment look at this site: https://www.milestoneauctions.com/

After the auction, I will publish the realized prices for these Martins.

Photos courtesy Milestone Auctions

Regarding the objects described in this article, I do not make a statement about condition or value.
I advise interested collectors always do to research yourself, to view the object or to contact the seller / auction

Search page for specific articles

Last update: February 04 – 2025

CHAPTERS :

1 FERNAND MARTIN TOYS WITH NUMBER:
2 FERNAND MARTIN TOYS WITHOUT NUMBER:
3 GEORGES FLERSHEIM TOYS:
4 VICTOR BONNET:
5 GENERAL:
6 MOVIES:
7 ART:
8 OLD NEWSPAPERS AND MAGAZINS ARTICLES:

1 MARTIN TOYS WITH NUMBER:

100 -146 the-numbering-of-the-fernand-martin-first-period

100 the-swimming-fish

102 Le sonneur endiablé : the-bell-ringer 

101 unknown

103

104

105 les-pompiers-from-1887

106

107

108 le-livreur-from-1888

108 le-livreur-description-of-the-patent-number-186948

109

110 -192 le-cab-the-hansom-cab

110 Le-Cab-from-1889

111 la-grosse-caisse

112 unknown

113 unknown

114 the-rabbit

115 The-boxers

116 le-traineau-russe-1892

117 Le-diable-en-boite-the-devil-in-a-box

118

119

120 le-jouet-de-pecheur-a-la-ligne-the-toy-fisher-with-a-line

121 la-bicyclette-martin-the-martin-bicycle

122

123 le-facteur-de-chemin-de-fer-the-railway-porter

123 le-facteur-de-chemin-de-fer

124 le-facteur-de-chemin-de-fer-the-railway-porter

124  le-facteur-de-chemin-de-fer

125 le-bateau-la-chaloupe-a-vapeur-from-1893

126

127 question-la-perruche-1882

127 la-perruche-the-parakeet-from-1892

128 le-fameux-piocheur-the-man-with-the-pickaxe

129 course-de-taureaux-the-bull-fighter

129 course-de-taureau-the-bull-fighter part 2

130 la-voiture-au-chien-attalage-flamand

131 till 143

144-145-146 is this one of the missing numbers 144-145 or 146 ?

147 ma-portiere-the-sweeping-lady-the-first-version

147 the-sweeping-lady-ma-portiere

148

149 le-treuil-a-marble-game-from-1895

150

151 laraignee-et-la-mouche-the-spider-and-the-fly

152 le-pantin-the-harlequin-in-two-versions

153

154

155

156 le-monocycle-aerien-the-aerial-monocycle

157

158 la-famille-velo-the-cycling-family

159 la-pompe-the-man-at-the-village-pump

160 le-gai-violoniste-the-violin-player

160 le-gai-violoniste

161

162

163

164

165 – 166 jouets-en-boites

167 le-petit-decrotteur-the-little-blackboot

168

169 l’oie-the-goose

170

171

172 number-172-and-172?

172 le-pochard

172 boxes-from-the-le-pochard

172 rare-box-off-the-le-pochard-the-drunk-man

173 l’homme-de-corvee-in-two-versions

174

175 the Gentlemen in Khaki

176 Le Vaillant boer

177

178

179 the-bamboula-dancer

180 present-arms-god-save-the-king

181 The-policemen

182

183

184 la-petite-marchande-doranges

185

186

187

188 “Le Charbonnier” – “Le Fort De La Halle”

189 le-petite-pianiste

190

191

192 – 110 le-cab-the-hansom-cab

193 bears-always-nice

193 l’ours-martin

194 la-voiture-a-bitume

195 le-cake-walk

196 l’artiste-capillaire-the-barber

197 firefighter-le-pompier-a-lechelle

197 le-bonhomme-a-lechelle

198

199

200

201

202

203

204 la-boule-mysterieuse

205 la-course-en-sac-the-potato-bag-runner

206 jeu-de-peche-a-la-grenouille-sauteuse

207

208

209 au-parfait-pecheur-the-perfect-fisherman-from-1908

210

211 the-squirrel-in-a-cage-from-1908

212

213 le-petit-culbuteur

213 the-different-boxes-le-petit-culbuteur

213 le-petit-culbuteur-the-acrobat-from-1908

214

215

216 l’ours-blanc-the-polar-bear

217 conquete-du-pole-nord

218 the-inventor-of-the-lautopatte

218 l’autopatte

219

220

221 la-chasse-au-rat

222

223

224 the-four-different-versions-of-the-le-petit-livreur

224 how-to-make-a-le-petit-livreur

225

226

2 FERNAND MARTIN TOYS WITHOUT NUMBER: ( In this overview I have assumed the fictitious numbering in the current books, but for which no number is yet known.)

02 le-bateau-godilleur

03

05

06 le-pantin-the-harlequin-in-two-versions

07 forgerons-infatigables-the-blacksmiths

08

09

10

11

12

13 le-trapeze-from-1885

14

15 spinning-tops-the-walzing-couples

16

21

26

27

28 pousse-pousse-annamite

29

31 the-rope-jumping-girl-la-sauteuse-de-corde

31 a-new-color-variant-of-the-rope-jumping-girl-la-sauteuse-de-corde

31 the-rope-jumping-girl-la-sauteuse-de-corde-in-red

34

3 GEORGES FLERSHEIM TOYS:

227 the-inventor-of-the-chauds-les-marrons

227 chauds-les-marrons-the-chestnut-vendor

228 le-motocycliste-enrange

229 le-petit-patineur-the-skater-boy

230

231

232

233 la-casseuse-dassiettes

234

235

236

237 Dame-de-la-crois-rouge-the-red-cross-nurse

238

239

240

241

242 (Correct number not yet known with 100% certainty) Asacienne-woman

243 (Correct number not yet known with 100% certainty) Homme de tranchée

244 (Correct number not yet known with 100% certainty) very-rare-find L’Ambulant ?

244 (Correct number not yet known with 100% certainty) L’ambulant: a-delivery-driver

245

246 Je sonne la paix : the-bell-ringer

half-a-fernand-martin

4 VICTOR BONNET:

246 and more: les-auto-transports-a-series-of-beautiful-trucks-and-tractors-made-by-victor-bonnet-2

246 les-auto-transports-series-246-le-deverseur

246 le-deverseur-for-the-englisch-speaking-market

247 le-pan-pan

247 and more: victor-bonnet-pistols

248 – 250 les-auto-transports-series-248-tracteur-and-250-le-remorque

249 les-auto-transports-series-249-le-roulant

250 les-auto-transports-series-248-tracteur-and-250-le-remorque

251 le-ramier-the-pigeon

252 tin-toy-clown-as-a-spinning-top

253 le-clown-orchestre

254 les-auto-transports-series-254-le-train-tortillard

255

256 flac

257 bombarde

258 le-petard

259 l’entraineur-skiff

260 madelon-casseuse-dassiettes

261 les-auto-transports-series-261-camion-gros-camionnage

261 advertising-on-the-side-of-the-gros-camionnage-261

262 tape_fort

263 la-patinette-the-boy-on-a-scooter

264 le-sans-balle

265 the-voiture-nounou-poupon

266 le-costaud

266 a-new-discovery-of-a-martin-toy-made-by-victor-bonnet

Victor Bonnet Product number unknown:

le-corsaire

catalog-victor-bonnet-toys-1929

discovered-an-original-bill-from-1933-by-victor-bonnet

found-a-victor-bonnet-account-overview-payment-reminder-from-1933

discovered-another-original-bill-from-1933-by-victor-bonnet

5 GENERAL:

Update: Martin-toy-imitations-be-careful

le-saute-mouton

advertising-fernand-martin-1909

88-90-boulevard-de-menilmontant-paris

overview-of-a-1908-gift-to-the-musee-des-arts-et-metiers

martin-toys-sale-in-1892

martin-toys-with-and-without-clothes

1905-world-exhibition-liege-belgium

martin-toys-with-a-candy-container

martins-without-number

marque-deposee-article-francais

fernand-martin-stand-on-the-world-exhibition-liege-belgium-in-1905

new-postcard-with-a-martin-toy

original-antique-stereo-glass-plate-of-a-sale-booth-with-martin-toys

the-antiques-centre-amsterdam-the-largest-in-holland

book-fernand-martin-toymaker-in-paris

change-of-martin-numbers-for-some-toys

different-martin-keys

rubber-band-drive

newly-discovered-original-catalog-by-fernand-martin

missing-pictures

fernand-martin-and-postcards

personal-postcard-from-fernand-martin

postcards-with-martin-toys

fernand-martin-and-louis-vuitton

is-this-toy-a-fernand-martin-toy

fernand-martin-toys-on-collecting-plates

visit-to-a-unique-museum-with-a-huge-collection-of-fernand-martin-toys

toy-museum-soltau-germany

visit-spielmuseum-soltau-in-germany

fernand-martin-and-music-for-piano

original-antique-photo-of-a-sale-booth-with-martin-toys

is-it-a-sentinel-or-a-soldier

happy-ads

fernand-martin-part-one

fernand-martin-part-two

fernand-martin-part-three

fernand-martin-part-four

fernand-martin-in-advertising

update: S.I.J.I.M.-toys-that-look-like-martin-toys

where-did-they-get-their-ideas

boxes-and-catalog-pictures-fernand-martin-toys-better-viewed

6 MOVIES: 

Article with a: film-from-1906-with-a-lot-of-martin-toys

Movie: a-dream-of-toyland-1908

Movie: martin-flersheim-toys-on-film

Movie: antique-toys-on-a-short-film

YouTube video part 1

YouTube video part 2

YouTube video part 3

YouTube video part 4

YouTube video part 5

PIET GUTTER

7 ART:

Linda Apple Part-1-martin-toy-used-in-art

Jacques Milet part-2-martin-toys-used-in-art

Unknown French painter Part-3-Martin toys used in art

Piet Gutter part-4-martin-toys-used-in-art

Maryline Milet part-5-martin-toys-used-in-art

Louis Poyet very-small-etchings-from-1892-with-toys

Louis Poyet Louis-poyet and Martin

Cardona the-ma-portiere-as-a-piece-of-art

8 OLD NEWSPAPERS AND MAGAZINS ARTICLES:

le-petit-parisien-new-years-toys-1913

drawing-from-1901-with-fernand-martin-and-his-toys

the-joy-of-children-on-the-boulevards

magazine-benjamin-1931-dec-17

magazine-les-jouets-et-jeux-anciens

small-sale-barracks-new-years-eve-in-paris

thursday-january-1-1914-le-petit-journal

french-exposition-st-petersburg-1901-and-1903

part-one-les-joujoux

part-two-les-joujoux

part-three-les-joujoux

part-four-les-joujoux

part-five-les-joujoux

article-about-the-10e-lepine-competition

toys-of-the-year

fernand-martin-toy-on-a-newspaper-of-1889

the-manufacture-of-fernand-martin-mechanical-toys-in-1902

Le Petit Parisien New Years Toys 1913

Free translation of part of an article from the magazine: Le Petit Parisien from December 25-1913

In the bag of Santa

This year it will again be filled with some amusing novelties and some amusing old things. For no one despite his great age, Father Christmas is great.

I had the advantage of being received yesterday by the very distinguished manager of the celestial department stores, who kindly entrusted me with his projects for 1913.

Despite his great age, Santa Claus is extremely vigorous and alert and envisions without the slightest boredom the overwhelming task that will fall onto him during the last week of the year.

Picture from the original article

Only the airplanes worry him a little, although on his aircraft of clouds, the excellent old man does not fear much of the fantasy of the aviators.

“Even though I am, “he tells us,” a specialist in chimney descent, I do not see without a certain emotion that humans would risk doing the same.

“Then, calling in a friendly gesture to a young and charming typist lady responsible for keeping his accounts and correspondence” he named her Miss Lactualité [French word game], he said, the gentleman is coming to interview me on our next Christmas. Would you please stay here? If I would forget something.

He said te me: Let’s start with the news… This is Miss Annaïc, a Breton servant and plate-breaker. ( La Casseuse D’assiettes ) Admire with what precautions she watches her rickety pile of porcelain, do you remember Bagessen, the brilliant clown? Annaic digs it up – if I dare say it – “Bang”!

Photo Carl Bagessen, Courtesy the International Clown Hall of Fame and Research Center.

What did I tell you? the pile of plates collapses to the ground, and Annaïc, suffocated with stupor, falls back, a pure wonder.

I now present to you the little motorcyclist (La Pédalette), he does nothing but walk straight, look here, four turns of spring and he spins like an arrow.

This new toy is called “La Pédalette”… Bad title, but fun toy. wind up the spring and see the little guy perched on his balance bike: he spins, rolls and turns as he likes, propelling himself with the tips of his feet.

Here are Bulgarian, Serb and Romanian soldiers marching in step, arms on their shoulders.

I recognize them, I say they were successively Boxers, Boers, English and French  policemen!

. Um! said Santa Claus… we can’t hide anything from you.. Let’s continue.

Here is the little skater ( Le Petit Patineur ) , the Auvergnat merchant of pigs ( Les Cochons Du Père Francois ) , the pianist ( Le Petit Pianiste). And then here is the peacock walking and the dancing bear (L’ours Martin)

I received a whole order for the gifts of a high Parisian personality, who is it Miss Lactualité already? 

For Mr. D’Annunzio, replies Miss Lactuality to Santa Claus! But you do not show the prettiest toy to the reporter, continues blushing the very young person.

What ? said Santa Claus The little tango dancers (Les Valseurs)?, who were little waltz dancers – the climbing bear (L’ours Blanc)?, the fireman (Le Pompier a L’échelle)? , the clown (Le Petit Culbuteur) ? who tumbles, the wrestlers ?, or the little delivery boy (Le petit Livreur)?

But no said Miss Lactuality , it is the air loop!

Ah! Yes….the air loop ( L’aéroplane) “Santa Claus opens a box”. Here: on this mast constituted by a blade of tinplate in twist, decorated, from place to place, with a rack, I place this rod provided in its centre with a bayonet socket, and, at each end, a small plane, see.

The monoplanes leave slowly, accelerate their movement, turn, circle around the mast, and suddenly, stopping their course, dive with the nose, loop the loop and resume their circular march.

Delicious, I said enthusiastically. You should send one to Pégoud and one to Chevillard. [two stunt aviators of the time]

Newspaper: Le Matin December 25-1913, Pégoud stunting his plane with Santa over Paris

What?? said Santa Claus …. I will gladly give one to them someday, but only when they pass by here.

Reporter: Jean Claude

Note:

The rest of the article has not been translated since Martin toys were no longer mentioned.

We wishes all the readers of my blog a:

Vrolijk Kerstfeest en een Gelukkig Nieuwjaar
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year
Fröhliche Weihnachten und ein glückliches Neues Jahr
Joyeux Noël et Bonne Année
Feliz Navidad y Próspero Año Nuevo
Buon Natale e Felice Anno Nuovo
Boas Festas e um feliz Ano Novo
Kala Christougenna Ki’eftihismenos O Kenourios Chronos
God Jul och Gott Nytt År
Glædelig Jul og godt nytår
Geseende Kerfees en ’n gelukkige nuwe jaar
Hyvää joulua ja onnellista uutta vuotta

Photo designed by Arthur Verdoorn

La Famille Vélo – The Cycling Family – number 158 from 1897

Produced from 1897
Product number 158
Hand lacquered
Mechanism: Clockwork
Height approx. 13 cm / 5,1 inches
Length approx. 27cm / 10,6 inch

The winding mechanism is placed between the rear wheel of the father and the front wheel of the mother.
This mechanism is with a fixed key
After winding, the whole family starts to ride including the movement of the legs of the father and the mother.
The movement of the mechanism is transferred by means of an axle to the front wheel of the woman’s bike and to the rear wheel of the father’s bike.
By means of a “chain” the legs are moved to suggest cycling.
The “chain” is a string

It is marked on one of the legs of the father with: FM Bt. S.G.D.G. MRe DÉPOSÉE. and that means : (Fernand Martin, Patent without government guarantees and brand name is registered )
FM = Fernand Martin
Bt > Breveté = patent
S.G.D.G. = This owas a common abbreviation for “Sans Garantie Du Gouvernement“ (without government guarantees).
MRe > marque =brand name
DÉPOSÉE. = registered

The transmission of the motion of the mother’s bicycle is accomplished by an axle through the mother’s rear wheel to the child’s front wheel.

The father figure was used more often in his toys at that time:
Old number 41, new number 121 -La bicyclette Martin 1892
156 Le monocycle aérien 1896
159 La pompe 1897
168 Le motocycle (has another hat)1898
And the still unknown toy the three-wheeled bicycle, see blog article: https://fernandmartintoys.nl/did-i-found-an-unknown-martin-toy-or-not/

This work of art is made by Maryline Milet is depicted in Frédéric Marchand’s book “The History of Martin Mechanical Toys” on page 96.
Original page from the 1898 catalogue

The pictures of the toy courtesy E.T.

Don’t miss the January 2025 issue of the Antique Toy World Magazine.

An overview of the contents of the new Antique Toy World Magazine January 2025

Antique Toy World is the leading publication for toy collectors worldwide.

Published since 1970.
Antique Toy World is a monthly magazine published in the USA by Dale Kelley, the magazine’s founder, editor and publisher.

To subscribe go to https://antiquetoyworld.com/about-atw/
Email: ads@antiquetoyworld.com

Results of the Fernand Martin toys in the Le Shoppe Auction House: December 06-2024

A double auction with Day 1 featuring an eclectic array of curiosities in the form of art, furniture, decorative items, and antiques including a substantial toy collection. Day 2 is a modern-curated collection with fine art featuring Andy Warhol, modern furniture design featuring Knoll, as well as a mega collection of modern prints from London Arts Group, Detroit and Alice Simsar Gallery, Ann Arbor.

This auction house has this time 11 Fernand Martin/Victor Bonnet toys in the Auction on December 06 -2024
Furthermore, there are many more other beautiful toys in this auction that we can look for.

For the complete overview, Auction terms & Info, Shipping & Payment look at this site: https://www.liveauctioneers.com/catalog/351431_day-1-curio-collection-art-furniture-toys/

The result price is in US $ and without Buyer’s Premium and subject to errors.
Always check the auction site for the results.

Regarding the objects described in this article, I do not make a statement about authenticity, condition or value.
I advise interested collectors always do to research yourself, to view the object or to contact the seller / auction

L’Ambulant – A Delivery Driver – number 244 from 1917

This toy is a delivery man/driver, possibly alleged Félix Potin driver. It is still unclear what number this should have, but we assume it should be one of the numbers 242-243 -244.

Produced from around 1917
Product number probebly 244
Hand lacquered
Mechanism: Clockwork
Height approx. 20 cm / 7,8 inches

At that time, all the big department stores had their own delivery services.
They brought the purchased goods with their trucks to the customers’ homes.
One of these department stores was Félix Potin but there were many at that time.
I started from Félix Potin because the clothes and cap look a lot like those of Félix Potin but it could also have been another department store.
Perhaps this figure was made especially for a customer as an advertising object.

His face
Félix Potin delivery drivers on a postcard

This figure walks by means of two rods that come out of the shoes and go up and down, thus simulating walking.

This principle was applied quite a lot by Martin as can be seen on the Patent sheet below of the distinguished gentleman ( le vieux marcheur from1901 )

Pictures of the toy: thanks to Renaud Fournier

Result of the Martins in the Antico Mondo auction number 103 on November 28 till 30 , 2024

Deze afbeelding heeft een leeg alt-attribuut; de bestandsnaam is logo.jpg

The 103nd auction will feature over 2700 selected items of tin toys, model cars, figures, trains, space toys and historical advertising.

On Saterday November 30, there are some very beautiful Fernand Martin pieces in auction

catalog number 6297 Result : Lot Passed
catalog number 6506 Result € 340
catalog number 6797 Result € 500

This is a room bidding but you can also take part in the online bidding live via telephone, register your written predids or using the auction platforms lot-tissimo, the-saleroom and liveauctioneers and Sixbid you are able to to bid online. So you can submit your bids in real time during the auction. Therefor it is necessary to register on the platform of your choice not later than 24 hours before the auction starts.

The easiest way to participate in our auctions is to use our online catalogue. Here you can view all the items and directly place written pre-bids. See the catalog in the link below. You can also read the catalog in English

Catalog link: https://auktionen.anticomondo.de/de/objekte?aid=63&Lstatus=0

We hope you enjoy reading and browsing through the new catalog!

These prices are in € (Euro) and without Buyer’s Premium and subject to errors.
Always check the auction site for the results.

Regarding the objects described in this article, I do not make a statement about condition or value.
I advise interested collectors always do to research yourself, to view the object or to contact the seller / auction

Result of the Martins in the BERTOIA ANNUAL FALL AUCTION November 22-23, 2024

Deze afbeelding heeft een leeg alt-attribuut; de bestandsnaam is Screenshot141-1024x317.png

The Bradley Kaplan Lionel Train Collection | the complete Bill Becker Issmayer Train Collection | the Bob Vicic and the Willett Still Bank Collections | Cast Iron Toys from Ron Sieling, Rick Ralston, & Cantey Johnson

The main auction event of Fall 2024. Stacked with highlights in varied categories, this will be one great auction! One of the finest assortments of cast iron automotive toys in years, choice mechanical banks, rare doorstops and desirable horse drawn pieces will delight iron collectors. European and comic tinplate toys, Lehmann’s, German boats, penny toys and trains will round out the international market. 

In this auction are this time 5 toys from Fernand Martin and Victor Bonnet

The Bertoia team is dedicated to offering our quality customer service, experience and support.
Do not hesitate to contact us for assistance with registration, bidding or any other questions.

These result prices are in US $ and without Buyer’s Premium and subject to errors.
Always check the auction site for the results.

For the complete overview, Auction terms & Info, Shipping & Payment look at this site: http://www.bertoiaauctions.com/

Regarding the objects described in this article, I do not make a statement about condition or value.
I advise interested collectors always do to research yourself, to view the object or to contact the seller / auction

Fernand Martin toys in the Le Shoppe Auction House: December 06-2024

A double auction with Day 1 featuring an eclectic array of curiosities in the form of art, furniture, decorative items, and antiques including a substantial toy collection. Day 2 is a modern-curated collection with fine art featuring Andy Warhol, modern furniture design featuring Knoll, as well as a mega collection of modern prints from London Arts Group, Detroit and Alice Simsar Gallery, Ann Arbor.

This auction house has this time 11 Fernand Martin/Victor Bonnet toys in the Auction on December 06 -2024
Furthermore, there are many more other beautiful toys in this auction that we can look for.

For the complete overview, Auction terms & Info, Shipping & Payment look at this site: https://www.liveauctioneers.com/catalog/351431_day-1-curio-collection-art-furniture-toys/

After the auction, I will publish the realized price for this toys.

Regarding the objects described in this article, I do not make a statement about authenticity, condition or value.
I advise interested collectors always do to research yourself, to view the object or to contact the seller / auction

Don’t miss the December 2024 issue of the Antique Toy World Magazine.

An overview of the contents of the new Antique Toy World Magazine December 2024

Antique Toy World is the leading publication for toy collectors worldwide.

Published since 1970.
Antique Toy World is a monthly magazine published in the USA by Dale Kelley, the magazine’s founder, editor and publisher.

To subscribe go to https://antiquetoyworld.com/about-atw/
Email: ads@antiquetoyworld.com

The Policemen – number 181 from 1901

Martin made a special figure for the foreign market more often.
In 1901 he made 3 figures especially for the English market.
Here I present the second one the Englisch policeman ( the Bobby):

Produced from 1901
Product number 181
Hand lacquered
Mechanism: Clockwork
Height approx. 20 cm / 7,8 inches

Courtesy Spielmuseum Soltau Germany

Below is the only known image of this toy.
Here you can also see the product number 181.
From the text you can see that it was produced especially for the English market.

Courtesy Bertoia auctions, original box cover

This box label looks very similar to the catalog page of the French police officer (Les Agents number 178) see below.

Original catalog page from the catalog date 1908
The French and English policeman as friends together (Courtesy Spielmuseum Soltau Germany)

Antico Mondo auction number 103 on November 28 till 30 , 2024

The 103nd auction will feature over 2700 selected items of tin toys, model cars, figures, trains, space toys and historical advertising.

On Saterday November 30, there are some very beautiful Fernand Martin pieces in auction

catalog number 6506
catalog number 6297
catalog number 6797

This is a room bidding but you can also take part in the online bidding live via telephone, register your written predids or using the auction platforms lot-tissimo, the-saleroom and liveauctioneers and Sixbid you are able to to bid online. So you can submit your bids in real time during the auction. Therefor it is necessary to register on the platform of your choice not later than 24 hours before the auction starts.

The easiest way to participate in our auctions is to use our online catalogue. Here you can view all the items and directly place written pre-bids. See the catalog in the link below. You can also read the catalog in English

Catalog link: https://auktionen.anticomondo.de/de/objekte?aid=63&Lstatus=0

We hope you enjoy reading and browsing through the new catalog!

After the auction, I will publish the realized prices for this Martin toy.

Regarding the objects described in this article, I do not make a statement about condition or value.
I advise interested collectors always do to research yourself, to view the object or to contact the seller / auction

Result of the Martins in the “JOUETS DE COLLECTION” Galerie de Chartres auction on November 09 – 2024

The French auction house: Galerie de Chartres has this time 9 nice Fernand Martin/Victor Bonnet / S.I.J.I.M. toys in the “LIVE” auction on November 09 -2023.
Furthermore, there are many more other beautiful toys in this auction that we can look for.

Here the link for the entire collection to be auctioned: https://www.interencheres.com/art-decoration/jouets-de-collection-637046

FOR MORE INFORMATIONS MAIL TO: chartres@galeriedechartres.com

These prices are in € (Euro) and without Buyer’s Premium and subject to errors.
Always check the auction site for the results.

Regarding the objects described in this article, I do not make a statement about condition or value.
I advise interested collectors always do to research yourself, to view the object or to contact the seller / auction

Victor Bonnet pistols 2: Flac (updated)

Victor Bonnet produced various tin pistols in the period from 1919 to 1933.
The number we know now is 8 pieces but maybe we will discover more.
the list of the pistols known so far is:

The Victor Bonnet list with pistol models with article numbers
Le Pan-Pan 247
Flac 256
Bombarde 257
Le Pétard 258
Tape_Fort 262
Le Sans-Balle 264
Le Costaud 266
Le Corsaire 269 ??

Here we present :

Name: Flac
Number: 256
Year of first production: 1927
Dimensions: 8,5 cm x 7 cm / 3,35 inch x 2,76 inch

With the text: FLAC DEPOSE
With the text: V.B&CIE PARIS and on the barrel : MADE IN FRANCE
Original box

The operation is very simple.
You pull the catch back and place a ” pop cartridge ” on the brass plate then aim and pull the trigger.

Catalog picture

Result of the Martin Bear in the Dan Morphy Auction Nov 06, 2024

In this toy auction there is 1 Martin toy but a very nice one complete with box. Furthermore, there are many more other beautiful toys in this auction that we can look for.

Result: $ 500
Description from Dan Morphy Auctions:

Original cloth clothing, original bar, chain on bear’s nose. One small spot of paint loss on right side of face. Original box has nice lid, but has some tape repair to bottom of box. Condition: (Very Good – Excellent) Dimensions: Box: 8″ x 4 – 1/4″ x 4 – 1/4″.

For the complete overview, Auction terms & Info, Shipping & Payment look at this site: https://morphyauctions.com/auctions/past-auctions/toys-general-collectibles-5/

The result price is in US $ and without Buyer’s Premium and subject to errors.
Always check the auction site for the results.

Regarding the objects described in this article, I do not make a statement about condition or value.
I advise interested collectors always do to research yourself, to view the object or to contact the seller / auction

Part 5 – Martin toys used in art. – Maryline Milet

In an earlier blog ( part-2-martin-toys-used-in-art ) I showed Jacques Milet’s works.
Now it turns out that his daughter is also a gifted artist.
She also made a work of art with Fernand Martin’s toys as the subject.
This work of art has the Martin toy “Le Familie Vélo” as its centerpiece.

This work of art is depicted in Frédéric Marchand’s book “The History of Martin Mechanical Toys” on page 96.

The “la famille vélo” is from 1897 and has product number 158″

Courtesy : E.T.

More about this toy in another blog is planned in three weeks.

“JOUETS DE COLLECTION” Galerie de Chartres auction on November 09 – 2024

The French auction house: Galerie de Chartres has this time 9 nice Fernand Martin/Victor Bonnet / S.I.J.I.M. toys in the “LIVE” auction on November 09 -2023.
Furthermore, there are many more other beautiful toys in this auction that we can look for.

Here the link for the entire collection to be auctioned: https://www.interencheres.com/art-decoration/jouets-de-collection-637046

FOR MORE INFORMATIONS MAIL TO: chartres@galeriedechartres.com

After the auction, I will publish the realized price for this toy.

These prices are in € (Euro) and without Buyer’s Premium and subject to errors.
Always check the auction site for the results.

Regarding the objects described in this article, I do not make a statement about condition or value.
I advise interested collectors always do to research yourself, to view the object or to contact the seller / auction

BERTOIA ANNUAL FALL AUCTION November 22-23, 2024

The Bradley Kaplan Lionel Train Collection | the complete Bill Becker Issmayer Train Collection | the Bob Vicic and the Willett Still Bank Collections | Cast Iron Toys from Ron Sieling, Rick Ralston, & Cantey Johnson

The main auction event of Fall 2024. Stacked with highlights in varied categories, this will be one great auction! One of the finest assortments of cast iron automotive toys in years, choice mechanical banks, rare doorstops and desirable horse drawn pieces will delight iron collectors. European and comic tinplate toys, Lehmann’s, German boats, penny toys and trains will round out the international market. 

In this auction are this time 5 toys from Fernand Martin and Victor Bonnet

The Bertoia team is dedicated to offering our quality customer service, experience and support.
Do not hesitate to contact us for assistance with registration, bidding or any other questions.

For the complete overview, Auction terms & Info, Shipping & Payment look at this site: http://www.bertoiaauctions.com/

tAfter the auction, I will publish the realized prices for these two toysMartins.

Regarding the objects described in this article, I do not make a statement about condition or value.
I advise interested collectors always do to research yourself, to view the object or to contact the seller / auction

Les Boxeurs – the boxers from 1891 – number 115

Courtesy Bertoia auctions

Produced from 1891
Product number 115 (In the books known to us, this toy has the Martin product number 35 which is not correct, see below on the original catalogue page in the left corner)
Hand lacquered
Mechanism: Rubber band

Length approx. 15,5 cm/ 6,1 inches
Height approx. 14,7 cm/ 5,8 inches

Page from the original catalogue 1898

There are not many copies left and often the arms have disappeared, even the toy that was in Martin’s gift in 1908 to the Paris museum Musée des arts et métiers, no longer has arms.

model without arms (photo courtesy Jisse Kath )

If there are arms attached, they are often not the original but repro arms. It is advisable to check this with UV lighting, only if the replacement took place a long time ago then this will no longer be visible with UV light.

Picture from the magazine La science moderne – Journal Illustré 1891, Courtesy Gnum

I found this image and text of how the boxers toy works in this magazine.

La science moderne – Journal illustré 1891 :  NUMBER 49  OKTOBER 03-1891  PAGE 105

THE WONDERS OF INDUSTRY

The Boxers

Our chapter of the wonders of small industry will be enriched, this time, with a very curious toy.

These are two boxers practicing and having a real match.

The mechanism, as in most of these toys, is very simple. A horizontal rod shown at the bottom of the drawing serves as a pendulum.

It is connected to an arm by an axis which supports an outgoing shaft.

The movement is given by a strong elastic band which is twisted using the external crank; this elastic, by relaxing, turns a toothed wheel which meshes with the outgoing shaft. 

One foot of each boxer is fixed on a vertical axis folded in Z;

The two axes are connected by a connecting rod which makes them perform the same movements.

One of the axes has the arm extended to the end of the horizontal balance; there is therefore produced each time the toothed wheel turns, a back and forth movement which is communicated to the two boxers.

As they only have one foot attached and the other three limbs are made mobile thanks to a rubber, it follows that with each movement the limbs execute a series of very curious and well-suited gestures boxing scene represented by this toy.

Paul Hisard.

Don’t miss the November 2024 issue of the Antique Toy World Magazine.

An overview of the contents of the new Antique Toy World Magazine November 2024

Antique Toy World is the leading publication for toy collectors worldwide.

Published since 1970.
Antique Toy World is a monthly magazine published in the USA by Dale Kelley, the magazine’s founder, editor and publisher.

To subscribe go to https://antiquetoyworld.com/about-atw/
Email: ads@antiquetoyworld.com

**Fernand Martin toy imitations, be careful !!!**

I see them on the market every time, toys that are affiliated with Martin but are not Martins and/or his successors at all.
I already wrote 2 articles about this in 2019, but I think it is time to republish these 2 articles with some adjustments in 1 new article.

Martin himself also happily copied toys, but I will come back to that in a separate blog.
The names of the manufacturers are not always known because they were mostly small firms.

The last known imitations are fairly recent and from the Spanish Paya and are clearly recognizable.
Paya has made 10 imitations, luckily these are very recognizable as being. Example: the hairdresser, the drunkard, the judge, the conductor etc.

10 Paya imitations

But older imitations are more difficult to recognize, are also on the market.

Upper line: the lobster (L’ecrevisse) by Martin and a German imitation with the box, next the La Pompe by Martin and a German imitation by Issmayer.
Middle line: photo 1 and 2 The Ma Portiere by Martin and also 4 photos of two imitations, pay attention to the face and the keys
Bottom line: photo 1 the La Bulgare by Martin in addition 2 photos of imitations, and the La violonist by Martin and also 2 imitations pay attention here to the shape of the keys, the had and the face.
And there are a lot more imitations

You can see it most clearly in the shape of the key. (see my older blog about the Martin keys : https://fernandmartintoys.nl/different-martin-keys/
But also the location of the key, with Martin the key is usually (not always) on the left side of the toy body, when you look at the toy with the face facing you, so on the right side.
So if there is a key on the other side or at the back then you have to be careful.
And of course the face is not what you can expect from a real Martin toy.

You see above some examples of imitations of the Le Violonist and the Le Pochard.
Look special to the face from these imitations and you can see exactly what I mean by that.
Sometimes these imitations have in the course of time received original parts from real Martins such as the bottle, a head, clothes or the box.
And then the question: What happened to the original production molds, were they destroyed or did they end up in the hands of companies that turned them into “Martins” again?

But there are also various “look a likes” from the fireman, from Günthermann, Gama, and others.

Fireman imitations

Gama has a very clear connection bar between the hands and a ladder on wheels.
The Günthermann can be recognized by:
-a short tube under his left elbow
-model of the key
-the plate on the ladder with imitation flames
-the shape of the freestanding support of the ladder.

And then there are the incomplete parts used to make a “NEW” toy under the name of Marin and Victor Bonnet.

Here some toys that are sold as “MARTIN / VICTOR BONNET” toys.

Exception:
There was a toy maker in Paris that made very nice “Martin” look and likes.
This manufacturer is named S.I.J.I.M. with director Prosper Levi.
He started this factory in 1909 but with the rise of the first world war he disappeared quickly in 1917.
S.I.J.I.M. means: Société Industrielle de jouets et d’inventions mécaniques.
He has not made many pieces but a few very beautiful.
The best seller and known is the organ grinder : le joueur d’orgue, this is often referred to as Martin.

33 Le Joueur d’orgue. (The Organ Player)


But S.I.J.I.M. has also made less well-known pieces.

Photo from a privat collection

32 La Poussette. (The Stroller)

Picture from a 1912 catalog from the department store: Choumara Paris

34 Les Chevaux Hygieniques

35 L’apprenti Cavalier. ( The Rider Apprentice)

36 Le Livreur Rapide ( The Fast Delivery Man)

Two pages of the 1912 catalog from the department store: Choumara Paris with 6 Fernand Martin toys – 3 S.I.J.I.M. toys and other toys

The likely reason that they look so much like Martins is that the manufacturer, Prosper Levi, would have been a former employee of the Fernand Martin factory, but there is no 100% certainty about this fact that he was a former employee of Martin.
He made his own toys after the good example and style of Fernand Martin.
And not without success because these toys are very beautiful.
Even the key is a copy of a “Martin” key

So stay allert and pay attention.
An imitation doesn’t have to be ugly, if you like it, that’s fine, buy it and enjoy it.

Unless specifically stated all photos are from my own collection or courtesy of Michael Bertoia Auctions

Le Cake Walk from 1903 – The Cakewalk – number 195

Produced from 1903
Product number 195
Hand lacquered
Mechanism: Clockwork
Height approx. 20 cm / 8 inches

Courtesy: Spielzeugmuseum Soltau Germany

The cake walk was very popular between 1870 and 1910.
There were even dance competitions.
The dancers kicked their legs as high as possible one by one and the winning dancers won a cake as a prize.

Courtesy: Spielzeugmuseum Soltau Germany

The dance was so popular that toys were made about it. In the Concours L’epine in 1903 there were at least two designers/inventors, each with a version of this Cake Walk, see pictures below with toys by Mr. Noguier and Mr. De Champville In the picture of the designs by Mr. Noguier we see another toy that looks very similar to one produced by Martin, the “Le Petit Cuisinier” (The Little Cook) number 198 from 1904, coincidence????

Both black and white images from the magazine: Le Bon citoyen de Tarare et du Rhône. Supplément littéraire September 13, 1903

After winding up, the lady goes forward (with the little wheels you can see on the picture) and throws her legs up in front of her.
At the back under the dress is a counterweight (you can see on the left) so that the dancer does not fall over.

Original page from the 1908 catalog

Results Martin toys in the Milestone auction

SATURDAY OCTOBER 5th 10:00AM 2024

In this auction a lot of very nice Fernand Martins and Victor Bonnet toys

MILESTONE AUCTIONS PROUDLY PRESENTS OUR PREMIER FALL VINTAGE TOY AUCTION SALE INCLUDES PRESSED STEEL TRUCKS, AUTOMOTIVE TOYS, MOTORCYCLES, GERMAN WINDUPS, GERMAN HAND PAINT, CHARACTER TOYS, JAPANESE TIN, BATTERY OPS, ROBOTS, SPACE & MORE!!

“FULL CATALOG & LIVE BIDDING THRU”
WWW.MILESTONEAUCTIONS.COM , LIVEAUCTIONEERS , & INVALUABLE

PHONE BIDS & ABSENTEE BIDS Call 440-527-8060

AUCTION PREVIEW AVAILABLE WEEK OF AUCTION & 8:00 AM AUCTION DAY

For the complete overview, Auction terms & Info, Shipping & Payment look at this site: https://www.milestoneauctions.com/

These result prices are in US $ and without Buyer’s Premium and subject to errors.
Always check the auction site for the results.

Photos courtesy Milestone Auctions

Regarding the objects described in this article, I do not make a statement about condition or value.
I advise interested collectors always do to resear

Lawsuit about the Rubber band mechanism

In his early days of an toy manufacturer Fernand Martin invented a mechanism with a rubber band (elastic) as the drive.

He used his invention on his first piece: the fish (Poisson Nageur) but he discovered that another manufacturer Mr. Fournier used his invention and the Richard brothers sell these toys.

Rubber band drawing as used in the le sonneur endiablé from 1885

July 5, 1884.
Lawsuit: Fernand Martin versus Mr. Fournier and the Richard brothers.

Mr. Fernand Martin had patented a drive system for children’s toys.
The mechanism consisted of a twisted rubber, intended to turn an eccentric, this successively touched the two prongs of a fork on which he pressed thus made a reciprocating movement, transmitted to the moving part of the toy.
A few days after taking out his patent and without having used it yet, Mr. Fernand Martin discovered an improvement for which he obtained a certificate of addition, which consisted in replacing the eccentric with a gear that acted on the fork, which had the advantage that the number of movements increased significantly.
Mr. Fournier and the Richard brothers claimed that the patented system was already known and after selling toys equipped with a mechanism identical to Martin’s patent, Fernand Martin sued them for counterfeiting in the criminal court of the Seine; the case was referred back to the 10th Chamber on February 6, 1883 and pronounced the following verdict:
After deliberating in accordance with the law.

Patent Fernand Martin January 14 – 1879


While Mr. Martin took out a patent on January 14, 1879 to retain exclusive ownership of a propulsion system applicable to children’s toys and especially originally to so-called fishes.
The mechanism he uses to operate his toy consists of three different parts: a twisted rubber band, an eccentric hook, and a fork that is later referred to as the mechanism’s anchor. While this fork plays an important part in the combination of the various parts of the device, it does not exist in the toys previously manufactured according to the patented models of the Société Dandrieux, Gravier et Cie. and the gentleman Mancelin and Duval.
While the description in Martin’s patent shows that the rubber band, returning on itself after undergoing extreme torsion in its movement, takes with it the hook which successively touches the two small tabs, of which the fork or escape anchor to which the tail of the fish is attached and meanwhile moving it back and forth, these beats work from right to left, he works like a roer and produces a forward action. While Martin has obtained propulsion motion through the arrangement of various organs; that he succeeded in putting together an industrial product through the new application of known means. While he has adapted his system to different toys such as boats, swings and others; that, in order to increase the swings of the fork, he replaced the rod with a gear, as evidenced by the certificates of additions and improvements dated February 18 and June 25, 1880, duly taken, while Fournier does not dispute not the manufacture of toys to whereupon he modified the mechanism assembled by Mr. Martin, contenting himself with claiming that the device was not patentable.

Source: Cnum – Digital Conservatory of Arts and Crafts – http://cnum.cnam.fr newspaper: La Nature

While it follows from the confessions of the Richard brothers Ciné and Jeune that they offered and sold toys manufactured by Fournier, knowing that they were counterfeit.
Considering that the tools mentioned in the minutes of Mr. Signorat, judicial officer in Paris, dated December 21, 1882, were wrongly seized.
Whereas the forgery of which Mr. Martin has caused him lifelong damage for which he must be compensated.
The court has sufficient evidence to determine the amount of damages to be awarded.
For these reasons:
Does the court sentence Mr. Fournier and the two Richard brothers jointly and severally to a fine of 100 francs,
Orders them to pay Mr. Martin, namely: Mr. Fournier an amount of 1000 francs and the brothers Richard each to an amount of 500 francs as compensation and also condemns all three to the which ones advanced by Mr. Martin, civil party, to the amount of 43 Fr. 50 and orders the confiscation of the said objects and their delivery to Mr. Martin.

Source Gallica: Annales de la Propriété Industrielle Artistique et Littéraire Jan. 01-1885

Martin Bear in the Dan Morphy Auction Nov 06, 2024

In this toy auction there is 1 Martin toy but a very nice one complete with box. Furthermore, there are many more other beautiful toys in this auction that we can look for.

Description from Dan Morphy Auctions:

Original cloth clothing, original bar, chain on bear’s nose. One small spot of paint loss on right side of face. Original box has nice lid, but has some tape repair to bottom of box. Condition: (Very Good – Excellent) Dimensions: Box: 8″ x 4 – 1/4″ x 4 – 1/4″.

For the complete overview, Auction terms & Info, Shipping & Payment look at this site: https://morphyauctions.com/auctions/past-auctions/toys-general-collectibles-5/

After the auction, I will publish the realized price for this Martin toy.

Regarding the objects described in this article, I do not make a statement about condition or value.
I advise interested collectors always do to research yourself, to view the object or to contact the seller / auction

Pousse-Pousse Annamite: Two variants find

From the Pousse-Pousse Annamite from 1889, (for the production number see the Note below) we only knew one model in various colors so far.
The model we know from 1889 has a flywheel drive.

This Pousse-Pousse Annamite was specially made for the 1889 World Exhibition in Paris together with two other toys, Fernand Martin also mentioned this on his gift list in 1908.

I bought one at a French auction house, it was one with a clockwork and with a Martin type key and that was a reason to take a closer look.
I quickly found some notable detail differences.

Note: So far we don’t find a production number yet, in the existing books it was givven number 28 but in an earlier blog I explained that this is not the correct production number, the number 28 was assigned to the toy by the writers.

Model from 1889 we now with a flywheel drive, red details on the jacket, the wheels with10 spokes and cast.

What to know:
Martin donated a almost compleet toy collection in 1908 to the Musée des arts et Métiers in Paris and to his best friend Henri d’Allemagne.
I don’t know how many were actually made, but I haven’t come across any others yet.

For additional information about the collection at the Musée des arts et Métiers in Paris, see the description on page 74 in the book “Fernand Martin Toymaker in Paris”

The model from 1908 gift to the Musée des arts et Métiers museum is in near mint condition and is better preserved.

Over the years, the colors and especially the yellow stripes and the hat from the overpainted model 1908 has changed to orange, probably due to the effects of time, the poor storage conditions, the overpaint black color and taking the photo with different lighting.

The differences I found:
The first version from 1889, the movement was with a flywheel, the 1908 version had a clockwork with a Martin type of key.
The wheels were first cast with 8 spokes, in the 1908 model wheels were made of tinplate with 10 spokes.
The wheels have a different color than the original, these were neatly painted over on my model in the past.
The 1908 model no longer has an impeller.
The trousers of the 1889 model are wider than those of the 1908 model and the shoes has another model.

1889
1908


When I bought this model from 1908 it had red accents on the jacket, but on the pants there were yellow/orange stripes, which I thought was strange.
After research the male’s coat appeared to have been completely repainted following the example of the model of the first version 1889, i.e. with the red colors.
I started very carefully removing these overpaints and it turned out that yellow/orange details emerged beneath the red and black paint.
It now appears that it is the same version as the 1908 model, with this one and the model in the museum in Paris, only two are known so far.

I suspect that a part of Martin’s donation from 1908 was re-produced in 1908 because not all of the toys were anymore in production and/or were no longer available in the factory warehouse, even loose parts and fabrics to make the clothing could be lost over time are no longer in stock.
One of the reasons is that technology continued to develop and new, often better, more modern and/or cheaper production methods were developed, such as the drives and movements of the toys.
With Martin’s toys you first see the Rubber Band driving, then the flywheel and then the clockwork.
Toys were often produced for years, sometimes even decades, but at a certain point production stopped and after the production stop, loose parts were often used for other models or the production molds were adjusted, but that production also stopped over time, so after for many years, many individual parts were no longer in stock.
A large number of the toys intended for donation were still in production or in stock, but the missing pieces were probably made in very small series (the exact number is not known) and how many copies are still in existence today?
And of course these ‘new’ pieces, produced in 1908, may differ from the original.
There are more objects in the museum’s collection that differ from those we know, especially the clothing and colors of some of them often differ.
The previously used fabrics for clothing were probably out of stock or no longer available.

This one I bought, perhaps not the most beautiful, but certainly the rarest Pousse-Pousse.

When you want to visit the site of the Musée des arts et Métiers in Paris, then go to:
https://phototheque.arts-et-metiers.net/?idPageWeb=95
and you can see the pictures of the Martin toys collection.

Don’t miss the October 2024 issue of the Antique Toy World Magazine.

An overview of the contents of the new Antique Toy World Magazine October 2024

Antique Toy World is the leading publication for toy collectors worldwide.

Published since 1970.
Antique Toy World is a monthly magazine published in the USA by Dale Kelley, the magazine’s founder, editor and publisher.

To subscribe go to https://antiquetoyworld.com/about-atw/
Email: ads@antiquetoyworld.com

Milestone Fall Toy Auction

SATURDAY OCTOBER 5th 10:00AM 2024

In this auction a lot of very nice Fernand Martins and Victor Bonnet toys

MILESTONE AUCTIONS PROUDLY PRESENTS OUR PREMIER FALL VINTAGE TOY AUCTION SALE INCLUDES PRESSED STEEL TRUCKS, AUTOMOTIVE TOYS, MOTORCYCLES, GERMAN WINDUPS, GERMAN HAND PAINT, CHARACTER TOYS, JAPANESE TIN, BATTERY OPS, ROBOTS, SPACE & MORE!!

“FULL CATALOG & LIVE BIDDING THRU”
WWW.MILESTONEAUCTIONS.COM , LIVEAUCTIONEERS , & INVALUABLE

PHONE BIDS & ABSENTEE BIDS Call 440-527-8060

AUCTION PREVIEW AVAILABLE WEEK OF AUCTION & 8:00 AM AUCTION DAY

For the complete overview, Auction terms & Info, Shipping & Payment look at this site: https://www.milestoneauctions.com/

After the auction, I will publish the realized prices for these Martins.

Photos courtesy Milestone Auctions

Regarding the objects described in this article, I do not make a statement about condition or value.
I advise interested collectors always do to research yourself, to view the object or to contact the seller / auction

Recommended French toy site :

De link is: https://www.jouetsanciens.fr/

I would like to recommend you this link to everyone.
Attention is given to all aspects of collecting antique toys.
Of course also to Fernand Martin but also to many other brands.
The default text is in French but can be converted into various languages ​​​​by means of a selection menu that is at the very bottom on the first page of the site.

You can choose between : French – Spanish – Italian – German – English and Dutch

You can even subscribe to a newsletter to be informed of new releases and news.

Result Martin toys in the Antico Mondo auction September 6 and 7 , 2024

The 102nd auction will feature over 2,400 selected items of tin toys, model cars, figures, trains, space toys and historical advertising.

This time with some very beautiful Fernand Martin pieces

This is a room bidding but you can also take part in the online bidding live via telephone, register your written predids or using the auction platforms lot-tissimo, the-saleroom and liveauctioneers and Sixbid you are able to to bid online. So you can submit your bids in real time during the auction. Therefor it is necessary to register on the platform of your choice not later than 24 hours before the auction starts.

The easiest way to participate in our auctions is to use our online catalogue. Here you can view all the items and directly place written pre-bids. See the catalog in the link below. You can also read the catalog in English

Catalog link: https://auktionen.anticomondo.de/en/objekte?aid=61&Lstatus=0

We hope you enjoy reading and browsing through the new catalog!

After the auction, I will publish the realized prices for this Martin toy.

These result prices are in € (Euro) and without Buyer’s Premium and subject to errors.
Always check the auction site for the results.

Regarding the objects described in this article, I do not make a statement about condition or value.
I advise interested collectors always do to research yourself, to view the object or to contact the seller / auction

Le Ramier – The pigeon

Catalog picture from arround 1928

Victor Bonnet produced this pigeon but at that time it was a fairly common toy and pigeons were sold by many toy manufacturers, also in other countries such as Germany.
It therefore happens quite often that a tin pigeon is called a Martin even though it is made by another manufacturer.

This Victor Bonnet pigeon is produced in several color variations but the most common are light blue/grey and black.


From the moment the old Martin factory ceased to exist at the end of 1933, the production was taken over in 1934 by another Victor Bonnet factory in another building in Paris.
This pigeon was produced from 1919 and presumably until the second world war.
The production number from 1919 till the end of 1933 is 251.
After the take over of the production of various toys that were produced in the old Martin factory like this pigeon toy, Victor Bonnet started to renumber his toy production in 1934, this pigeon got number 3.

From the 1939/1940 Vébé catalogue,
Courtesy Clive Lamming
The box used from 1919 till 1933

Below a few other color variations

If you want to buy one you should pay attention to the following things:
Look at the bottom if there must be a bottom plate that protects the mechanism and there must also be two feet under the pigeon.

this plate or the feet are very often missing

When the mechanism is turned up, he moves forward and his head moves up and down.

Different keys and logo’s

This “Le Ramier” is found with three different versions of the keys; with a separate key, with a Georges Flersheim type key and with a Victor Bonnet type key.

The logo is on the belly side, he is found with two different bronze colored logo plates used from 1919 till the end of 1933, after the relocation of the factory in 1934 this pigeon get a VEBE logo, this logo was hammered into the sheet metal, , Victor Bonnet used this VEBE logo before in his other factory for household products, he already had this logo captured on April 16, 1929.

Etablissements V. BONNET

In an 11-page document published in LES ANNONCES DE LA SEINE on May 16, 1932 the juridical and legal history of Victor Bonnet’s toy factory from 1919 to 1932 can be found

Source gallica.bnf.fr / Bibliothèque nationale de France

Establishments V. BONNET Public limited company with a capital of 750,000 francs Headquarters in Paris, boulevard de Ménilmontant, n° 88

Source gallica.bnf.fr / Bibliothèque nationale de France

TIMELINE:

After having exposed that by deed under private seals, dated in Paris, 23 march 1919, registered, it had been formed between V. BONNET as sole manager and three other people as sponsors, under the name V. Bonnet et Cie, a simple limited partnership, having as its object: the operation of a factory of metal iron toys, automatics’ and articles in Paris, located in Paris, boulevard de Ménilmontant, 88, for a period of fifteen years, nine months and six days from March 23, 1919.

That by another deed under private signature dated in Paris on March 20, 1930, registered, the aforementioned simple limited partnership was transformed into a limited liability company, the effects of which dated back to January 1, 1930 for a duration extended until December 31, 1960.

A NEW NAME AND A NEW LEGAL FORM FROM THE DATE JANUARY 01, 1932

Following deed under private signature, dated in Paris on April 21, 1932. The Limited Liability Company V Bonnet et Cie is transformed from 1e January 1932 in a public limited company which will be governed by the laws in force and by these statutes.

The name of this Company is: Etablissements V. BONNET,  located in Paris, Boulevard de Ménilmontant 88

After this date, bills and checks were stamped (found only in red ink) with this new name: Etablissements Victor BONNET. presumably to use up the old stock.

LES FORGERONS INFATIGABLES – THE BLACKSMITHS

first production date : 1883
production number unknown, this toy is probably not numbered (In the books known to us, this toy has the Martin product number 07, but that must is incorrecte)
mechanism: rubber band
height: 13 cm / 5,12 inch – length: 17 cm / 6,7 inch
produced by Fernand Martin

The anvil is placed in the middle and on top of this anvil is the Martin mark “FM”

the anvil with the FM mark
Photo’s Courtesy Bertoia auctions
Picture of the original box, Courtesy KB

Antico Mondo auction number 102 on Saturday, September 6 and 7 , 2024

The 102nd auction will feature over 2,400 selected items of tin toys, model cars, figures, trains, space toys and historical advertising.

This time with some very beautiful Fernand Martin pieces

This is a room bidding but you can also take part in the online bidding live via telephone, register your written predids or using the auction platforms lot-tissimo, the-saleroom and liveauctioneers and Sixbid you are able to to bid online. So you can submit your bids in real time during the auction. Therefor it is necessary to register on the platform of your choice not later than 24 hours before the auction starts.

The easiest way to participate in our auctions is to use our online catalogue. Here you can view all the items and directly place written pre-bids. See the catalog in the link below. You can also read the catalog in English

Catalog link: https://auktionen.anticomondo.de/en/objekte?aid=61&Lstatus=0

We hope you enjoy reading and browsing through the new catalog!

After the auction, I will publish the realized prices for this Martin toy.

Regarding the objects described in this article, I do not make a statement about condition or value.
I advise interested collectors always do to research yourself, to view the object or to contact the seller / auction

Result 2 toys in the BERTOIA BASICS AUCTION August 16, 2024

Tin Toys, Wind-Ups, Comic Character

A one day auction with a sharp focus on tinplate toys and wind-ups. Comic Character, Lehmann’s, European boats, Penny Toys, Soldiers, and much more! 

In this auction are this time 2 toys of Victor Bonnet and S.I.J.I.M.

Result Lot 0230 VICTOR BONNET AUTO TRANSPORTS CAB : “Lot Passed”
Result Lot 0231 GROTESQUE ORGAN GRINDER c.1910, made by S.I.J.I.M but often considered a Martin toy, “Le Joueur D’Orgue” : $ 650

The Bertoia team is dedicated to offering our quality customer service, experience and support.
Do not hesitate to contact us for assistance with registration, bidding or any other questions.

For the complete overview, Auction terms & Info, Shipping & Payment look at this site: http://www.bertoiaauctions.com/

All prices are in US $ and without Buyer’s Premium and subject to errors.
Always check the auction site for the results.

Regarding the objects described in this article, I do not make a statement about condition or value.
I advise interested collectors always do to research yourself, to view the object or to contact the seller / auction

Don’t miss the September 2024 issue of the Antique Toy World Magazine.

An overview of the contents of the new Antique Toy World Magazine September 2024

Antique Toy World is the leading publication for toy collectors worldwide.

Published since 1970.
Antique Toy World is a monthly magazine published in the USA by Dale Kelley, the magazine’s founder, editor and publisher.

To subscribe go to https://antiquetoyworld.com/about-atw/
Email: ads@antiquetoyworld.com

Le Saute Mouton – is this a Fernand Martin toy ?

No, this beautiful toy is certainly not Fernand Martin, but what is it….

Le Saute Mouton. (The leap frog)
This toy was depicted in a magazine from the department store Choumara Paris in 1912 togehter with other S.I.J.I.M. , Martin and other toys.

magazine: Choumara Paris
magazine: La science moderne 1891

This toy has been offered for sale at auction a few times over the past 10 years.
It is then offered as a “suspected” Fernand Martin toy.
I’ve discovered a few things now.
An old predecessor was presented in the magazine: La science moderne, this toy with a flywheel in 1891.
After that, nothing can be found, including the maker’s name.

Courtesy Bertoia Auctions

This toy was redesigned and now with a wind-up mechanism, the “inventor” was Mr. Noguier from Paris.
He offered the rights to these toys for sale to the prevailing major manufacturers at the Concours Lepine in 1909
There was a Mr Max Dieckmann from Paris who bought the rights to this piece.

Mr Max Dieckmann was originally a toy dealer, importer, freight forwarder with a lot of different articles, I have found many advertisements from him, all with the address: 24 Reu de Paradis Paris with articles like: wall games, tennis rackets, attributes for athletic sports, paper bags for kites, paper airplanes, Steiff toys, puzzles and in 1910 he had a stand at the 2nd aviation exhibition in 1910.

French postcard from Max Dieckmann with Steiff toys. date: July 10th, 1909 Text translation: “Fine toys of all kinds, specializing in animals and fabric dolls. Max Dieckmann, 24 Reu de Paradis, Paris.
Courtesy: Rebekah Kaufman, Steiff Historian, Blogger, and Consultant www.mysteifflife.com

Max Dieckmann applied for the patent for this toy in 1910 stating that the original inventor was Mr. Noguier.
I cannot find anywhere whether Mr. Dieckmann himself had the capacity to produce toys, I found a advertising where he askt to request for offers of services from manufacturers of color letterpresses used for the manufacture of puzzles

So I suspect that he outsourced the production of this tin toy to one of the existing manufacturers, who????

Mr Max Dieckmann sold his toy department 24 Reu de Paradis Paris, on September 9, 1913 to Mr Jules Bernat, after which I have been unable to find anything.

Jeu de péche à la grenouille sauteuse – The Frog Game from 1906

Produced from 1906
Product number 206
Hand painted
Mechanism: spring
Dimensions approx: The frogs are long 4″ and wide 2.5″
Name: Jeu de péche à la grenouille sauteuse

He bought the idea for this toy at the Concours Lepine in 1905 from the inventor Mr. Celestin Gasselin.
This frog game is depicted and described in the French magazine: La Nature on page 581.
Mr. Celestin Gasselin named this toy: La Grenouille Récalsitrante

Picture from the magazine La Nature 1905 page 581
Number 9 is ” La Grenouille Récalsitrante” from Mr. Gasselin
And we see more well know toys: number 3 is the, by Martin collectors well known, “La Boule Mystérieuse” also an invention of Mr. Gasselin and produced by Fernand Martin, and number 2 is the “Le Champion” this is not a Martin but produced by Charles Rossignol
Catalog picture: Courtesy KB

Invention of Mr. Celestin Gasselin shown at the 1905 Concours de lepine
Pictured and described in La Nature 1905 page 581
Free translation:
Mr. Gasselin, the inventor gives us a frog game that will be extremely cheap and will allow young people and even adults to spend happy evenings with it, it’s a matter of hanging up.
A ring hangs from the end of a wired rod and there is a frog in stamped tin, which you have to pick up with the ring.
But the frog has a hook from which it has to be picked up and on this is a lever with a spring that comes loose with a shock and makes the animal jump before it can be hooked.

Courtesy of KB

The frogs are long 4″ and wide 2.5″
Mister Gasselin designed this toy with a ring on a fishing rod, Martin has pointed this out in a U shape hook on a fishing rod.

auctioned at a French auction house in January 2018
Box label

Discription on the box lid:
Nothing more amusing than this game which consists in fishing, un the frogs with the hook.
The winner will be the one who succeeds in hook up the greates number of frogs without allowing them to spring up.
INSTRUCTIONS: Set the spring of the frogs.

Result of the Martin toys in the Le Shoppe Auction House: Art & Design Auction Featuring Detroit Artists August 01-2024

This auction will include toys, rare and iconic art and design in the form of original paintings, lithographs, serigraphs, etchings, mixed media pieces, glass, sculpture, world artifacts, lighting, ceramics, and furniture.

This auction house has this time 4 Fernand Martin/Victor Bonnet toys and 1 S.I.J.I.M. toy in the Auction on August June 01 -2024
Furthermore, there are many more other beautiful toys in this auction that we can look for.

There are many more beautiful toys in this auction

For the complete overview, Auction terms & Info, Shipping & Payment look at this site:
https://leshoppemodern.com/blogs/leshoppeauctionhouse/art-design-auction-featuring-detroit-artists-august-1st-2024

These result price are in US $ and without Buyer’s Premium and subject to errors.
Always check the auction site for the results.

Regarding the objects described in this article, I do not make a statement about authenticity, condition or value.
I advise interested collectors always do to research yourself, to view the object or to contact the seller / auction

BERTOIA BASICS AUCTION August 16, 2024

Tin Toys, Wind-Ups, Comic Character

A one day auction with a sharp focus on tinplate toys and wind-ups. Comic Character, Lehmann’s, European boats, Penny Toys, Soldiers, and much more! 

In this auction are this time 2 toys from Victor Bonnet and S.I.J.I.M.

Lot 0230 VICTOR BONNET AUTO TRANSPORTS CAB
Lot 0231 GROTESQUE ORGAN GRINDER c.1910, made by S.I.J.I.M but often considered a Martin toy, “Le Joueur D’Orgue”.

The Bertoia team is dedicated to offering our quality customer service, experience and support.
Do not hesitate to contact us for assistance with registration, bidding or any other questions.

For the complete overview, Auction terms & Info, Shipping & Payment look at this site: http://www.bertoiaauctions.com/

tAfter the auction, I will publish the realized prices for these two toysMartins.

Regarding the objects described in this article, I do not make a statement about condition or value.
I advise interested collectors always do to research yourself, to view the object or to contact the seller / auction

Fernand Martin toys in the Le Shoppe Auction House: Art & Design Auction Featuring Detroit Artists August 01-2024

This auction will include toys, rare and iconic art and design in the form of original paintings, lithographs, serigraphs, etchings, mixed media pieces, glass, sculpture, world artifacts, lighting, ceramics, and furniture.

This auction house has this time 4 Fernand Martin/Victor Bonnet toys and 1 S.I.J.I.M. toy in the Auction on August June 01 -2024
Furthermore, there are many more other beautiful toys in this auction that we can look for.

There are many more beautiful toys in this auction

For the complete overview, Auction terms & Info, Shipping & Payment look at this site:

https://leshoppemodern.com/blogs/leshoppeauctionhouse/art-design-auction-featuring-detroit-artists-august-1st-2024

After the auction, I will publish the realized price for this toys.

Regarding the objects described in this article, I do not make a statement about authenticity, condition or value.
I advise interested collectors always do to research yourself, to view the object or to contact the seller / auction

88-90 Boulevard de Ménilmontant Paris

Martin started in 1880 his first factory at the address 90 Boulevard de Ménilmontant, a L-shaped 6-storey building ( ground floor, 4 floors, attic floor) and a backyard, in the middle of the building is an porch that leads to the backyard, this building was built around 1860

As a starting manufacturer, he must have rented only a small part of the address 90 Boulevard de Ménilmontant.

Due his commercial succes of the “Petit Garçon Livreur” (the delivery boy) in 1888, (we know this toy as the “Le Livreur”) Martin has now the money to acquire a new building to expand his factory.
In 1892 he acquired the adjacent building number 88 with a square form and after a renovation / rebuilding around 1900, the factory was a lot bigger than his old factory and was, for that time, a revolutionary conception.

Boulevard de Ménilmontant 90 and 88. situation in the early 1900 ( part of the postcard: Tout Paris number 1984 ) Postcard accessible sur le site de Bibliothèques spécialisées de la Ville de Paris. Rights: Public domain.
You can see in this photo at number 99 the “L” shaped building with the backyard and the square form of the number 88 (Picture Google street vieuw)
Boulevard de Ménilmontant 90 (with the porch to the backyard) and 88, situation today (Picture date june 2022 Google street vieuw)

After Bonnet’s departure, the facade of the building 88 Boulevard de Ménilmontant was adjusted, the old facade was a pointed facade and the new facade suggested a flat roof, but behind this facade there is still a pointed roof.

(Picture Google Earth)

Don’t miss the August 2024 issue of the Antique Toy World Magazine.

An overview of the contents of the new Antique Toy World Magazine August 2024

Antique Toy World is the leading publication for toy collectors worldwide.

Published since 1970.
Antique Toy World is a monthly magazine published in the USA by Dale Kelley, the magazine’s founder, editor and publisher.

To subscribe go to https://antiquetoyworld.com/about-atw/
Email: ads@antiquetoyworld.com

La Petite Marchande D’Oranges number 184

Three different manufacturers and the differences between their models

Original catalog image 1908

In this article I try to provide some clarity about the various versions of these toys.
Fernand Martin started the first toy with the name La Petite Marchande D’Orange in 1901 and product number 184.
The successor’s of Fernand Martin > Georges Flersheim and Victor Bonnet continued the production but made some changes to this toy.
When you have one or you want to buy one and you want to know more then see this overview with the differences.

OVERVIEW:

Characteristics of the Fernand Martin versions.

  • name: La Petite Marchande D’Oranges.
  • product number 184.
  • first production year 1901
  • key model Fernand Martin.
  • place key: above the right wheel.
  • mechanism placed vertically until “in” the cart.
  • cart equipped with oranges.
  • two price tags on top of the oranges.
  • the lady has a bustle under the skirt.
  • hairstyle model.

Characteristics of the Georges Flersheim versions.

  • Georges Flersheim used two different names
  • name for the model with oranges: La Petite Marchande D’Oranges
  • name for the model without oranges: La Petite Marchande.
  • product number 184.
  • first production year 1912
  • key model Georges Flersheim and a few with model Fernand Martin (probably in the first year)
  • place off the key: left of the right wheel.
  • the mechanism is placed horizontally under the cart.
  • hairstyle in two models.
  • the lady has no bustle under the skirt only in the first year, after which the “bustle” disappears.
  • the oranges are also stacked less high than the first model of Fernand Martin and lack the two price tags.
  • the cart up in different models: All models are without a bent edge on top of the card.
    • —Model equipped with oranges has sometimes a green border around the oranges.
    • —Model without oranges.
    • —Model (very rare) with oranges as a candy container.
Model with the candy container
Model with the green border

Characteristics of Victor Bonnet versions.

  • Victor Bonnet used two names like George Flersheim and two different product numbers.
  • product number: in the catalog of Victor Bonnet from around 1928 this toy is mentioned with two different product numbers; La Petite Marchande D’Orange with number 184 and La Petite Marchande with number 185, this is probably a print mistake in the catalogue, the number 185 on boxes are never found. (Note: that number 185 was used in 1901 for the Le Vieux Marcheur.)
  • first production year 1919
  • key model Victor Bonnet
  • place key: left of the right wheel.
  • mechanism placed horizontally under the cart.
  • all models are without a bent edge on top of the card.
  • models with and without oranges.
  • model with the oranges are they equal the model George Flersheim
  • the lady has no bustle under the skirt
  • hairstyle model.

Various additional images to clarify the text :

Different keys (Type 3 is round wire and type 5 is square wire)
Model Fernand Martin type 1 key
Model Georges Flersheim type 5 key
Model Victor Bonnet type 6 key
Model Fernand Martin with and without clothes, on the left you see clearly the bustle.
From the magazine : Femina 1902

Picture courtesy:
PA TOYS OF TIME PAST
BERTOIA AUCTIONS
SPIELMUSEUM SOLTAU GERMANY
AND MY PRIVATE COLLECTION

Result Martin toys in the RSL AUCTION: The Banks and Toys of Summer Jun 29, 2024

Fantastic Selection of Mechnical Banks, Still Banks, American Tin And Clockwork Toys, European Aeronautical Toys, and Much, Much More.

​IN THIS AUCTION ARE TWO MARTIN TOYS

Result : $ 550
Result $ 350

There are many more beautiful toys in this auction

For the complete overview, Auction terms & Info, Shipping & Payment look at this site:
https://www.rslauctionco.com

These result price are in US $ and without Buyer’s Premium and subject to errors.
Always check the auction site for the results.

Regarding the objects described in this article, I do not make a statement about authenticity, condition or value.
I advise interested collectors always do to research yourself, to view the object or to contact the seller / auction

Le Petit Culbuteur – The Acrobat – from 1908 – number 213

Produced from 1908
Product number 213
Hand lacquered
Mechanism: clockwork
Height approx. 19 cm / 7,5 inches

Clown with the box and the original key

There are currently 4 different box labels known for this toy, I will post about this in another blog.

A free translation from a article in the “La Nature” from 1909

The most curious of all is undoubtedly the clown of figures, two arms and two legs, articulated to a body in which the whole mechanism is located: and this one is simple; a spring that activates a series of gears, ending in 4 pinions attached to each of the members.
Wind up the spring and you will see the clown perform the funniest turns and pirouettes, depending on the reactions he gets on the ground.
This game could be the source of some very nice mechanical issues.
The left figure gives us some examples of mechanical clown dexterity.

Au Parfait Pêcheur -The Perfect Fisherman from 1908, number 209

Courtesy: Spielmuseum Soltau Germany
Page from the original catalog 1908

Produced from 1908
Product number 209
Hand lacquered
Mechanism: clockwork
Height approx. 21 cm / 8,3 inches

Note: Unfortunately, the fish has often disappeared and replaced by another specimen, the original model can be seen in the museum in Paris where Martin’s gift in 1908 with this “The Perfect Fisherman” is on display.

The FM logo and the triangel with number 138

The French magazine La Nature from 1909 contains an article with the description and two drawings about the technique of this fisherman

Here is the little fisherman: seated comfortably at the edge of an imaginary watercourse, he throws his line to the left, the current, or rather the mechanism, takes him back to the right, along the flow of the water; then suddenly the fisherman picks it up, throws it to the left again and so on. The mechanism is easy to understand: when released, spring A activates a series of gears controlled by an transmission via the connecting rod B and the rod T it gives the fisherman’s body a back and forth movement.

clockwork

But Martin was already working on an idea for a fisherman in 1906, he has already used a fisherman in his film (see photo below), he took the “Le Pochard” ( the drunk) for it, gave him a sitting position and a fishing rod in the left hand where the drinking cup would normally be.
The entire film can be seen in my blog:

film-from-1906-with-a-lot-of-martin-toys

Result of the Fernand Martin toy in the toy auction C & T Auctioneers and Valuers Ltd June 19-2024

This auction house from England has this time 1 Fernand Martin toy in the Vintage & Collectible Toy Auction on June 19 -2024
Furthermore, there are many more other beautiful toys in this auction that we can look for.

Fernand Martin number 221 from 1910 The “La chasse au rat ”

Fernand Martin tinplate c/w maid with broom chasing a mouse, with hand painted head, cotton striped clothes, when wound maid moves forward whilst bending at the waist and hitting the floor with her broom, fair condition, some paint loss to head and lacks mouse, some staining to clothes and added lead weight to rear.

Lot number 0020 – Result: £ 220

There are many more beautiful toys in this auction

For the complete overview, Auction terms & Info, Shipping & Payment look at this site:
https://bid.candtauctions.co.uk/auctions/catalog/id/183

These result price is in £ English pound and without Buyer’s Premium and subject to errors.
Always check the auction site for the results.

Regarding the objects described in this article, I do not make a statement about authenticity, condition or value.
I advise interested collectors always do to research yourself, to view the object or to contact the seller / auction

Don’t miss the July 2024 issue of the Antique Toy World Magazine.

An overview of the contents of the new Antique Toy World Magazine July 2024

Antique Toy World is the leading publication for toy collectors worldwide.

Published since 1970.
Antique Toy World is a monthly magazine published in the USA by Dale Kelley, the magazine’s founder, editor and publisher.

To subscribe go to https://antiquetoyworld.com/about-atw/
Email: ads@antiquetoyworld.com

Overview of a 1908 gift to the Musée des arts et métiers

As is known, in 1908 Fernand Martin made a donation to the museum Cnum in Paris in the form of 100 toys as an overview of his (almost) total production from the beginning of his first piece.

The museum has divided the original enumeration over a number of sections, I have returned it in the overview below to the original numbering as Martin wrote it down. This list is also published in the toy book of Mary Hiller Automata & Machanical Toys from 1976

In 1960, the museum Cnum (Bibliothèque numérique en histoire des sciences et des techniques) made a publication about toys with a chapter about this gift, (all rights reserved – CNAM)

At the end of this overview there are also three pieces that belong to the collection of the Museum but that do not belong to the gift.

Link to the release: https://cnum.cnam.fr/CGI/fpage.cgi?M6136/0002/100/70/0009/0066

Rights reserved – CNAM

See the overvieuw of the Fernand Martin toys in this publication from page 63 up to and including page 66.

Overvieuw gift from Fernand Martin in 1908, a total of 100 toys original numbering as Martin wrote it down:

Date. — Name and number on the gift

1878. — Le poisson mécanique  1

This fish is the first toy of Fernand Martin

1879. — La balançoire mécanique  2

1880. — Le bateau godilleur   3

1881. — La grenouille nageuse  4

1882. — Le patin mécanique  5

1803. — Le moulin mécanique à tic-tac   6

1883. — la locomotive routière  7

1883. — Les forgerons infatigables   8 

1884. — Le cheval bascule  9  

1884. —  Le vélocipède  10

1885. — Le trapèze   11

1885. — Le sonneur endiablé   12

1885. — Les valseurs   13

1886. — Les courageux scieurs de long   14

1886. — La danseuse de corde   15

1887. — les fameux duellistes   16

1887. — Les pompiers   17

1888. — Le Livreur 18

1888. — Les joyeux danseurs  19

1888. — L’autruche   20

1889. — La grosse caisse  21

1889. — L’écrevisse   22

1889. — Le fauteuil roulant de l’exposition  23

1889. — Le pousse-pousse annamite de l’exposition   24

1889. — La grosse caisse annamite de l’exposition  25

1889. — Le cab  26

1890. — Le lapin vivant   27

1890. — La sauteuse de corde   28

1890. — Don Quichotte  29

1890. — Le diable en boite  30

1891. — Les boxeurs   31

1892. — Le chérif  32

1892. — Le traineau russe au 33

1892 — La charrette anglaise   34

1892. — Le pêcheur à la linge 35

1892. — Le bicyclette Martin 36

1892. — Le courrier parisien   37

1893. — Le perroquet   38

1893. — La chaloupe à vapeur   39

1893. — La perruche 40

1894. — La course de taureau   41

1804. — Le piocheur   42

1894. — L’attelage flamand   43

1894.— Le facteur de chemin de fer 44

1895. — Ma portière 45

1895. — Le treuil   46

1896. — L’araignée et la mouche   47

1896. — La forge.   48

1897. — La famille Vélo 49

1897. — La pompe  50

1898. —  Les Boeufs   51

1898. — Le petit décrotteur  52

1898. — Le motocycle   53

1899. — L’oie 54

1899. — La faucheur 55

1899. — La blanchisseuse 56

1899. — Le pochard  57

1900. — The gentleman khaki   58

1900. — Le vaillant Boer 59

1900. — L’homme de corvée  60

1900. —  Le chinois 61

1901. — Bamboula  62

1901. — L’agent  63

1901. —  God save the king 64

1901. —  The Policeman 65

1901. — Le Marchande  d’oranges 66

1901. — Le garçon de café 67

1901. — L’homme sandwich 68

1902. — La sentinelle française 69

1902. — La sentinelle russe 70

1902. — La sentinelle italienne 71

1902. — Le charcutier  72

1902. —Le vieux marcheur  73

1902. — Le fort de la halle 74

1901. — Le petit pianiste 75

1902. — Le clown 76

1902. — L’artiste capillaire 77

1903. — Le gendarme 78

1903. — L’ours Martin  79

1903. — Le cake walk   80

1904. — La Voiture â bitume   81

1904. — Les pompiers à l’échelle  82

1904. — Le cuisinier   83

1905. — Le joueur de boules 84

1905. — L’hercule populaire  85

1905. — Le gymnaste   86

1905. — L’éminent avocat   87

1905. — Le laboureur   88

1906. — La boule mystérieuse   89

1906. — La course en sac   90

1907.— Chand tonneaux !!!  91

1907. — Le petit diabolo   92

1908. — Le partait pêcheur   93

1908. — Le petit boucher   94

1906. — Le petit écureuil vivant  95

1908. — Le menuisier   96

I908. — Le petit culbuteur     97

Double numbered in the gift with the remark “bis”

1887. — Le jeu de bascule  15 bis 

1897. — Le lapin tambour 49 bis   

1897. — Le gai violoniste  5o bis   

                                          _______________

Total                                            100 objects

Note: On the list in this 1960 edition of the Cnum publication there are three extra toys mentioned, however, these toys are made after 1908 so not included in the gift.

1909. — L’autopatte

1909. — Le singe savant    

1912. — Le petit livreur.

Fernand Martin toy in the toy auction C & T Auctioneers and Valuers Ltd June 19-2024

This auction house from England has this time 1 Fernand Martin toy in the Vintage & Collectible Toy Auction on June 19 -2024
Furthermore, there are many more other beautiful toys in this auction that we can look for.

Fernand Martin number 221 from 1910 The “La chasse au rat ”

Fernand Martin tinplate c/w maid with broom chasing a mouse, with hand painted head, cotton striped clothes, when wound maid moves forward whilst bending at the waist and hitting the floor with her broom, fair condition, some paint loss to head and lacks mouse, some staining to clothes and added lead weight to rear.

Lot number 0020

There are many more beautiful toys in this auction

For the complete overview, Auction terms & Info, Shipping & Payment look at this site:
https://bid.candtauctions.co.uk/auctions/catalog/id/183

After the auction, I will publish the realized price for this toy.

Regarding the objects described in this article, I do not make a statement about authenticity, condition or value.
I advise interested collectors always do to research yourself, to view the object or to contact the seller / auction

A new color variant of the rope-jumping girl La Sauteuse De Corde

During my collection years, I only came across this toy in five different color versions.

  • dress in yellow with the details in red
  • dress in blue with the details in red
  • dress in green with the details in red
  • dress in red with the details in blue
  • dress in light blue with the details in gold-colored

See this link https://fernandmartintoys.nl/fernand-martin-the-rope-jumping-girl-number-31-la-sauteuse-de-corde/

Now a reader of my blog has sent me some photos of a new color variant, dress in yellow with the details in green, we now know that there are 6 different color variants.

And we clearly see that there is a pattern of small green/red flowers on the yellow part of the dress.

Courtesy photo’s: Jisse Khat

RSL AUCTION: The Banks and Toys of Summer Jun 29, 2024

Fantastic Selection of Mechnical Banks, Still Banks, American Tin And Clockwork Toys, European Aeronautical Toys, and Much, Much More

​IN THIS AUCTION ARE TWO MARTIN TOYS

There are many more beautiful toys in this auction

For the complete overview, Auction terms & Info, Shipping & Payment look at this site:
https://www.rslauctionco.com

After the auction, I will publish the realized price for these toys.

These result price are in US $ and without Buyer’s Premium and subject to errors.
Always check the auction site for the results.

Regarding the objects described in this article, I do not make a statement about authenticity, condition or value.
I advise interested collectors always do to research yourself, to view the object or to contact the seller / auction

Results of the Fernand Martin toys in the auction in Italy at auction house: Finarte in Milan at May 27. 2024

Almost 250 lots including cars, motorbikes, military vehicles and puppets from the early 1900s to the great classics. The auction will feature the great brands that have made toy history such as Alps, Alemanni, Bing, Gunthermann, Lehmann, Fernand Martin, Märklin, Metalgraf and Zax.

Among the auction’s top lots will be an extremely rare “Primus Roller Skater”, one of the most sought-after Lehmann toys in the world, a 1:18 scale spring car by the company Alcyon, and a fantastic one-off wooden experimental car by Bantam.

In this auction there are two Fernand Martin toys

Lot 17 result : not sold
Lot 22 result : not sold

For all enquires and appointments:
giocattoli@finarte.it

The catalog you can find here: https://www.finarte.it/auction/vintage-toys-milan-2024-05-27?l=4&lang=en

Regarding the objects described in this article, I do not make a statement about condition or value.

Drawing from 1901 with Fernand Martin and his toys.

During my search for Martin articles I found this drawing in the French magazine: LE MONDE ILLUSTRÉ Dec 7 -1901. This image shows Fernand Martin with his toys on display. This stand was the first edition of the famous Concours Lepine in Paris in 1901.

The drawing also clearly shows the toys and also shows the name “MARTIN”, on this drawing you can see: Madame Loubet, (the wife of the then President of France) looks at the inventor Mr Martin with the “LE POCHARD” (the drunk man) toy in his hand, at her side M Lepine the organizer of this exhibition / competition in 1901

The Concours Lépine is a French invention competition created in 1901 by Louis Lépine, then police prefect of Paris.
Initiated by Prefect Lépine, the event was called the “Paris Toys and Articles Exhibition” from September 30, 1901, and gave rise to a competition from November 24 to the following December 8, before a jury. This competition became annual and was renamed in 1902 “Lépine competition” and still exists today.

Le diable en boite -The devil in a box from 1890

Courtesy: Galerie Chartres

Produced from 1890
Product number 117 (In the books known to us, this toy has the Martin product number 33 which is not correct. )
Hand lacquered
Mechanism: Rubber band

Length approx. 14,8 cm/ 5,8 inches
Height approx. 14 cm/ 5,5 inches

original catalog site
original box
Original etching from my collection.
Etchings published in the year 1892 in the French technical year magazine: “LA NATURE” on page 44 and 45

The operation of the mechanism as indicated in the etching above, I have previously written a blog about these four nice etchings, see: https://fernandmartintoys.nl/very-small-etchings-from-1892-with-toys/

Free translation from the article from the magazine: “LA NATURE” page 44 and 45 1892.

The devil in a box mechanism is arranged horizontally, the delicate question with these types of movements is that they must be balanced as precisely as possible so that they can function as regularly as a pendulum.
We see in our drawing the counterweight E used for this balancing, and the oscillating balance D which maneuvers a vertical rod at each of its entrances.
One of these rods F. passing between the man’s legs makes him lean forward to slay the devil as soon as he appears; the other rod serves to alternately open and close the lid of the box to which the devil is connected by a metal plate. As for labor, here is an interesting fact, this toy has a total of 150 different operations.
These operations include cutting, stamping, trimming, bending, stapling and mounting.
As for the cast iron for the counterweight and the broom that moves to defeat the devil (this broom is a counterweight intended to balance the moving bust of the character), which we obtain through the use of molds in which molten metal is poured.
The steps indicated above also require soldering the various parts, decorating and painting, mounting the rubber band, adjusting and packaging.
Finally comes the manufacture of the labels which, although given as an extra, must also have a small example of elegance.


Toy auction in Italy at auction house: Finarte in Milan at May 27. 2024

Almost 250 lots including cars, motorbikes, military vehicles and puppets from the early 1900s to the great classics. The auction will feature the great brands that have made toy history such as Alps, Alemanni, Bing, Gunthermann, Lehmann, Fernand Martin, Märklin, Metalgraf and Zax.

Among the auction’s top lots will be an extremely rare “Primus Roller Skater”, one of the most sought-after Lehmann toys in the world, a 1:18 scale spring car by the company Alcyon, and a fantastic one-off wooden experimental car by Bantam.

In this auction there are two Fernand Martin toys

Lot 17
Lot 22

For all enquires and appointments:
giocattoli@finarte.it

The catalog you can find here: https://www.finarte.it/auction/vintage-toys-milan-2024-05-27?l=4&lang=en

After the auction, I will publish the realized price for these toys.

Regarding the objects described in this article, I do not make a statement about condition or value.

Don’t miss the June 2024 issue of the Antique Toy World Magazine.

An overview of the contents of the new Antique Toy World Magazine June 2024

Antique Toy World is the leading publication for toy collectors worldwide.

Published since 1970.
Antique Toy World is a monthly magazine published in the USA by Dale Kelley, the magazine’s founder, editor and publisher.

To subscribe go to https://antiquetoyworld.com/about-atw/
Email: ads@antiquetoyworld.com

Le Bateau godilleur 1878

This is one of the rarest Martin toys

This one is missing its rudder

Date of first production 1878
Length 26.5cm / 10.43 Inc
Drive: rubber band
Product number: Unknown (In the books known to us, this toy has the Martin product number 02 which is not correct. )
Hand lacquered

Part of the rubber band patent 128,445 drawing

Presumably the second toy that Martin has put on the market.
No factory number is known. (a guess: it could be number 101)
The drive is by means of the rubber band mechanism known at Fernand Martin

I found in this French book the patent number of this toy
The patent was published under number 128,445 on Januari 14 -1879 and original for his first toy : the fish
The third addition to his original patent 128,445 was mentioned for a swing toy, any jumping insect and for a boat, this third addition was dated June 24 -1880.

Source Gallica : Les jouets d’enfants 3e edition 1889

The Joy of Children On the Boulevards.

— What we see in the Barracks. — Toys of the day. — What interesting automata. — For the joy of the little ones and the tranquility of the grown-ups.

Paris, December 24 – 1910 La Dépeche – journal quotidien

While the traditional chromolithographs (Chromolithography is a method for making multi-colour prints.) continue to represent to us an icy Christmas where the cottages half disappear under the snow, where the trees with bare branches let stalactites of frost hang down to the ground all white, while the storytellers still speak to us of evenings cold, whistling wind, avalanches of aerial snowflakes, we wade through the warm and humid atmosphere of an absurd month of December when the mercury in the thermometer reached crazy heights for the season. Nothing would remind us of the approaching Christmas if the New Year’s Day barracks weren’t there, faithful to their post, from the Madeleine to the Bastille, spreading out their stalls crying in the wind. Poor sellers! We say a lot of good and a lot of bad. There are people who find them quaint and others who find them cumbersome. It depends on the temperaments. Moreover, in such matters, only point is the children’s point of view, and their point of view is that there are new toys in the little shacks every year. Where are the dolls of yesteryear? Where do the toy soldiers and wooden horses smell? Poor old-fashioned toys, we hardly see any more. They gradually gave way to the invasion of mechanical toys, science toys, animated marvels and prestigious automatons. This year, the airplane is the great winner. You find it everywhere: toys for two pennies or toys for thirty or fifty francs. The automobile, even the catastrophe automobile, is somewhat abandoned. She’s not up to date enough anymore.

As for the automatons, the inventive genius of the builders has, as always, given free rein to them. What do you say to this “shackled” who hops awkwardly in her fashionable skirt? (Fernand Martin number 220 L’entravée)

L’entravée

It is exactly that, as absurd as reality. And it’s a piquant spectacle: on the trestles of the barracks, the tin shackles jump. On the sidewalk of the boulevard, the flesh and blood shackles skip. But here is an organ player (Prosper Lévi S.i.j.i.m. number 33 Le joueur d’orgue ) who actually plays the organ. Listen: Don’t you recognize the tinny sounds of « Si tu veux nous serons heureux » (If you want we will be happy) almost everywhere ?

Le joueur d’orgue

finally, we find a fight between the two age-old enemies. What am I saying! secular! millennials, rather! That is about the woman and the mouse, ( Martin number 221 La chasse au rat ) these two beings who, since they exist, have been inspire a mutual fright. You know that all it takes is a mouse to put a woman on the run. On the other hand, if a woman starts chasing a mouse (which is rare), the mouse runs away.

La chasse au rat

But this year, a toy offers you the view of a courageous janitor with a broom in hand, stand up to the enemy. It’s a quaint duel, but the inventor was well advised to choose a concierge. No ordinary mortal of the tenant race, a pusillanimous race, would have dared to engage in battle against such a formidable enemy.

237 Dame de la Crois Rouge – The Red Cross Nurse

Courtesy Spielzeugmuseum in Soltau Germany

name: Dame de la crois rouge (the red cross nurce)
production number 237
production from: 1913
hoogte 20 cm / 7,87 inch
manufacturer: Georges Flersheim (successor of Fernand Martin)

Courtesy Spielzeugmuseum in Soltau Germany

I have personally seen a total of 6 pieces at auctions and in museums.
What is striking is that the face/head is not always the same, there are versions with a raised edge at her height and without this raised edge, whether both are original or one of these is not original? I don’t know.

Courtesy Spielzeugmuseum in Soltau Germany, Gallery Chartres and Bertoia Auctions

This Red Cross sister goes for a walk after the clockwork has been wound.
The walking mechanism is the same as that of the “Le Vieux Marcheur” (the walking gentleman) with number 185 from 1901 with patent number FR 298509.

The Red Cross name and logo was a registered trademark and could not simply be used on products.
It is not known whether Flersheim had permission.

Result Martins in the “JOUETS DE COLLECTION” Galerie de Chartres auction on April 20, 2024

The French auction house: Galerie de Chartres has this time 9 Fernand Martin/Victor Bonnet toys in the “LIVE” auction on April 20 -2024
Furthermore, there are many more other beautiful toys in this auction that we can look for.

GALERIE DE CHARTRES

Here the link for the entire collection to be auctioned: https://www.interencheres.com/meubles-objets-art/jouets-de-collection-623787

FOR MORE INFORMATIONS E-MAIL TO : chartres@galeriedechartres.com

These prices are in € (Euro) and without Buyer’s Premium and subject to errors.
Always check the auction site for the results.

Regarding the objects described in this article, I do not make a statement about condition or value.

Results of the Martins in the BERTOIA ANNUAL AUCTION | April 19, 2024

Deze afbeelding heeft een leeg alt-attribuut; de bestandsnaam is Screenshot65-1024x319.jpg

Our annual spring auction is packed with highlight for the top quality collectors. Included amongst the two days will be hundreds of European Wind-up toys & Trains, American RR, Spelter stills and Mechanical banks, Horse drawn & choice Cast iron toys, Japanese space & tinplate, Pressed steel & Pedal cars, Tether cars, great Penny toys, Automatons, top tier Christmas & Holiday items, and more.

In this auction are this time 8 Martin / Victor Bonnet toys

The Bertoia team is dedicated to offering our quality customer service, experience and support.
Do not hesitate to contact us for assistance with registration, bidding or any other questions.

For the complete overview, Auction terms & Info, Shipping & Payment look at this site: http://www.bertoiaauctions.com/

All prices are in US $ and without Buyer’s Premium and subject to errors.
Always check the auction site for the results.

Regarding the objects described in this article, I do not make a statement about condition or value.
I advise interested collectors always do to research yourself, to view the object or to contact the seller / auction

Don’t miss the May 2024 issue of the Antique Toy World Magazine.

An overview of the contents of the new Antique Toy World Magazine May 2024

Antique Toy World is the leading publication for toy collectors worldwide.

Published since 1970.
Antique Toy World is a monthly magazine published in the USA by Dale Kelley, the magazine’s founder, editor and publisher.

To subscribe go to https://antiquetoyworld.com/about-atw/
Email: ads@antiquetoyworld.com

Le bateau – La chaloupe a vapeur from 1893

I found an article in an old French technical magazine La Nature from 1894 about a tin boat made by Martin.
This nice piece is put in motion by the well-known Martin “rubber band” method, the motion is done by a winding handle at the front of the boat, under the boat is, in the tube, the “rubber band” that goes to the movement mechanism.

Produced from 1893
Product number 125 (In the books known to us, this toy has the Martin product number 43 which is not correct. )
Hand lacquered
Mechanism: Rubber band

length approx 27.5 cm (10.63) inches

Part of the rubber band patent 128,445 drawing
This very rare model lacks the steering and drive.
On display in the Toy Museum Soltau (“Spielmuseum Soltau”) in Germany
Image courtesy of Bertoia Auctions
Original catalog page

Original article and drawing’s from the magazine “La Nature 1894” Source: (Cnum – Digital Conservatory of Arts and Crafts – http://cnum.cnam.fr)

SCIENTIFIC TOYS
THE THRUST RUDDER
Looking at it closely, or is almost always astonished, and often amazed at the ingenuity displayed in the construction of any toy.
The child who breaks his rattle has no idea that he sometimes destroys a wonder, and Mum is far from even thinking of it. It only cost fifteen sous, they say.
But it is specified by the modieity of its price that the mechanical toy is generally a tour de force of combination.
To reduce everything to the maximum of simplicity from the point of view of the manufacture and assembly of the parts, such is the condition under which a toy will not be sold, because it will be too expensive.
Among the new creations of the last day of the year, we will choose one that is typical: the boat with propellant rudder.
Whoever imagined it must have often observed the fish, seen the way in which they throw right and left a blow of the tail which makes them move forward, and he undoubtedly sought to imitate this movement in the toy of which we speak.

Here is (fig. I) our little boat
At first glance, one thinks to see a boiler and a propeller, with a pill oddly sitting down with his steam engine and holding the rudder ropes. However, that is not the mechanism.
The pilot only serves to amuse baby, the boiler too.
The whole engine is in the keel; it is a simple rubber thread concealed in a channel, and fixed in the center of a toothed wheel; ‘at the other end, it is attached to a lever which rests on the two notches of a ratchet
The toothed wheel is nothing more than an escape wheel, and not the least; it is an anchor escapement of which the rudder head forms the counterpart.
Under the alternating impact of the teeth of the wheel (fig. I detail) between two stops placed to the right and to the left of the axis of the gourernail, the latter begins to perform oscillations which communicate its movement to the boat.
By what mechanism is the thrust carried out?
It is easy to realize this by analyzing the movement of the gourernail. Oscillations around the axis can be likened to periodically interrupted rotation.
However, this rotation results in a centrifugal movement of the water, and, consequently, a reaction on the rudder, the component of which along the axis of the boat is directed forward.
But there is another cause, probably dies effective, of propulsion.
If the rudder were to execute movements with symmetrical speeds, it would experience a thrust forward as it approached its mean position, and a retrograde thrust of the same mean value from that point on.
But this is not the case.
When the rudder leaves the escape wheel, the latter falls back with force on the second stop, and loses part of its kinetic energy there, immediately imparting a certain speed to the rudder; it then acts on the maximum lever arm, but when the rudder passes through its equilibrium position, the stop is already tilted a little; it slips away more and more, until the loose tooth is caught.
The speed of the rudder therefore decreases from the moment it begins to throw water back, until it reaches the end of its course.
However, the resistance of water is roughly proportional to the square of the speed of the moving body; therefore the pressures are stronger from back to front than in the reverse direction.
On average, this results in a propulsive force for progression which makes our little boat move forward.
We compared it earlier to a eur. View ecti.mblo and detail of the fish rudder; the analogy is real, but it is not perfect.
The rigid rudder employed as a propellant is far from being advantageous, since its action depends above all on a difference in speed and can only be very slight, and we know that, in nature, actions are generally very well combined.
If, instead of a rigid rudder, an articulated rudder is adopted (fig. 2), the apparatus becomes more advantageous; attempts in this direction have been made in the past.
The thruster consists, in this combination, of two parts A and B connected by a vertical axis.

Plane A carries, on the right and on the left, two stoppers which limit the movement of B.
As soon as this last plan ceased to act as a propellant.
A goes back, and resumes B in the symmetrical position of the one he occupied.
We can now replace the single joint with a series of hinges, each of which leaves the plane it carries a certain degree of freedom. We thus manage to build a propellant similar to the tail of the fish, of which our small boat shows the mode of action by an elementary mechanism of extreme simplicity.

A picture of this boat on the cover of the Frech version of the book: LES BATEAUX JOUETS of Jacques Milet by Publisher : ARTE; 1st edition (January 1, 1967)

Rare box off the “Le Pochard” (the drunk man)

In one of the previous auctions of the Milestone auction house I found a Le Pochard with a very rare and different box for the Martin number 172.
This box has the name : The Zig-Zag Man.

It is difficult to say where the name comes from but I found a possible option:
The “ZIG-ZAG Man” is based on the story of a French North African soldier (Zouave) aka Captain Zig-Zag, whose smoking pipe was shattered by a stray bullet during the battle of Sevastopol in 1854, so he rolled his tobacco using a piece of paper torn from a musket cartridge.
In 1855 was a French firm that used the name Zig-Zag as a brand of rolling papers, this firm was originated in Paris.
The Zig-Zag brand introduced a new and convenient way to roll up tobacco products with specially designed paper.
Zig-Zag was awarded in 1900 a gold medal at the Universal Exposition in Paris
Perhaps Martin made at the request of this “Zig-Zag” company an advertising figure, but that is unclear.
(Part of the text is from Wikipedia)

Courtesy Milestone auction house

The number on the box is 172-bis and the label is the small version, so it was made in a later period than the year 1899 in which the first copies were made.
The figure still has a typical Martin key, so it was made before the takeover in 1912

“JOUETS DE COLLECTION” Galerie de Chartres auction on April 20, 2024

The French auction house: Galerie de Chartres has this time 9 Fernand Martin/Victor Bonnet toys in the “LIVE” auction on April 20 -2024
Furthermore, there are many more other beautiful toys in this auction that we can look for.

GALERIE DE CHARTRES

Here the link for the entire collection to be auctioned: https://www.interencheres.com/meubles-objets-art/jouets-de-collection-623787

FOR MORE INFORMATIONS E-MAIL TO : chartres@galeriedechartres.com

After the auction, I will publish the realized price for these toys.

Regarding the objects described in this article, I do not make a statement about condition or value.

Martin toys sale in 1892

In 1892 a French newspaper La Petit Presse gave its readers a special advantage to buy products that the newspaper purchased directly from the manufacturers.
The products mentioned also include a number of toys.
On closer inspection of the toys, these are all Fernand Martin products.

Source: Cnum – Digital Conservatory of Arts and Crafts – http://cnum.cnam.fr newspaper: La Petit Presse 23-01-1892

The number behind the toy name is the product number from the newspaper and not a Martin number.

BERTOIA ANNUAL AUCTION | April 19, 2024

Our annual spring auction is packed with highlight for the top quality collectors. Included amongst the two days will be hundreds of European Wind-up toys & Trains, American RR, Spelter stills and Mechanical banks, Horse drawn & choice Cast iron toys, Japanese space & tinplate, Pressed steel & Pedal cars, Tether cars, great Penny toys, Automatons, top tier Christmas & Holiday items, and more.

In this auction are this time 8 Martin / Victor Bonnet toys

The Bertoia team is dedicated to offering our quality customer service, experience and support.
Do not hesitate to contact us for assistance with registration, bidding or any other questions.

For the complete overview, Auction terms & Info, Shipping & Payment look at this site: http://www.bertoiaauctions.com/

After the auction, I will publish the realized prices for these Martins.

Regarding the objects described in this article, I do not make a statement about condition or value.
I advise interested collectors always do to research yourself, to view the object or to contact the seller / auction

Martin toys with and without clothes.

One of Fernand Martin’s strengths was that he converted people from everyday life into children’s toys, to give these toys a good likeness and of course to hide the mechanism he gave them clothes.
This has several advantages, the children like this better, you can give a figure a different profession or look very simply and of course cheaper.

Here are some examples I found in my collection of magazines.

From the magazine: Lecture pour tous de A’Lmanach Hachette 1900, this same image was also published in a German magazine in 1906.
From the magazine: Lectures Modernes 1902
From the magazine: Lectures Modernes 1902
From the magazine: Lectures Modernes 1902
From the magazine : Femina 1902
From the magazine: Lectures Modernes 1902
Revue Hebdomadaire Dec 14 1901

Result Martins in the Lankes auction 18-22 March 2024

VERSTEIGERUNG DES BEDEUTENDEN PRAGER SPIELZEUGMUSEUMS

– SAMMLUNG IVAN STEIGER –

Das Lankes Auktionshaus lädt Sie herzlich zur großen Spielzeugauktion
in Döhlau vom 18.-22. März 2024 ein, in der die berühmte Sammlung
Ivan Steigers angeboten wird.

Die Sammlung wurde im Spielzeugmuseum auf dem Prager
Hradschin ausgestellt. Es handelt sich dabei um eine der größten
privaten Spielzeugsammlungen.

Ivan Steiger ist weltbekannt durch seine Zeichnungen und Karikaturen
in den führenden internationalen und deutschen Tageszeitungen, wie
etwa der “Frankfurter Allgemeinen Zeitung”. Steiger wurde mit zahlreichen
Auszeichnungen geehrt, darunter 2009 mit dem Bundesverdienstkreuz.

Er ist außerdem Autor zahlreicher Bücher, Maler und veranstaltete
innovative Ausstellungen zum Thema “Spielzeug”.1983 eröffnete
er zusammen mit seiner Frau Eva und seinen beiden Töchtern Helena
und Johanna das Spielzeugmuseum im Alten Rathausturm in München.
Zehn Jahre danach gründete er darüber hinaus das Spielzeugmuseum
im Burggrafenamt auf der Prager Burg.

Wir freuen uns, Ihnen mit der Versteigerung des Prager Spielzeugmuseums
eine herausragende Spielzeugsammlung präsentieren zu dürfen.
Die Sammlung besticht durch ihre besonders seltenen und qualitätvollen
Stücke aus den Bereichen Blechspielzeug, Automaten, Erzgebirge,
Weihnachtsschmuck, Eisenbahn, Puppenspielzeug, Dampfspielzeug sowie
Elastolin und Lineol Spielzeug.

I found a few Fernand Martin and Victor Bonnet toys in this auction, see below, the toys with the discription and auction number

Results:
Martin number 198 -le petit cuisinier € 330
Martin number 170 -le faucheur € 550
Martin number 226 -les chosons du Pére Francois € 800
Martin number 108 -le livreur € 100
Martin number 253 -le clown orchestre € 450

All prices are in Euro and without Buyer’s Premium and subject to errors.
Always check the auction site for the results.

You can make a bid on https://www.lot-tissimo.com/de-de/auction-catalogues/lankes/catalogue-id-lankes10044

For more information see: https://www.lankes-auktionen.com/de/

After the auction I will publish the auction prices

Regarding the objects described in this article, I do not make a statement about authenticity, condition or value.
I advise i

GROSSE LANKES SPIELZEUGAUKTION VOM 18.-22. MÄRZ 2024

VERSTEIGERUNG DES BEDEUTENDEN PRAGER SPIELZEUGMUSEUMS

– SAMMLUNG IVAN STEIGER –

Das Lankes Auktionshaus lädt Sie herzlich zur großen Spielzeugauktion
in Döhlau vom 18.-22. März 2024 ein, in der die berühmte Sammlung
Ivan Steigers angeboten wird.

Die Sammlung wurde im Spielzeugmuseum auf dem Prager
Hradschin ausgestellt. Es handelt sich dabei um eine der größten
privaten Spielzeugsammlungen.

Ivan Steiger ist weltbekannt durch seine Zeichnungen und Karikaturen
in den führenden internationalen und deutschen Tageszeitungen, wie
etwa der “Frankfurter Allgemeinen Zeitung”. Steiger wurde mit zahlreichen
Auszeichnungen geehrt, darunter 2009 mit dem Bundesverdienstkreuz.

Er ist außerdem Autor zahlreicher Bücher, Maler und veranstaltete
innovative Ausstellungen zum Thema “Spielzeug”.1983 eröffnete
er zusammen mit seiner Frau Eva und seinen beiden Töchtern Helena
und Johanna das Spielzeugmuseum im Alten Rathausturm in München.
Zehn Jahre danach gründete er darüber hinaus das Spielzeugmuseum
im Burggrafenamt auf der Prager Burg.

Wir freuen uns, Ihnen mit der Versteigerung des Prager Spielzeugmuseums
eine herausragende Spielzeugsammlung präsentieren zu dürfen.
Die Sammlung besticht durch ihre besonders seltenen und qualitätvollen
Stücke aus den Bereichen Blechspielzeug, Automaten, Erzgebirge,
Weihnachtsschmuck, Eisenbahn, Puppenspielzeug, Dampfspielzeug sowie
Elastolin und Lineol Spielzeug.

I found a few Fernand Martin and Victor Bonnet toys in this auction, see below, the toys with the discription and auction number

You can make a bid on https://www.lot-tissimo.com/de-de/auction-catalogues/lankes/catalogue-id-lankes10044

For more information see: https://www.lankes-auktionen.com/de/

The prices in this auction are in Euro

After the auction I will publish the auction prices

Regarding the objects described in this article, I do not make a statement about authenticity, condition or value.
I advise i

Don’t miss the April 2024 issue of the Antique Toy World Magazine.

An overview of the contents of the new Antique Toy World Magazine April 2024

Antique Toy World is the leading publication for toy collectors worldwide.

Published since 1970.
Antique Toy World is a monthly magazine published in the USA by Dale Kelley, the magazine’s founder, editor and publisher.

To subscribe go to https://antiquetoyworld.com/about-atw/
Email: ads@antiquetoyworld.com

1905 World exhibition Liège Belgium

In 1905 a world exhibition was held in Liège, Belgium.
France was also represented at this exhibition with the French toy industry in section 100.
In this earlier blog :

original-antique-stereo-glass-plate-of-a-sale-booth-with-martin-toys

I presented a original glass stereo photo that was taken at this exhibition and depicts a counter full of Fernand Martin toys.

original glass stereo photo (Courtesy Massilia Toys )
The same photo but now publised in the book

I now found in the book: Exposition Internationale 1905 Liege, Section française Class 100 more information and also a photo showing the back of this counter.

In this photo you also see a large white statue, I have already mentioned the existence of this statue in one of my previous blogs.
This colossal statue was personifying “the Toy Fairy distributing toys”.
In the glass stereo photo from my earlier blog and on the first photo above, you can see a part of this image on the left (white part of the image and black part of a cloth over a foot/table).


Fernand Martin was one of the jury members at this exhibition, the jury members can be seen in a photo from that book, in this photo you can also see Martin himself.
Photos of Fernand Martin himself are quite rare.

Reference book: Exposition international 1905 Liege ; Section française Class 100, this book can be found on the CNUM website

Le Trapèze – the trapeze artist from 1885

Produced from 1885
Product number unknown (In the books known to us, this toy has the Martin product number 13 which is not correct, this trapeze artist has probably not been given a product number.)
Hand lacquered
Mechanism: Rubber band

Length approx. 14 cm / 5.5 inches
Height approx. 17.8 cm / 7 inches

Courtesy : Bertoia auctions

By winding the rubber band, the movement is converted into a pendulum movement that allows the gymnast to do his tricks.

This is a quite rare toy from Fernand Martin.
The column and roof were also used for: Le sonneur endiablé in 1885 number 102, but also much later by the presumed successors/descendants of Georges Flersheim in the toy: Je sonne la paix in 1916 number 246.
The figure of the gynast has also been used more often in other Martin toys.

(number 246)
From my collection
(number 102)
Courtesy : Bertoia auctions

Four different boxes for the Fernand Martin: Le Petit Culbuteur

This is an updated version of a previously posted article because new things have been found.

Until now we know the boxes of many Fernand Martin toys.
The first box label of a toy was designed just before the first production of these toys.
Once on the market, the most toys remained the same box for many years and even decades.
But from the Le Petit Livreur, ( the acrobat ) a tumbling clown, produced from 1908 with Fernand Martin number 213, there are, till now, four box labels known.

Le petit culbuteur with a original box and original key

In the bottom of the box is one of the narrow upright side a hole in which, the key was attached with a ribbon or rope that goes through that hole in the box.
This ribbon has long disappeared in most cases, I have only seen it a few times.

Three boxes contain a label and one box only a stamp.
It is not known when which label was issued.
You can see that one box has an English inscription, otherwise the box has exactly the same texts and logos as the box for the French market.

Something about boxes in general :

Boxes generally tell a lot about a toy and are therefore very interesting.
The manufacturer’s name.
The factory logo.
The product number.
The manual.
Country of origin.
Sometimes also patent applications and even the patent numbers.
Martin often put there gross and net weights.
And he told everyone which (international) prizes he has achieved and where he was a member or president of the jury.

It even happens that a loose box at auction will yield more than the toy, of course because these are much rarer.
Children threw the box away and a box is also much more fragile and broke and thrown away.

Courtesy Calerie De Chartres
These 12 empty boxes of Martin toys and one box of Lehmann toys were auctioned in 2018 in France at Ivoire Chartres

Result for the Martin toy in the Antico Mondo Auction

The brandnew catalog of the 100th Toy Auction is online!

The auction will feature around 800 items of tin toys, trains, space toys and model cars.

Result: € 550

This is a room bidding but you can also take part in the online bidding live via telephone, register your written predids or using the auction platforms lot-tissimo, the-saleroom and liveauctioneers and Sixbid you are able to to bid online. So you can submit your bids in real time during the auction. Therefor it is necessary to register on the platform of your choice not later than 24 hours before the auction starts.

The easiest way to participate in our auctions is to use our online catalogue. Here you can view all the items and directly place written pre-bids. See the catalog in the link below. You can also read the catalog in English

Catalog link: https://auktionen.anticomondo.de/en/objekte?aid=57&Lstatus=0

We hope you enjoy reading and browsing through the new catalog!

The price is in Euro € and without Buyer’s Premium and subject to errors.
Always check the auction site for the results.

Regarding the objects described in this article, I do not make a statement about

Martins without number

Martin has often accidentally or deliberately forgotten to include a number in his product numbering.
In his period from 1878 to his first Bonshomme de Ma Portiére in 1895 a number of figures without number are known, see my article for this: https://fernandmartintoys.nl/the-numbering-of-the-fernand-martin-first-period-who-can-help-me/


From the Ma Portiére in 1895 to the sale to George Flersheim in 1912, a few figures without numbers are also known.
Starting with two figures featured in the image from the 1904 World’s Fair in St. Louis.

Les jouets à la World’s fair en 1904 à Saint-Louis (Smitsonian Labraries-no copyright)

In this image a few are recognizable and the corresponding figures have also been found.

The Bassist, in the picture numbered with (1) Courtesy E.T.
The “Jeu de boulle”? player, numbered in the picture with (2) Courtesy E.T.

Maybe there are still some figures on this St Louis photo, but the photo is so bad that they cannot be recognized immediately, wait until the actual figure(s) is found.

But there are still a few figures that cannot be found in the well-known catalogs and there are no boxes available.

Another image also shows a few figures whose number is currently unknown.

La Nature 1902 pag. 13 Concours de Lépine Paris 1901

These two figures are incorrectly numbered in the existing literature, see why in my blog: https://fernandmartintoys.nl/change-of-martin-numbers-for-some-toys/

Le télégraphiste-the postman number (1)
Le garçon de café – the waiter number (2)

(both images courtesy Bertoia Auctions)

Martin donated 100 toys to the “Musée Dez Arts Et Métiers” in Paris in 1908, this donation was a good overview of the toys he has produced since the beginning, he also made a list of them.
All the pieces in his donation can be traced back through documentation and old found catalogues.
These four pieces are therefore not only numbered, but are also not included in the donation.
As can be seen above, they are documented.

The Flersheim period

In the Flersheim period from 1912 to 1919 there are still many uncertainties, the photo below shows a Le Petit Livreur with a trunk, on the far right.
This is not mensioned in the numbering known to us.

Foto: Magazin La Dépéche Dec. 30-1912 (the les cochons du pére francois number 226 is the last toy from the Fernand Martin production)
From my own collection

And one of my collector friends has a version of the L’autopatte with the same trunk on it.

Courtesy E.T.

There is a lot of uncertainty about the numbering of the Flersheim period from 1912 to 1919, many figures are known, but the product numbers are often not.
We’ll wait and see and maybe we’ll get this numbering complete one day.

In black the numbers and names known to us, the numbers in red have yet to get their corresponding name, if any of my readers know the correct names of one or more of the missing numbers (with proof like a numbered box) please message me.

List of confirmed numbers :

227: “Chaud les Marrons“
228: “Le Motocycliste Enragé“
229: “Le Petit Patineur“
230: “La Pédalette“
231: “Le Motocycliste“
232: “Soldat Bulgare“
233: “La Casseuse d’Assiettes“
234: “Le Chef d’Orchestre“

235:
236:

237: “Dame de la Croix-Rouge”
238: “Soldat Marocain”

239:
240: “La Guerre Aérienne”
241: “Ma Nounou”

242:
243:

244:
245:

246: “Je Sonne la Paix“

Result Martin’s in the Bertoia Basic Toy Auction : February 23, 2024

A one day sale with a huge emphasis on tinplate toys and trains, American standard gauge as well as European RR items, comic character and other wind-up toys, German autos, Lehmanns, Penny Toys, Toy Soldiers & Figures and more.

In this auction are this time 3 Martin / Victor Bonnet toys and 1 S.i.j.i.m. toy the organ grinder

The Bertoia team is dedicated to offering our quality customer service, experience and support.
Do not hesitate to contact us for assistance with registration, bidding or any other questions.

For the complete overview, Auction terms & Info, Shipping & Payment look at this site: http://www.bertoiaauctions.com/

All prices are in US $ and without Buyer’s Premium and subject to errors.
Always check the auction site for the results.

Regarding the objects described in this article, I do not make a statement about condition or value.
I advise interested collectors always do to research yourself, to view the object or to contact the seller / auction

LA PERRUCHE – THE PARAKEET from 1892

first production date : 1892
production number: 127 (In the books known to us, this toy has the Martin product number 36, but the latest discoveries show that the real number is 127.)
mechanism: clockwork
height: 8,5 cm / 7,87 inch – length: 21 cm / 8,27 inch
produced by Fernand Martin

A very amusing toy, after turning the mechanism he starts moving, beats his wings and drives forward
Pictures courtesy Bertoia Auctions
Picture from the original catalogue 1898
Marked on the tail with the Martin FM sign

Don’t miss the March 2024 issue of the Antique Toy World Magazine.

An overview of the contents of the new Antique Toy World Magazine March 2024 with this time an article about the: Victor Bonnet “L’Entraineur Skiff” from 1928

Antique Toy World is the leading publication for toy collectors worldwide.

Published since 1970.
Antique Toy World is a monthly magazine published in the USA by Dale Kelley, the magazine’s founder, editor and publisher.

To subscribe go to https://antiquetoyworld.com/about-atw/
Email: ads@antiquetoyworld.com

Result Martins in the: Morphy Auctions Toys & General Collectibles Febr. 14-15 & 16 . 2024

In this auction of Morphy Auctions there are 2 Fernand Martin toys but there are many more other beautiful pieces in this auction.

Results:
Pianist Martin number 189 – lot number 1030 result $ 500
Fisherman Martin number 209 – lot number 1057 result $ 1100

Look for more auction informations : https://morphyauctions.com/auctions/past-auctions/toys-general-collectibles-4/

All prices are in US $ and without Buyer’s Premium and subject to errors.
Always check the auction site for the results.

Photos courtesy of Morphy Auctions

Regarding the objects described in this article, I do not make a statement about condition or value.
I advise interested collectors always do to research yourself, to view the object or to contact the seller / auction

Antico Mondo auction on Saturday, March 02, 2024

The brandnew catalog of the 100th Toy Auction is online!

The auction will feature around 800 items of tin toys, trains, space toys and model cars.

This is a room bidding but you can also take part in the online bidding live via telephone, register your written predids or using the auction platforms lot-tissimo, the-saleroom and liveauctioneers and Sixbid you are able to to bid online. So you can submit your bids in real time during the auction. Therefor it is necessary to register on the platform of your choice not later than 24 hours before the auction starts.

The easiest way to participate in our auctions is to use our online catalogue. Here you can view all the items and directly place written pre-bids. See the catalog in the link below. You can also read the catalog in English

Catalog link: https://auktionen.anticomondo.de/en/objekte?aid=57&Lstatus=0

We hope you enjoy reading and browsing through the new catalog!

After the auction, I will publish the realized prices for this Martin toy.

Regarding the objects described in this article, I do not make a statement about condition or value.
I advise interested collectors always do to research yourself, to view the object or to contact the seller / auction

Martin Toys with a candy container ?

Around 1912 there were a few toys that differed in detail from the normal models.
This happened just before or just after the takeover from Martin to Georges Flersheim.
A few models were then modified and provided with an open space to put in presumably sweets.
These spaces were created in two ways.
A tin container was placed on the models of the “Le petit Livreur” and the “L’autopatte”.
The model of the “Le petit marchane d’oranges” the top was made so that it could open.

The three original models from the Fernand Martin period without a candy container.

In the Martin “Le petit marchane d’oranges” model, the mechanism is “in” the space between the bottom of the cart and the fruit, in the later model the mechanism has been moved to the bottom of the cat.

So it was three known models with a “temporary” adjustment.
Whether Martin or Flersheim were responsible for this is not entirely known, but they all have clear signs of the Martin models, the later Flersheim models have several specific changes compared to the Martin models, so I think they are models that were produced by Flersheim immediately after the takeover using parts that were still in stock from the earlier Fernand Martin production.

These three models with the candy container are very rare.

Martin type of Wheels en Key and the boy was given hair and a bonnet
Martin type of Wheels and Flersheim type Key, (Picture Courtesy ET)
Martin type skirt with raised back but a Flersheim mechanism (courtesy Bertoia Auctions)
On one side the two hinges on the other side there are three tabs to close it, see picture above

New sales tin toy side in the Netherlands with, of course Fernand Martin toys and a lot more.

https://www.tintoy-collector.com/

We started collecting antique toys a long time ago and we will continue to do so for many years to come, the third generation is already eager to join us.

For that one special item, we go to trade fairs at home and abroad, and we also scour the well-known and lesser-known platforms to find that nice addition.

You can imagine that over time we have acquired a large network and beautiful collection and we would like to share this with you by offering beautiful and high-quality items through our webshop.

If you are interested in one of our items on the page, I invite you to respond by email.

tintoycollector@kpnmail.nl

This site is in Dutch but If you are interested in one of our items please send an email to upper email address.
For a description in your language, please contact us.

Film from 1906 with a lot of Martin toys

In 2023 I published a blog : https://fernandmartintoys.nl/magazine-les-jouets-et-jeux-anciens/ 

That blog mentioned a report about a meeting in 1906, during which a film was published with mainly Martin toys but also toys from Lehmann, among others.

I received a copy of this report from Mr. Claude Lamboley which included the following text:

Translation:
Then the whole series of well-known mechanical toys was paraded before us that are manufactured in the factory of Mr. Fernand Martin. Cinematographic films presented the workshops and the tools of this manufacture; hands showed the toys being made, turning them, turning them over, while the lecturer gave the explanation (very curious effect).
Then, finally, the cinematograph projected amusing and dramatic scenes, the actors of which were Mr. Martin’s’s mechanical little bonshommes.

In that blog from July 18 -2023 I said: Now we have to find that film.

Now I can tell you that I found this film. This film is used by Mr Klaus Lorenz in his lecture : THE MAGIC OF AUTOMATES on June 02 – 2023 This lecture was held in the CINÉMATHÈQUE Paris – Room George’s Franju 

(Wikipedia: The Cinémathèque Française Paris, founded in 1936, is a French non-profit film organization that holds one of the largest archives of film documents and film-related objects in the world.The archive offers daily screenings of worldwide films.)

In an old Pathé-Frères catalogue from 1907, this film is listed under number 1356 with the following text:

Bob’s Theater….
Bob’s father was undoubtedly generous, because on the small theater stage we will recognize all the popular types of the latest toys of the year.
Bob, as an excellent director, managed to introduce them to us as an artist, and despite the age it is a pleasure there, it will certainly please everyone.

The hole lecture is about 1 hour and 15 min. , in this compleet lecture you see a lot of other toy automates, this lecture is in French. 

The part with the Martins start on 0.00 min. till 6.35 min. , it is a silent film so no text, music or spoken words. 

Here the link to the complete lecture with the film: Le théàtre de Bob de Gaston Velle.

https://www.cinematheque.fr/video/2082.html

ENJOY…

Bertoia Basic Toy Auction : February 23, 2024

A one day sale with a huge emphasis on tinplate toys and trains, American standard gauge as well as European RR items, comic character and other wind-up toys, German autos, Lehmanns, Penny Toys, Toy Soldiers & Figures and more.

In this auction are this time 3 Martin / Victor Bonnet toys and 1 S.i.j.i.m. toy the organ grinder

The Bertoia team is dedicated to offering our quality customer service, experience and support.
Do not hesitate to contact us for assistance with registration, bidding or any other questions.

For the complete overview, Auction terms & Info, Shipping & Payment look at this site: http://www.bertoiaauctions.com/

After the auction, I will publish the realized prices for these Martins.

Regarding the objects described in this article, I do not make a statement about condition or value.
I advise interested collectors always do to research yourself, to view the object or to contact the seller / auction

La Patinette – The boy on a scooter

Name: La Patinette
Produced from about 1929
Produced by Victor Bonnet (VB&Cie)
Production number 263
Movement mechanism: turning key with a loose key
Height: 22.5 cm / 8.86 inch
Length: 23 cm / 9.06 inch

The original box

If you look closely at the legs and the shoes you will see that Victor Bonnet has reused them from the boy on roller skates, Le Petit Patineur number 229 from 1914 made by Georges Flesheim.
The movement mechanism is also the same, they make a step movement with their right leg while the other leg is fixed on the roller skate with the Le Petit Patineur and on the step with the La Patinette.

This figure was used years ago by a Dutch investment / mortgage company in one of their advertisements.

The bottom
The Victor Bonnet logo ( VB&Cie Paris made in France ) is on the bottom plate under the front fork
Image in the Christmas catalog 1930/1931 Au Bon Marche December 1, 1930

Don’t miss the February 2024 issue of the Antique Toy World Magazine.

An overview of the contents of the new Antique Toy World Magazine February 2024 :

Antique Toy World is the leading publication for toy collectors worldwide.

Published since 1970.
Antique Toy World is a monthly magazine published in the USA by Dale Kelley, the magazine’s founder, editor and publisher.

To subscribe go to https://antiquetoyworld.com/about-atw/
Email: ads@antiquetoyworld.com

Morphy Auctions Toys & General Collectibles Febr. 14-15 & 16 . 2024

In this auction of Morphy Auctions there are 2 Fernand Martin toys but there are many more other beautiful pieces in this auction.

Pianist Martin number 189 – lot number 1030
Fisherman Martin number 209 – lot number 1057

Look for more auction informations : https://morphyauctions.com/auctions/past-auctions/toys-general-collectibles-4/

After the auction, I will publish the realized price for these toys.

Photos courtesy of Morphy Auctions

Regarding the objects described in this article, I do not make a statement about condition or value.
I advise interested collectors always do to research yourself, to view the object or to contact the seller / auction

Results of the Martins in the Milestone auction

SATURDAY JANUARY 13th 2024 10:00AM

PROUDLY PRESENTS THE NEW YEARS ANTIQUE TOYS EXTRAVAGANZA!!

THIS SPECIAL AUCTION INCLUDES A LIFE-LONG PRIVATE COLLECTION THAT INCLUDES MANY RARE AND WONDERFUL TOY!!

PRESSED STEEL TRUCKS, PEDAL CARS, AUTOMOTIVE TOYS, MOTORCYCLES, GERMAN WINDUPS, GERMAN HAND PAINT, TIN WINDUPS, CHARACTER TOYS, JAPANESE TIN, BATTERY OPS, ROBOTS, SPACE TOYS, & MORE!!

IN THIS AUCTION THERE ARE 39 MARTIN-BONNET-SIJIM TOYS AND THERE ARE MANY MORE WONDERFUL TOYS IN THIS AUCTION

“FULL CATALOG & LIVE BIDDING THRU”
WWW.MILESTONEAUCTIONS.COM LIVEAUCTIONEERS, & INVALUABLE

PHONE BIDS & ABSENTEE BIDS Call 440-527-8060

AUCTION PREVIEW AVAILABLE WEEK OF AUCTION & 8:00 AM AUCTION DAY

For the complete overview, Auction terms & Info, Shipping & Payment look at this site: https://www.milestoneauctions.com/

These result prices are in US $ and without Buyer’s Premium and subject to errors.
Always check the auction site for the results.

Photos courtesy Milestone Auctions

Regarding the objects described in this article, I do not make a statement about condition or value.
I advise interested collectors always do to research yourself, to

Overvieuw Victor Bonnet pistols

In recent months I have presented all till now known Victor Bonnet pistol models.
To make your search a little easier, I have combined them in this blog
Here is an overview of all models with the corresponding link to the relevant blog for each model.

The Victor Bonnet list with pistol models with article numbers and link to the specific blog:
247 le-pan-pan
256 flac
257 bombarde
258 le-petard
262 tape_fort
264 le-sans-balle
266 le-costaud
??? le-corsaire (Product number unknown)

Fernand Martin “Le Livreur” From 1888 (2020 article revised)

A very early Martin with the name: Le Livreur (the delivery guy)
Made from 1888
Product number 108
Length 15.6cm / 6.14in
This was probably the most successful Martin ever.

Photo courtesy of RSL auctions

The history that preceded this:
Due to an article in the American “The Official Gazette of the United States Patent Office” of October 20, 1885 on page 352, I came across the patent number 6470 of a “mechanical toy animal figure” .
I started searching further and it turned out to be an English patent.
In 1884 there was the Englishman Mr. William Hamilton Hall, 72 Denmark Villas, West Brighton, he was an inventor / toy manufacturer.
He filed a patent in England in April 17, 1884 under number GB 6470
The patent was filed under the name: “Improvements in Mechanical Toy Animal Figures”.
An extensive correction followed on January 26, 1885.
The Complete Specification was dated January 16, 1885, and it contains 7 pages of text and 3 pages of drawings.
The patent was directly applied for in several countries.
Here is an overview of the countries now known:
United States October 20, 1885 patent number 328912
France July 4, 1884, patent number 163149
Belgium March 28, 1885 patent number 68347
Austria December 4, 1884, patent number 34162
Hungary December 4, 1884, patent number 56714
Germany July 1, 1884, patent number 29806
England April 17, 1884, patent number 6470

Part of the discription from William Hamilton Hall with the US patent 328.912 from the “ The Official Gazette of the United States Patent Office “ The patent numbers and patent dates in different countries

The British Library Business & IP Center 96 Euston Road London make the patents available with explanation and images.

Part of the discription from William Hamilton Hall with the US patent 328.912 on this drawing you see a crank-shaft Y between the wheels of the cart and two connecting-rods X from the crank-shaft Y to the legs.

I found in David Pressland’s beautiful book “Pressland’s Blechspielzeug Der Welt” from 1995 and published by “AS Verlag Zürich” on page 241 a photo of a toy with his original box, the box appears, after further investigation, to have patent number 6470 and this is exactly the toy patent number from William Hamilton Hall produced from 1884, but are the box and toy on the photo from Hall?

Thanks to David Pressland’s that i may use this picture from his beautiful book “Pressland’s Blechspielzeug Der Welt” from 1995 , published by AS Verlag Zürich

I had a toy as on the picture from David Pressland book in my collection myself that looks like Martins “Le Livreur” but until now I do not know who the manufacturer is. As seen on the picture there is no crank-shaft between the wheels of the cart and there are no connecting-rods from the cart to the legs as seen on the Patent drawing above, Martin replaced that with a flywheel. Is this Hall’s “automatic postman” ?

Is it possible that Hall later adapted his toys, because they might have been cheaper and worked better, to Martin’s construction?”, yes that is possible, but he would have infringed Martin’s patent.
Or vice versa, Martin’s patent wouldn’t have been valid, if an instantiation of his invention had been commercially available.

I think that Martin study the Hall patent and he thought this was a wonderful toy and saw the business benefits.
But he had other thoughts about the mechanism and he applied for an “improved” patent for this type of toy.

In the book Fernand Martin Toymaker in Paris 1878-1912 it is stated on page 33 (with the wrong product number 22) that the story of the Le Livreur started with patent 75632 (printing error they meant 15632) on November 15, 1887 (this date will be reflected in the further story) but the story started with the William Hamilton Hill patent 6470 from April 17, 1884 in England so 3 years earlier.

Martin made improvements and on November 15, 1887 applied for a patent in England under the name “Improvements in Device or Mechanism for Communicating to Toys Movements Analogous to those of Human Beings and Animals when Walking.” and it get patent number 15632
The patent was reprinted as it was amended and quotes the following dates:
Date of Application: November 15, 1887,
Complete Specification Left (at the Patent Office,) May 09, 1888
Complete Specification Accepted July 27, 1888.
The patent contains 6 pages and includes 1 page with 4 drawings.

There are notable difference of Hall’s and Martin’s patents.
This is why “improvement” in Martin’s patent title takes its full sense, is that he eliminated the need for the crank-shaft between the wheels of the cart and the connecting-rods from the cart to the legs and replaced that with a flywheel.
He very smartly achieves it with the gripping of the heel of the supporting foot.
It therefore makes the cranked axle-tree easier to bend and the overall toy more reliable and simultaneously less expensive (less parts, less assembly time).

First page of the Fernand Martin patent GB 15632
Page 6 with the 4 drawings patent GB 15632. Here you can see the flywheel inside the cart.

Regarding the Hall and Martin patent, Martin explains a few things on page 5 of his English patent.

Martin wrote the following text:

Having now specifically described and ascertained the nature of my said invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that I am aware of Hall’s Specification No. 6470 AD 1884 and I make no claim to anything described and claimed therein, but what I claim is:
A kind of toy with a miniature figure (preferably of a man) the legs of whitch imitate the natural movements of walking by the combined action of a motor vehicle having a continuous translation motion and abutting point placing itself alternately on any suitable surface, in such manner that retaining one leg an instant on the ground and the movement of translation continuing this abutting point forces the leg in contact with the ground to incline itself thus giving a movement similar but in the reverse sense to the second leg with which it is connected by a bent or cranked axle.

About the same time, Martin also applied on November 12, 1887 for this patent in France, where it was given the number 186948.
See more in my other blog from August 15 2019:

le-livreur-description-of-the-patent-number-186948

But so far, all Martin copies and boxes found have the patent number 15632, so the English patent number.
I have not yet found any copies or a box with the French patent number.
On the top of the cart and on the box is written: “F.M. S.G.D.G. France & Etranger Paris Patent 15632
France & Etranger meens French and foreign.
I think Martin used the English patent number because it had already been approved and the application for the French patent was still being processed in France.

Top of the Martin cart

Martin-Lehmann
Fernand Martin and E.P. Lehmann turned out to be good business colleagues and Lehmann also saw something in this toy.
Lehmann was allowed to use this patent against payment of 5 francs per 144 (12 dozen) pieces sold.
The success was enormous and within 8 months Lehmann came to Martin with a payment of 5000 francs, so 144.000 of the Lehmann “Express” EPL number 140, had already been sold up to that point.

Back of the Lehmann cart

On the back of the Lehmann Express (the copy of the Martin Le Livreur) , the text is Engl.Patent without a patent number.

A toy and his box :

Thanks for being allowed to use the photo’s: Left “Le Livreur” Photo courtesy of Pook&Pook auctioneers, above right the “Lehmann Express” Photo courtesy of Morphy Auctions, right under the Hall ? toy Photo courtesy of David Pressland

Take a good look at the boxes from Martin, Lehmann and Hall ? , they are very similar.

The success of the collaboration between F. Martin and E.P. Lehmann was expanded with several Martins, of which Lehmann was allowed to use the patents and were also allowed to be manufactured.

With special thanks to:
The British Library. Business & IP Center. 96 Euston Road. London
To make the patents available with explanation and images.

Magazine Benjamin 1931 Dec 17.

Benjamin was a French newspaper for young people founded by Jean Nohain. First published in January 1929, it ended in 1958. Source gallica.bnf.fr / Bibliothèque nationale de France

A journalist from the magazine “Benjamin” visits M. Bonnet “President of French toy manufacturers…”

-Monsieur Bonnet, see you soon, madam, would you sit down?
The charming secretary who received me is a sociable person, she talks to you with respect.
-It’s because Monsieur Bonnet is very busy…
I know that.
mr. Bonnet honors himself with the admirable title of: President of the Syndicate Chamber of French Toy Manufacturers, but that’s not all, it’s an official title, but that generally means nothing.
-It’s no small feat, you can imagine, continues the dear secretary, to be governor-general of all French toys!
The time has come, now it gets interesting, I no longer wait for the chairman of a union chamber, but for the governor of toys, the king of toys, the Napoleon of toys, a gentleman who only talks and thinks of dolls, soldiers, trains…

—Would you like to go in, ma’am?
Mr. Bonnet stands before me and leads me into his opulent office.
I have to admit right away, Mr. Bonnet didn’t tell me this.
Disappointed and unless you’re unreasonable enough not to let in any toy king other than a six-year-old boy, everyone will agree that Mr. Bonnet is also exactly “the right man”, the type of the real good grandfather and a grandfather who spends his life surrounded by toys, judge a little!
Oh sir, you must know things that no one has the slightest idea!
Surely you can tell me how many toys we make each year?
Now impressive figures on toys come from France and elsewhere
—In France, on average, 70,000,000 are made, that is, for about 300,000,000 francs.
Who would have thought that? Every year, 70,000,000 toys are needed for little French people!

And what kind of toys do we mainly make, dolls and trains?
We can say that dolls alone make up a fifth of this production, the railway industry and the mechanical toy industry are about equally important, the rest of this figure achieved is represented by all kinds of toys.
And find all these dolls, all these trains, all these different toys, buyers?
—Certainly, and we could produce even more, since 20,000,000 pieces of foreign toys flow parallel to ours.
Imported toys then? Ah yes, I know one of the “Made in Germany” toys myself.
So there are so many toys made in Germany that those little Germans can’t destroy everything and that our little French children have to help them?
—We make a lot of them, but in the United States they make a lot more.
Is it the United States that produces the most?
Yes, they can be the main toy producing country classified according to the importance of their production: United States, Germany, France and Japan, where regiments of celluloid babies are born.
But it is Germany that exports the most, isn’t it?
—Yes, at least to France, the United States mainly exports to South America, Japan and to China.

Germany prefers to trade with us, firstly because it is our neighbor and secondly because French industrialists have a reputation for being very good payers.
—In 1930, of the 13,348 quintals (quintal is an old unit for weight of one hundred kilograms) of toys imported into France, 11,217 quintals came from Germany.
—But in Germany everyone has to make toys? You think I’m not telling the truth?
—In addition to the large factories, which are wonderfully equipped for the manufacture of mechanical toys, one can find whole families in small villages, such as in the Black Forest, for example, who are busy assembling small toys at home.
—Their work is paid at the rate of 0 Fr.50 to 2 Fr. per hour, which is too little and not good, as you can expect they work as much as possible.
You haven’t told me about the toy soldiers, sir.
—The toy soldier industry is starting to recover a bit, but each country is enough for its own consumption, other toys are also sold locally because it would be too inconvenient to ship it, for example, these are heavy toys such as wheelbarrows, carts, small furniture, wooden horses…

Here is a statement signed by Mr Bonnet

(translation) The president of the French toys manufacturer is hereby thanking the small junior Benjamin’s for listening to all our discussions.
He is asking them to please children of workmen and French toy makers by prioritizing toys made by their parents .

Sir, I didn’t believe the toy industry was so successful at first
—It is strong, important and also very complete, because it makes almost all crafts work, the little girls and boys want everything they see in the hands of adults in miniature, they have toy cars, sewing machines, bicycles, microscopes, clocks needed and who knows what else?

—On the other hand, some toys require a very diverse workforce.
—Open a box of board games and try to imagine the number of workers from many professions who had to work together to produce all these objects together.
But I think, sir, if the youngest didn’t break their toys, it would be a national disaster! half more unemployed?
—Certainly, ma’am, but thank goodness we’re not there yet and there will be a lot of water flowing under the bridges before the race of the little wrecker dies out, thankfully.
Who tell you, sir? I have a horrible three year old nephew who can bust the hardest toy in five minutes but darling is a good little civilian!
VIOLET-JEAN.

I wish all the visitors of my blog a:

Vrolijk Kerstfeest en een Gelukkig Nieuwjaar
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year
Fröhliche Weihnachten und ein glückliches Neues Jahr
Joyeux Noël et Bonne Année
Feliz Navidad y Próspero Año Nuevo
Buon Natale e Felice Anno Nuovo
Boas Festas e um feliz Ano Novo
Kala Christougenna Ki’eftihismenos O Kenourios Chronos
God Jul och Gott Nytt År
Glædelig Jul og godt nytår
Geseende Kerfees en ’n gelukkige nuwe jaar
Hyvää joulua ja onnellista uutta vuotta

Don’t miss the January 2024 issue of the Antique Toy World Magazine.

An overview of the contents of the new Antique Toy World Magazine January 2024:

Antique Toy World is the leading publication for toy collectors worldwide.

Published since 1970.
Antique Toy World is a monthly magazine published in the USA by Dale Kelley, the magazine’s founder, editor and publisher.

To subscribe go to https://antiquetoyworld.com/about-atw/
Email: ads@antiquetoyworld.com

Milestone Auction January 2024

SATURDAY JANUARY 13th 10:00AM

PROUDLY PRESENTS THE NEW YEARS ANTIQUE TOYS EXTRAVAGANZA!!

THIS SPECIAL AUCTION INCLUDES A LIFE-LONG PRIVATE COLLECTION THAT INCLUDES MANY RARE AND WONDERFUL TOY!!

PRESSED STEEL TRUCKS, PEDAL CARS, AUTOMOTIVE TOYS, MOTORCYCLES, GERMAN WINDUPS, GERMAN HAND PAINT, TIN WINDUPS, CHARACTER TOYS, JAPANESE TIN, BATTERY OPS, ROBOTS, SPACE TOYS, & MORE!!

IN THIS AUCTION THERE ARE 39 MARTIN-BONNET-SIJIM TOYS AND THERE ARE MANY MORE WONDERFUL TOYS IN THIS AUCTION

“FULL CATALOG & LIVE BIDDING THRU”
WWW.MILESTONEAUCTIONS.COM LIVEAUCTIONEERS, & INVALUABLE

PHONE BIDS & ABSENTEE BIDS Call 440-527-8060

AUCTION PREVIEW AVAILABLE WEEK OF AUCTION & 8:00 AM AUCTION DAY

For the complete overview, Auction terms & Info, Shipping & Payment look at this site: https://www.milestoneauctions.com/

After the auction, I will publish the realized prices for these Martins.

Photos courtesy Milestone Auctions

Regarding the objects described in this article, I do not make a statement about condition or value.
I advise interested collectors always do to research yourself, to view the object o

Course de taureau-The bull fighter.

An article with image of the bullfighter from Fernand Martin number 129 ((In the books known to us, this toy has the Martin product number 47, but that is incorrecte).

NEW YEAR’S DAY BARACKS 1894/1895

It seems that this year, the small booths on New Year’s Day have had a real resurgence in success. We don’t want to witness it except the compact crowd that hasn’t stopped crowding the boulevards since Christmas Eve.

L’univers Illustré jan. 05- 1895, Source gallica.bnf.fr / Bibliothèque nationale de France

During our walk we came across several sensational toys. In the series of mechanical toys, always very successful, here is the Bull race, which buyers have already dubbed the Little Sugar Bowl (explanation see below): two horizontal bars, one ending in a bull, the other in a toreador armed with his muleta, chase each other; the bull, with articulated legs, leaps upon the toreador who flees from him.

Detail

Explanation: Le petit sucrier: the sugar bowl. that was the nickname of Max Lebaudy, the son of a very wealthy French sugar manufacturer, who died young in 1895, after wasting millions, much of it in the most absurd way.
1894 is the year when Max fell in love with bullfighting.
He then intends to organize several bullfights on his estate and thus has an arena built for the occasion.
All of Paris and local notables are invited to attend these bullfights, orchestrated down to the smallest detail, even the program which was written in Spanish!
Because Fernand Martin also belonged to the notables of Paris, it is very likely that he also watched one of these bullfights and in an interview for the magazine: Almanach Pratique illustré du Petit Parisien 1913 article: Les jouet mécanique, invention bien Française by Paul Lagarlère page 71-80, Martin told that he was inspired by the Max Lebaudy bullfight’s to design this toy.

Courtesy: Spielzeug museum Soltau Germany

You can find another article about this toy in the link below:

 course-de-taureaux-the-bull-fighter

Result of the Martin’s in the Bertolami Fine Art Antique Toys & Sports Memorabilia auction December 5 – 2023

INFORMATION ON AUCTION 278

The auction will be held on December 5th at 15:00 CEST in Bertolami Fine Art headquarter in Piazza Lovatelli, 1 – Rome.

In this auction there are 4 Martin toys, but there are more beautiful other toys in this auction.

The following methods of participation are available: in person; by telephoneonline upon registration on our website www.bertolamifineart.com, or on our partner portals (see list below); by a written absentee bid to be received by 12:00 CEST on Tuesday 5th November 2023.

List of partner portals:

DrouotInvaluableLive AuctioneersArsvalueBidspiritOne Bid

For more information click on this link: https://www.bertolamifineart.com/uk/special-conditions/informazioni-sullasta-278.asp?layout=0

These prices are in € (Euro) and without Buyer’s Premium and subject to errors.
Always check the auction site for the results.

Regarding the objects described in this article, I do not make a statement about condition or value.
I advise interested collectors always do to research yourself, to view the object or to contact the seller / auction

The Bertolami Fine Art Antique Toys & Sports Memorabilia auction December 5 – 2023

INFORMATION ON AUCTION 278

The auction will be held on December 5th at 15:00 CEST in Bertolami Fine Art headquarter in Piazza Lovatelli, 1 – Rome.

In this auction there are 4 Martin toys, but there are more beautiful other toys in this auction.

The following methods of participation are available: in person; by telephoneonline upon registration on our website www.bertolamifineart.com, or on our partner portals (see list below); by a written absentee bid to be received by 12:00 CEST on Tuesday 5th November 2023.

List of partner portals:

DrouotInvaluableLive AuctioneersArsvalueBidspiritOne Bid

For more information click on this link: https://www.bertolamifineart.com/uk/special-conditions/informazioni-sullasta-278.asp?layout=0

After the auction, I will publish the realized price for these toys.

Regarding the objects described in this article, I do not make a statement about condition or value.
I advise interested collectors always do to research yourself, to view the object or to contact the seller / auction

Difference between: La Casseuse D’assiettes / Madelon Casseuse D’assiettes.

This very beautiful toy was first produced by Fernand Martin’s successor, Mr. Georges Flersheim.
In the late 1920s, approximately around 1928, these toys were produced again in a slightly modified form by Georges Flersheim’s successor Mr. Victor Bonnet
The height of both versions is approximately 19 cm / 7,5 inch

The differences are mainly in:
Georges Flersheim version is named: La Casseuse D’assiettes
Produced from 1913
Product number 233
Hand-lacquered
A characteristic Flersheim key
Produced in a red and blue version

Victor Bonnet version is named: Madelon Casseuse D’assiettes.
Produced from around 1928
Product number 260
The body is no longer hand-lacquered, only her face and hat with bow are hand-lacquered.
A distinctive Victor Bonnet key
Got cloth clothes

Christmas catalogue: Samaritaine 1929-1930

The number of dishes and the color of the dishes may differ depending on the version.
Georges Flersheim’s version only had “white” dishes.
Various color versions of the plates were found in the Victor Bonnet version.

  • Only “white” dishes.
  • “White” dishes with a “red” dish on top attached to the rod
  • Dishes in “red” with gold-colored stars as decoration
  • Dishes in “red” with gold-colored dots as decoration

The bottom dish that is attached to the hands is colored “white” in the Flersheim version, in the Bonnet version it is “white” and features a red factory logo with the text VB&CIE PARIS MADE IN FRANCE

‘La Casseuse d’Assiettes’ was inspired by a comic strip featuring a girl called Becassine.
The comic strip was first published ‘La Semaine de Suzette’ (February 1905), a weekly edition for girls and very soon Becassine became a French icon.
In 1913 Flersheim made her into a fantastic toy but he was not allowed to use the name Becassine because it had been registered as a trademark in 1910.
I found a book: La Semaine de Suzette with the first 26 weekly numbers of 1914, in this book the publisher placed advertisements, in which he sold ‘Becassine Casseuse d’Assiettes’ at 2.90 Francs, without naming Flersheim.

Book: “la Semaine de Suzette”, from 1914 10-ième année – Premier semestre 
Advertising 1 Bécassine 001 from “la Semaine de Suzette” No. 9 – 2 avril 1914 ( 10-ième annéé)
Advertising 2 Bécassine 001 from “la Semaine de Suzette”No. 11 – 16 avril 1914

Advertising 1
Advertising 2

Below you can see two patents about this toy, the first is the France patent with number 458560 of Mai 29 -1913 and the second is the German patent with number 270852 of July 13 – 1913, on the patent drawings you can see how complicated and ingenious the mechanism is. If you look at the mechanism from the inside you will also see solidity.

Part of the French patent
Part of the German patent

The Box:

The differences between the box of the Flersheim version and the Bonnet version are clearly visible

The top of the box of the Flersheim version
The inside of the box of the Flersheim version
The top of the box of the Bonnet version
The inside of the top of the box of the Bonnet version

The operation is as follows: after turning the mechanism, the figure vibrates forward, after a short time the dishes are thrown into the air and the figure falls backwards. Then the dishes must be gathered together again, placed on the support rod and the rod with the dishes must be pushed back into the bottom dish that is fixed between the hands.

Courtesy Greg DeSanto : International Clown Hall of Fame and Research Center

Carl Bagessen, born in 1858 in Denmark.
In 1895 he was a contortionist at Cirque Rancy in Lyon, under the name “Corkscrew Man”.
He also had a comedy act very similar to our toy in action where he drops a huge pile of plates on the floor.
For twenty years, Bagessen brought this act to all the variety theaters in the world.

Marque Déposée Article Français.

Explanetion of the “triangel” mark sign on toys

On many toys from around 1887 till the thirty’s of the last century, we see a triangular symbol with a number below it on the boxes of toys and even on the toys.
This symbol was once invented by the”La Chambre Syndicale des Fabricants de Jouets Français”, of which Fernand Martin was a board member and even once chairman, in the thirty’s of the last century the triangle probably had lost any meaning and disappeared.

This symbol was a sing of quality from a French manufacturer.

The manufacturer who wishes to make use of this mark only has to justify his quality of French manufacturer, and to pay the registration fee for the serial number of the police in perpetuity, a fee which amounts to a single sum of five francs.

Gallica BnF : Chambre Syndicale des Fabricants de Jouets Français

FACTORY BRAND
FRENCH TOY
The Trade Union Chamber of French Toy Manufacturers filed with the Registry of the Commercial Court of the Seine, June 1, 1886, under number 23,795, a trademark of which we give the facsimile.
The Chambre Syndicale, with the aim of developing national industry, grants authorization to use this mark to any French industrialist who so requests.
It is enough to justify its quality as a French manufacturer.
For information, contact the Chambre Syndicale on the third Friday of each month, Hôtel Moderne, place de la République.

Each toy manufacturer that was allowed to use this symbol received a separate number.
Fernand Martin’s factory was registered under number 138

I found the first Martin toy with this sign on the box of the Le Cab from 1889

Some examples of the “triangel” mark sign on toys, catalogue or toy box of various manufacturers with their number

RESULT OF THE MARTIN TOYS IN THE BERTOIA ANNUAL FALL AUCTION November 17-18, 2023

A magnificent sale with choice collections from around the country and the globe alike, the November auction is certain to grab international attention. Highlighted categories include Mechanical Banks, Spelter and iron Still Banks, sensational European tinplate toys and wind-ups, Trains and Airplanes, and much more!

Heath Hurlbert Mechanical Banks | The Willett Still Bank Collection | The Bob Davis Aeronautical Collection

In this auction are this time 7 Martin / Victor Bonnet toys.

The Bertoia team is dedicated to offering our quality customer service, experience and support.
Do not hesitate to contact us for assistance with registration, bidding or any other questions.

For the complete overview, Auction terms & Info, Shipping & Payment look at this site: http://www.bertoiaauctions.com/

These result prices are in US $ and without Buyer’s Premium and subject to errors.
Always check the auction site for the results.

Regarding the objects described in this article, I do not make a statement about condition or value.
I advise interested collectors always do to research yourself, to view the object or to contact the seller / auction

Fernand Martin stand on the World Exhibition Liège, Belgium in 1905

The stand of Fernand Martin, picture found in:
Exposition universelle & internationale de Liège 1905 rapport général de la section française – Free Download Borrow and Streaming Internet Archive

Excerpt from the original report: group: Class 100 section Bimbeloterie
There was a colossal statue personifying the Toy Fairy distributing toys.
The French toy exhibition included 63 exhibitors representing a wide variety of branches of the toy industry.
One of them was Mr. Fernand Martin, former president of the Trade union Chamber of the manufacturers of toys and games.
(Reporter, Mr. A. Chauvin.)

Results of the Martin toys in the “JOUETS DE COLLECTION” Galerie de Chartres auction on November 11 – 2023

The French auction house: Galerie de Chartres has this time 19 very nice Fernand Martin/Victor Bonnet toys in the “LIVE” auction on November 11 -2023.
Furthermore, there are many more other beautiful toys in this auction that we can look for.

GALERIE DE CHARTRES

FOR MORE INFORMATIONS E-MAIL TO : chartres@galeriedechartres.com

After the auction, I will publish the realized price for this toy.

These prices are in € (Euro) and without Buyer’s Premium and subject to errors.
Always check the auction site for the results.

Regarding the objects described in this article, I do not make a statement about condition or value.
I advise interested collectors always do to research yourself, to view the object or to contact the seller / auction

Don’t miss the December 2023 issue of the Antique Toy World Magazine.

An overview of the contents of the new Antique Toy World Magazine December 2023 :

Antique Toy World is the leading publication for toy collectors worldwide.

Published since 1970.
Antique Toy World is a monthly magazine published in the USA by Dale Kelley, the magazine’s founder, editor and publisher.

To subscribe go to https://antiquetoyworld.com/about-atw/
Email: ads@antiquetoyworld.com

Victor Bonnet pistols 8: Le Corsaire

Victor Bonnet produced various tin pistols in the period from 1919 to 1933.
The number we know now is 8 pieces but maybe we will discover more.
the list of the pistols known so far is:

The Victor Bonnet list with pistol models with article numbers
Le Pan-Pan 247
Flac 256
Bombarde 257
Le Pétard 258
Tape_Fort 262
Le Sans-Balle 264
Le Costaud 266
Le Corsaire (Product number unknown)

Here we present :

Name: Le Corsaire
Number: Product number unknown
Year of first production: 1932 ??
Dimensions: 18 cm x ?? cm / 7 inch x ?? inch

After the relocation of the production of the Victor Bonnet factory in 1933, we no longer find pistols in the product range.
Probably is that the Victor Bonnet & Cie-in-liquidation, sold the patents and trademarks of guns/pistols to JEP.

“JOUETS DE COLLECTION” Galerie de Chartres auction on November 11 – 2023

The French auction house: Galerie de Chartres has this time 19 very nice Fernand Martin/Victor Bonnet toys in the “LIVE” auction on November 11 -2023.
Furthermore, there are many more other beautiful toys in this auction that we can look for.

GALERIE DE CHARTRES

Here the link for the entire collection to be auctioned: https://www.interencheres.com/meubles-objets-art/jouets-de-collection-614630/

FOR MORE INFORMATIONS E-MAIL TO : chartres@galeriedechartres.com

After the auction, I will publish the realized price for these toys.

Regarding the objects described in this article, I do not make a statement about condition or value.
I advise interested collectors always do to research yourself, to view the object or to contact the seller / auction

RESULT MILESTONE ELMER’S TOYS AUCTION OCTOBER 28th 2023

PROUDLY PRESENTS ELMER’S TOYS AUCTION #1

THIS WILL BE THE FIRST IN A SERIES OF AUCTIONS OF THE EXTENSIVE VINTAGE TOY COLLECTION OF ELMER & BERNADETTE DUELLMAN!!

THIS KICKOFF AUCTION WILL CONSIST OF 800+ LOTS FROM THE MUSEUM COLLECTION WHICH CONSISTS OF OVER 20,000 TOYS OF ALL KINDS.

PRESSED STEEL TRUCKS, JAPANESE TIN CARS, RACE CARS, TETHER CARS, MOTORCYCLES, GERMAN TOYS, TIN WINDUPS, CHARACTER TOYS, BATTERY OPS, SPACE TOYS, & MUCH MORE!!!

IN THIS AUCTION THERE IS ONE MARTIN TOY BUT THERE ARE MANY MORE WONDERFUL TOYS IN THIS AUCTION

RESULT: $ 450

“FULL CATALOG & LIVE BIDDING THRU”
WWW.MILESTONEAUCTIONS.COM LIVEAUCTIONEERS, & INVALUABLE

PHONE BIDS & ABSENTEE BIDS Call 440-527-8060

AUCTION PREVIEW AVAILABLE WEEK OF AUCTION & 8:00 AM AUCTION DAY

For the complete overview, Auction terms & Info, Shipping & Payment look at this site: https://www.milestoneauctions.com/

These result price is in US $ and without Buyer’s Premium and subject to errors.
Always check the auction site for the results.

Photos courtesy Milestone Auctions

Regarding the objects described in this article, I do not make a statement about condition or value.
I advise interested collectors always do to research yoursel

Number 246 “Le Déverseur” for the Englisch speaking market

In one of my previous blogs I mentioned that the Le Deverseur was only found with a French label on top of the box and for the Englisch market with a Englisch instruction label inside on the bottom of the box..

with a French label on the top of the box and an English instructions for use label on the bottom inside of the box

I’ve seen one now one, with all the labels in English.
Below you can also see on the box label that the name has been changed in : Self Unloading Waggon.

The label on top of the box, the instructions for use picture on the side of box and the separate instructions for use are all in the English language.

The separate user manual card is executed in two languages, French and Englisch, in the right photo you can see that he is not called “Waggon” as on the box label but “Lorry”

BERTOIA ANNUAL FALL AUCTION November 17-18, 2023

A magnificent sale with choice collections from around the country and the globe alike, the November auction is certain to grab international attention. Highlighted categories include Mechanical Banks, Spelter and iron Still Banks, sensational European tinplate toys and wind-ups, Trains and Airplanes, and much more!

Heath Hurlbert Mechanical Banks | The Willett Still Bank Collection | The Bob Davis Aeronautical Collection

In this auction are this time 7 Martin / Victor Bonnet toys.

The Bertoia team is dedicated to offering our quality customer service, experience and support.
Do not hesitate to contact us for assistance with registration, bidding or any other questions.

For the complete overview, Auction terms & Info, Shipping & Payment look at this site: http://www.bertoiaauctions.com/

After the auction, I will publish the realized prices for these Martins.

Regarding the objects described in this article, I do not make a statement about condition or value.
I advise interested collectors always do to research yourself, to view the object or to contact the seller / auction

Don’t miss the November 2023 issue of the Antique Toy World Magazine.

An overview of the contents of the new Antique Toy World Magazine November 2023 :

Antique Toy World is the leading publication for toy collectors worldwide.

Published since 1970.
Antique Toy World is a monthly magazine published in the USA by Dale Kelley, the magazine’s founder, editor and publisher.

To subscribe go to https://antiquetoyworld.com/about-atw/
Email: ads@antiquetoyworld.com

Le Jeu De Massacre

FIRST FIND

This is a very early toy from 1885
Length approx. 17,8 cm/ 7 inches
Height approx. 12,5 cm/ 5 inches

No final product number is known for this toy.
In the book by Lourens Bas : Toymaker in Paris 1878 – 1912 he is listed under number 16 on page 45 but we now know that the numbering of the “first” period is completely different, see my article https://fernandmartintoys.nl/the-numbering-of-the-fernand-martin-first-period-who-can-help-me/

THE BACK

It has long remained unknown how this toy looked like but an article written by Renaud Fournier in the Antique Toy World Magazine of december 2016 mentions that one copy was found at a French auction, but a second copy has since been found at a French auction at Galerie de Chartres January 2022 at Le Coudray.
This toy is very fragile and both found pieces have missing parts such as broken hands, arms and heads.

SECOND FIND

These toys also appear not to be made of cardboard, as is stated in the book by Lourens Bas: Toymaker in Paris 1878 – 1912, but of tinplate and cast metal.
The front is lithographed and the back is blank tinplate.
The whole rests on two transverse strips.
The three figures are flexibly mounted on a rod.
On the front is written at the top the word Massacre and at the bottom in small FM Bté S.G.D.G. Paris Modele Déposé.

When all figures have been hit well by a ball

In the past, this toy will have been delivered in a box with one or more small balls to try to knock over one or more of the three figures.
The figures are a devil, a polichinelle and a pierrot made of cast metal.

We are not yet 100% sure from catalog images or the sales box whether this is really a Martin, but there are a few indications that this is a Martin:

  • the reuse of the devil figure in the Le Jeu De Force from 1884 and the Le Diable En Boîte from 1890.
  • the text : FM Bté S.G.D.G. Paris Modele Déposé, which can also be found practically written in the same way on other toys from that time such as the Les Joyeux Danseurs and the Les Courageux Scieurs De Long….

Photos of the toy: Jeu De Massacre, courtesy Renaud Fournier and Galerie de Chartres

Victor Bonnet pistols 7: Le Costaud

Victor Bonnet produced various tin pistols in the period from 1919 to 1933.
The number we know now is 8 pieces but maybe we will discover more.
the list of the pistols known so far is:

The Victor Bonnet list with pistol models with article numbers
Le Pan-Pan 247
Flac 256
Bombarde 257
Le Pétard 258
Tape_Fort 262
Le Sans-Balle 264
Le Costaud 266
Le Corsaire ??

Here we present :

Name: Le Costaud
Number: 266
Year of first production: 1931
Dimensions: 14,5 cm x 11,5 cm / 5,7 inch x 4,53 inch

Patent number is FR 730.021 d.d. April 04-1931

With the product number 266 on the box
image from a JEP sale catalog from the model “Le Corsaire”

After the relocation of the production of the Victor Bonnet factory in 1933, we no longer find pistols in the product range.
Probably is that the Victor Bonnet & Cie-in-liquidation, sold the patents and trademarks of guns/pistols to JEP.

Chauds les marrons, The chestnut vendor

first production date : 1912
production number: 227
height: 19 cm / 7,5 inch produced by Georges Flersheim

After winding, his head moves and his right hand goes spinning over the chestnuts, his left hand moves with the lid of the kettle.

Roasted sweet chestnuts were already sold in Rome in the sixteenth century. In Paris they were roasted and sold on the spot on the street, nowadays there are still many European places where they are offered on the street.

Paris early 1900 (photos from my collection)

This street scene is of course also seen by toy manufacturers and like so many street scenes there was an ingenious inventor who designed a toy out of it.
I found an article in the magazine La Nature from 1911 with a description and picture of a “Le Marchand de Marrons” that looks very much like the Flersheim version.

The original inventor of this toy is Mr. Raoul Maurin from Paris. Source picture : (Cnum – Digital Conservatory of Arts and Crafts – http://cnum.cnam.fr magazine La Nature 1911

an early French postcard


As is well known, Fernand Martin has bought many inventions from the small inventors in his career, this toy came from the old Martin portfolios, Martin had bought the design of this toy at the Concours Lepine in 1911 and Flersheim patented them under his name. Note:
Flersheim acquired with the company all Martin’s patents and this one is one of them.

Part of the patent applied by Georges Flersheim
Another part of this patent
Very nice box label

Released with different logos and texts and the winding key at the bottom.

la Pompe: The man at the village pump

Maker: Fernand Martin

Year: 1897

Number: 159

Dimensions: High 20 cm ( 7,9 inch) Long 15 cm ( 5,9 inch)

Coutesy Bertoia auctions

This very rare toy is driven by a rubber band, Martin used this rubber band a lot in his first period.
A man pumps water from a village pump.
Many working figures are unknown and this toy had a real working pump.
Water had to be put in the container under the pump and after winding up the rubber band, the man started pumping and the water came out of the pump.

If you look at the drawing you can recognize the working of the pump.

Picture from the original catalog from 1898

I have seen this toy with the man in two differend colors, yellow en red. This man was also used by Martin in other toys such as the La Famille vélo from 1897, the Le Monocycle aérien from 1896 and with a toy which I previously wrote a piece about but is unknown so far, see my blog: https://fernandmartintoys.nl/did-i-found-an-unknown-martin-toy-or-not/

MILESTONE ELMER’S TOYS AUCTION OCTOBER 28th 2023

PROUDLY PRESENTS ELMER’S TOYS AUCTION #1

THIS WILL BE THE FIRST IN A SERIES OF AUCTIONS OF THE EXTENSIVE VINTAGE TOY COLLECTION OF ELMER & BERNADETTE DUELLMAN!!

THIS KICKOFF AUCTION WILL CONSIST OF 800+ LOTS FROM THE MUSEUM COLLECTION WHICH CONSISTS OF OVER 20,000 TOYS OF ALL KINDS.

PRESSED STEEL TRUCKS, JAPANESE TIN CARS, RACE CARS, TETHER CARS, MOTORCYCLES, GERMAN TOYS, TIN WINDUPS, CHARACTER TOYS, BATTERY OPS, SPACE TOYS, & MUCH MORE!!!

IN THIS AUCTION THERE IS ONE MARTIN TOY BUT THERE ARE MANY MORE WONDERFUL TOYS IN THIS AUCTION

LOT 0342

“FULL CATALOG & LIVE BIDDING THRU”
WWW.MILESTONEAUCTIONS.COM LIVEAUCTIONEERS, & INVALUABLE

PHONE BIDS & ABSENTEE BIDS Call 440-527-8060

AUCTION PREVIEW AVAILABLE WEEK OF AUCTION & 8:00 AM AUCTION DAY

For the complete overview, Auction terms & Info, Shipping & Payment look at this site: https://www.milestoneauctions.com/

After the auction, I will publish the realized prices for these Martins.

Photos courtesy Milestone Auctions

Regarding the objects described in this article, I do not make a statement about condition or value.
I advise interested collectors always do to research yourself, to view the object or to contact the seller / auction

Result Martin Fireman in the Ladenburger Spielzeugauktion September 22/09-2023

In the next Ladenburger Toyauction there is one Martin toy with Lot number 017 but there are many more other beautiful pieces in this auction
We are pleased to present you this catalog in German and English language.

For the complete overview, Auction terms & Info, Shipping & Payment look at this site:
https://www.spielzeugauktion.de/?&lang=en

Result € 360

Le Pompier L’Echelle – (the fireman) – Martin number 197bis. This model was made by Victor Bonnet from 1919.

The price is in Euro € and without Buyer’s Premium and subject to errors.
Always check the auction site for the results.

Regarding the objects described in this article, I do not make a statement about authenticity, condition or value.
I advise interested collectors always do to research yourself, to view the object or to contact the seller / auction

Victor Bonnet pistols 6: Le Sans Balle

Victor Bonnet produced various tin pistols in the period from 1919 to 1933.
The number we know now is 8 pieces but maybe we will discover more.
the list of the pistols known so far is:

The Victor Bonnet list with pistol models with article numbers
Le Pan-Pan 247
Flac 256
Bombarde 257
Le Pétard 258
Tape_Fort 262
Le Sans-Balle 264
Le Costaud 266
Le Corsaire ??

Here we present :

Name: Le Sans-Balle
Number: 264
Year of first production: 1929
Dimensions: 9,5 cm x 7 cm / 3,75 inch x 2,8 inch

Image of the back of a Victor Bonnet bill

Result Martin Toy in the Auction Team Breker September 16, 2023

Office-Antiques • Mechanical Music • Science & Technology • Photographica & Film • Fine Toys & Automata

In this auction there is one Fernand Martin toy, but there are even more wonderful toys in this auction.

Description:
Lot number 0491
Ferdinand Martin Violinist “Le Gai Violoniste”, 1897 onwards
No. 160, France, hand-painted face, metal body, fabric clothing, key-wound, the violinist spinning drunkenly in circles while playing his violin, slight paint chips and fabric wear, working, embossed with “FM” logo on the hat, height 7 4/5 in.

Result: € 400

For the complete overview, Auction terms & Info, Shipping & Payment look at this site: https://auction-team.de/

The price is in Euro € and without Buyer’s Premium and subject to errors.
Always check the auction site for the results.

Regarding the objects described in this article, I do not make a statement about authenticity, condition or value.
I advise interested collectors always do to research yourself, to view the object or to contact the seller / auction

Ladenburger Spielzeugauktion September 22/09-2023

In the next Ladenburger Toyauction there is one Martin toy with Lot number 017 but there are many more other beautiful pieces in this auction
We are pleased to present you this catalog in German and English language.

For the complete overview, Auction terms & Info, Shipping & Payment look at this site:
https://www.spielzeugauktion.de/?&lang=en

Le Pompier L’Echelle – (the fireman) – Martin number 197bis. This model was made by Victor Bonnet from 1919.

After the auction, I will publish the realized price for this Martin.

Regarding the objects described in this article, I do not make a statement about authenticity, condition or value.
I advise interested collectors always do to research yourself, to view the object or to contact the seller / auction

Don’t miss the October 2023 issue of the Antique Toy World Magazine.

An overview of the contents of the new Antique Toy World Magazine October 2023 :

Antique Toy World is the leading publication for toy collectors worldwide.

Published since 1970.
Antique Toy World is a monthly magazine published in the USA by Dale Kelley, the magazine’s founder, editor and publisher.

To subscribe go to https://antiquetoyworld.com/about-atw/
Email: ads@antiquetoyworld.com

The inventor of the toy: Chauds les Marrons.

We all know the chestnut vendor “Chauds les Marrons” , it was produced by Georges Flersheim but Fernand Martin bought the rights during the annual “Concours Lepine” in 1911.

Here an article from I found in the magazine “La Nature” from 1911 of the “original” toy.

Source: Cnum – Digital Conservatory of Arts and Crafts – http://cnum.cnam.fr magazine La Nature 1911

A free translation:

TOYS

The chestnut vendor.
Here comes winter.
The chestnut merchant sets up his itinerant shop under a doorway or on a street corner and offers passers-by a bargain.
The one shown in our drawing is very natural.
With one hand he stirs the contents of the pan, with the other hand he keeps the circle and the movement of his head towards the oranges and chestnuts, kept warm under a cloth, very clearly indicating that he offers his goods to passers-by.
How does it all work?
The circular movement of the right arm, the one that stirs the chestnuts, is done by means of a rod A, driven by the spring mechanism placed in B, and crossing the pan to direct the hand using a pin C.
The head is driven by a rod D taken eccentrically and hidden in the body of the man from the “Auvergne” (province in France)
The inventor is mr. Raoul Maurin, 24 rue de Belfort, Paris.

I will soon make another blog with more details and things worth knowing about this toy.

Auction Team Breker September 16, 2023

Office-Antiques • Mechanical Music • Science & Technology • Photographica & Film • Fine Toys & Automata

In this auction there is one Fernand Martin toy, but there are even more wonderful toys in this auction.

Description:
Lot number 0491
Ferdinand Martin Violinist “Le Gai Violoniste”, 1897 onwards
Nr 160, France, hand-painted face, metal body, fabric clothing, key-wound, the violinist spinning drunkenly in circles while playing his violin, slight paint chips and fabric wear, working, embossed with “FM” logo on the hat, height 7 4/5 in.

For the complete overview, Auction terms & Info, Shipping & Payment look at this site:

https://auction-team.de/


After the auction, I will publish the realized price for this toy.

Regarding the objects described in this article, I do not make a statement about authenticity, condition or value.
I advise interested collectors always do to research yourself, to view the object or to contact the seller / auction

La voiture a bitume from 1903

The early period of the pavements in Paris around 1900

With the increase in traffic on the streets of Paris in the late 1800s and early 1900s, it was necessary to cover the ground with a homogeneous material that was easy to drive on and walk on.
At that time, there were 5 options: large cobblestones, small pitted cobblestones, wooden cobblestones, asphalt or macadam.
These five different types of pavement were successively used in the city, each with their advantages and disadvantages.
The method of paving with wooden cobblestones received a lot of enthusiasm at the time and was the first option developed.
Made of pine, these wooden pavers were laid perpendicular to the road and then sealed with bitumen.
The wooden pavers were finally abandoned completely after 1930 in favor of stone pavers.

French Postcard

So around the turn of the 20e century and long afterwards you could see the asphalt workers in the streets.
A wagon with boiling hot asphalt was pulled by a horse.
The asphalt was poured into buckets and distributed over the existing wooden cobblestones in the streets and on the sidewalks.
A tough and hot job.


Fernand Martin made a toy as a result of these diligent workers and put it on the market in 1903
The toy is about 26 cm / 10,2 inch long and was powered by a clockwork.
The man at the back is also driven by this clockwork, which makes it seem as if he rotates a rod, you can also see the same rod on the images of the real asphalt wagons.

Catalog image

Fernand Martin number 194

Result Martin toys in the MILESTONE: DISCOVERY VINTAGE TOYS & MORE AUCTION Aug. 26, 2023

Milestone Auctions is proud to present this auction event. Collectors will have the chance to bid on many different categories of wonderful Antique & Vintage Toys!!

Wonderful selection of American, German, & Japanese Windup and Battery Operated Toys, Pressed Steel Truck, Cast Iron, Trains, Martin toys & MORE!!

lot 252 result $ 325
Lot 255 result $ 500
Lot 258 result $ 825

“FULL CATALOG & LIVE BIDDING THRU”
WWW.MILESTONEAUCTIONS.COM LIVEAUCTIONEERS, & INVALUABLE

PHONE BIDS & ABSENTEE BIDS Call 440-527-8060

AUCTION PREVIEW AVAILABLE WEEK OF AUCTION & 8:00 AM AUCTION DAY

For the complete overview, Auction terms & Info, Shipping & Payment look at this site: https://www.milestoneauctions.com/

These result price is in US $ and without Buyer’s Premium and subject to errors.
Always check the auction site for the results.

Photos courtesy Milestone Auctions

Regarding the objects described in this article, I do not make a statement about condition or value.
I advise interested collectors always do to research yourself, to view the object or to contact the seller / auction

Don’t miss the September 2023 issue of the Antique Toy World Magazine.

An overview of the contents of the new Antique Toy World Magazine September 2023 :

Antique Toy World is the leading publication for toy collectors worldwide.

Published since 1970.
Antique Toy World is a monthly magazine published in the USA by Dale Kelley, the magazine’s founder, editor and publisher.

To subscribe go to https://antiquetoyworld.com/about-atw/
Email: ads@antiquetoyworld.com

Fernand Martin toys “Jouets en Boites”.

This article is published in the June 2023 issue of ANTIQUE TOY WORLD monthly magazine. After publication in the ATW, this article has been slightly modified in a few places

These boxes contain very different toys than we know from Fernand Martin.
At the end of 1900, many toy manufacturers made little figures, mostly from tin/lead, wood, tinplate or a mixture of wood flour and glue, in Germany called “Masse” (such as Elastolin, Lineol etc.).

The smallest Martin figures like the chickens, ducks, goose etc. are made of tin/lead and massive.
The bigger Martin figures like the cows, dogs, sheep, building, fences, persons etc. are made of two kinds of metal, I tested them all with a magnet, the bottom plate is magnetic so tinplate and the figures, animals, etc. are not magnetic.
I think they are made of pewter (a ductile metal alloy of tin and other metals ) and soldered / welded to the bottom plate.
They are not massive but hollow on the inside, which makes them very light and all painted by hand.
These boxes have the Martin number 165 and were produced from 1898.

Number 165:

On this original catalog image are various numbers and texts.
The numbers are clear, what is striking is that number 5 is missing.
The first three numbers are about a village,
From number 4 and 6 till 9 you see behind each number 4 names
The translation of these names in English are : menangeriefarmhunting scene and shepherd.
So there must be a total of 23 different boxes
These boxes are very rare, but I have received two pictures from Frédéric Marchand of a box with a hunting scene.

Pictures courtesy Frédéric Marchand

On the box is also the text “No” but the number is not visible anymore and probably written earlier in pencil and almost completely disappeared in the last more than 120 years.
I tried to “edit” the image and I could very badly discover that there might have been a 7.

In my collection I have a nice group of a shepherd with his sheep and a group of a farmer with animals, both without the box.

This shepherd with his sheep was purchased from a large French toy dealer and he told me that these were determined by Frédéric Marchand as Martins, (Bergerie) but which box number is unknown.
The figures themselves do not have an FM logo or the like and I don’t know if it is complete.
The shepherd is about 7 cm high (2.76 inch) and the farmer is about 5,5 cm high ( 2,17 inch).

Number 166:

Catalog page: Wooden boxes with wooden decorations number 166
This is maybe one of the wooden boxes but not 100% certainty, the box label is gone. The animals and the person visible in the image belong to the Martin figures in this article.

Boxes with wooden and hand painted decorations with number 166.
These boxes with background decorations were sold complete with figures and animals, on the catalog pages is mentioned the text: “Animaux modelés d’après nature”, and that’s translated: “Animals modeled after nature
I count a total of 12 different boxes on the catalog page, but the numbers 20-21-22 and 50-51-52 are still a mystery to me!

But I found a little more.
One of the old original Fermand Martin catalogs contains an image of other boxes with animals and figures.
This box is not numbered in the catalog but is depicted immediately after the box number 165 “Jouets en Boites“.
This box contains figures and animals.
The French text is: Animaux & sujets en vrac. assortis à la grosse and that means: Animals & subjects in bulk. Assorted by the dozen. So they are extension boxes for the boxes with number 165 and 166 “.
According to the picture there are 3 different boxes with each a different assortment.

Extension box: assortment number 2

In this image of the Extension box: assortment number 2, you can also clearly see from the box of the Shepherd (Bergerie) and the box of the Farm (Ferme), the both type of sheep, cow, goat, donkey, dog, farmer and some of the animals from the box Hunting (Chasse) the wild boar, deer, fence and the two dogs.

Published in 2014

The catalog image “Extension box: assortment number 2” is not depicted in the book “Fernand Martin Toymaker in Paris 1878-1912”.
The toys that belonged to the numbers 163 to 166 were not clear to both authors at the time the book was made. ( see their comments on page 101 in this book )

Courtesy Massilia Toys

On an original poster by Fernand Martin from 1902 with a lot of toys from that time, there is an image with 12 pigs, with this image it is stated: Animaux sur cartes (Animals On Card). The card is marked FM in a circle and the well-known triangle with 138. So I assume that there were several different replenishment cards to supplement the boxes, whether these cards were given a separate number is unknown to me until now.

What also appears is that these same figures were probably also used in the articles with the numbers 131 to 143 from 1894.

Conclusion:

In the book “Fernand Martin Toymaker in Paris 1878-1912” p. 101-102 the toys that belonged to the numbers 163 to 166 were not clear to both authors at the time the book was made. ( see their comments on page 101 in this book ) This article has brought some clarity, but there is still a lot is unclear.
In this article I present the articles numbered 165 and 166.
In the list of Martin articles in the period 1897 – 1898, there are two numbers left (numbers 163 and 164) of which we do not know for which article these are.
There is a possibility that these two numbers are for the “expansion boxes” and/or for the “animals on card”, but I have no proof of that yet.
Furthermore, the numbering on the original catalog page with article number 166 with the wooden boxes is still unclear.
It appears that many different boxes were sold with many different figures in each box, an enumeration of these is almost impossible.

Perhaps there are more figurines and boxes to be found among collectors.
If you have something like that, please let me know so that the “Martin” puzzle becomes a little more complete.

Result Bertoia auction Aug. 11- 2023

Now an impressive two-day event! Day 1 will feature hundreds of trains from around the world as well as over 250 pressed steel toys including Buddy L, Smith Miller, Kingsbury & more. Day 2 will be highlighted with hundreds of tinplate toys from around the world including penny toys, European auto’s and motorcycles, Lehmanns and hand painted wind-up tins, comic character toys, and more.

In this auction is a lot with two Martin pianists, ideal for those who have a Martin pianist of which they are missing parts and one Victor Bonnet truck.

Day 2 Lot number 1114 result $ 700

1114. TWO FERNAND MARTIN PIANISTS | France. | 5″ l. | Lot for parts, (Very Good Condition) | $350 – $700

Day 2 Lot number 1112 result $ 175

1112. VICTOR BONNET AUTO TRANSPORT TRUCK | France. | 8″ l. | Spring Inoperative, (Very Good Condition) | $250 – $500

The Bertoia team is dedicated to offering our quality customer service, experience and support.
Do not hesitate to contact us for assistance with registration, bidding or any other questions.

For the complete overview, Auction terms & Info, Shipping & Payment look at this site: http://www.bertoiaauctions.com/

These result price is in US $ and without Buyer’s Premium and subject to errors.
Always check the auction site for the results.

Regarding the objects described in this article, I do not make a statement about condition or value.
I advise interested collectors always do to research yourself, to view the object or to contact the seller / auction

L’Homme de Corvée in two versions

According to the Martin book: Fernand Martin Toymaker in Paris. page 110 there are two versions of the L’ homme de corvée, Martin number 173, in the text on this page it is not clear why they differ. They both have different clothes and a different cap

This toy is mentioned in a French newspaper from 1900 and in the text in this newspaper it is mentioned that there are a French soldier and an English sailor.

Part of the text from the article: LES JOUETS DE L’ANNÉE in the French newspaper: Le Patriote de la Vendée 1900, Journal de Politique, Agricole et Commercial, Organe d’union Républicaine.

Translation: Then it is the “L’ homme de corvée”, a small French soldier or English sailor, depending on the country of destination, who operates a broom

I found another article in the magazine: La Charente December 18, 1900 indicating that the English sailor toy was produced especially for the English market.
a part of the text of that article:
Les Jouets Du Nouvel An
–Then there is – the “L’ homme de corvée” – a small English sailor or an French soldier, who operates a broom, the name depending on the country of destination.–

A catalog page /box label is known. It is also not known if two different boxes were released or if they were both sold in the same box, I presume in the same box as the instructions for use are written on this label are in French, English and Spanish.

French postcard

Photos courtesy Bertoia Auctions, Catalog label and postcard are from my own collection. French newspaper article source gallica.bnf.fr: Le Patriote de la Vendée 1900, Journal de Politique, Agricole et Commercial, Organe d’union Républicaine

MILESTONE: DISCOVERY VINTAGE TOYS & MORE AUCTION Aug. 26, 2023

Milestone Auctions is proud to present this auction event. Collectors will have the chance to bid on many different categories of wonderful Antique & Vintage Toys!!

Wonderful selection of American, German, & Japanese Windup and Battery Operated Toys, Pressed Steel Truck, Cast Iron, Trains, Martin toys & MORE!!

lot 252
Lot 255
Lot 258

“FULL CATALOG & LIVE BIDDING THRU”
WWW.MILESTONEAUCTIONS.COM LIVEAUCTIONEERS, & INVALUABLE

PHONE BIDS & ABSENTEE BIDS Call 440-527-8060

AUCTION PREVIEW AVAILABLE WEEK OF AUCTION & 8:00 AM AUCTION DAY

For the complete overview, Auction terms & Info, Shipping & Payment look at this site: https://www.milestoneauctions.com/

After the auction, I will publish the realized prices for these Martins.

Photos courtesy Milestone Auctions

Regarding the objects described in this article, I do not make a statement about condition or value.
I advise interested collectors always do to research yourself, to view the object or to contact the seller / auction

RESULT MARTIN TOYS IN THE RSL AUCTION: CRÈME DE LA CRÈME TWENTY TWENTY-THREE AUGUST 5, 2023

Fantastic Selection of Mechnical Banks, Still Banks, American Tin And Clockwork Toys, European Aeronautical Toys, and Much, Much More

​IN THIS AUCTION ARE FIVE MARTIN TOYS

There are many more beautiful toys in this auction

For the complete overview, Auction terms & Info, Shipping & Payment look at this site:
https://www.rslauctionco.com

These result price is in US $ and without Buyer’s Premium and subject to errors.
Always check the auction site for the results.

Regarding the objects described in this article, I do not make a statement about authenticity, condition or value.
I advise interested collectors always do to research yourself, to view the object or to contact the seller / auction

New Postcard with a Martin toy

In a few previous blogs I showed postcards depicting Martin toys.

fernand-martin-and-postcards

personal-postcard-from-fernand-martin

postcards-with-martin-toys

I have now been able to add a new postcard to my collection depicting a Martin toy and a few other French toys, on this card you can see the Le Petit Livreur

On the front of this postcard is the text : Jouets d’enfants mécaniques et á traction. On the back Grands magasins parisiens and the date 1920
This postcard is made in France 1995

Victor Bonnet pistols 5: Tape_Fort

Victor Bonnet produced various tin pistols in the period from 1919 to 1933.
The number we know now is 8 pieces but maybe we will discover more.
the list of the pistols known so far is:

The Victor Bonnet list with pistol models with article numbers
Le Pan-Pan 247
Flac 256
Bombarde 257
Le Pétard 258
Tape_Fort 262
Le Sans-Balle 264
Le Costaud 266
Le Corsaire ??

Here we present :

Name: Tape_Fort
Number: 262
Year of first production: 1929
Dimensions: 11,5 cm x 9 cm / 4,5 inch x 3,5 inch

catalog image
Image from the back of a Victor Bonnet bill from 1933

Result Martin toys in the Milestone auction 07/22/2023

Milestone Auctions is proud to present this auction event. Collectors will have the chance to bid on many different categories of wonderful Antique & Vintage Toys!!

Wonderful selection of American, German, & Japanese Windup and Battery Operated Toys, Pressed Steel Truck, Cast Iron, Trains, Martin toys & MORE!!

Lot number 0063 – result $ 240
Lot number 0064 – result $ 190

“FULL CATALOG & LIVE BIDDING THRU”
WWW.MILESTONEAUCTIONS.COM LIVEAUCTIONEERS, & INVALUABLE

PHONE BIDS & ABSENTEE BIDS Call 440-527-8060

AUCTION PREVIEW AVAILABLE WEEK OF AUCTION & 8:00 AM AUCTION DAY

For the complete overview, Auction terms & Info, Shipping & Payment look at this site: https://www.milestoneauctions.com/

All prices are in US $ and without Buyer’s Premium and subject to errors.
Always check the auction site for the results.

Photos courtesy Milestone Auctions

Regarding the objects described in this article, I do not make a statement about condition or value.
I advise interested collectors always do to research yourself, to view the object or to contact the seller / auction

Don’t miss the August 2023 issue of the Antique Toy World Magazine.

An overview of the contents of the new Antique Toy World Magazine August 2023 :

Antique Toy World is the leading publication for toy collectors worldwide.

Published since 1970.
Antique Toy World is a monthly magazine published in the USA by Dale Kelley, the magazine’s founder, editor and publisher.

To subscribe go to https://antiquetoyworld.com/about-atw/
Email: ads@antiquetoyworld.com

Magazine: Les Jouets et Jeux Anciens

This toy and old games magazine was the magazine of the Society of lovers of old toys and games, called Amateurs de jouets et jeux anciens.
Founded in 1905 by Henry René d’Allemagne, Léo Claretie and Arthur Maury
It counted, among other illustrious members, Sarah Bernhardt, the prefect of Police Lépine, Fernand Martin, Maugin, Rollet, the Baroness of Rothschild, the Duchess of Uzès and many more.

The Society had its headquarters at 215 Faubourg Saint-Honoré in Paris
I don’t know how many editions there have been but my copy is number 26 5th volume July – August 1909.

From my collection: number 26 from 1909

The first issue has the name Les Jouets et Jeux Anciens, this name has been changed in January 1907 in a new name: L’art & L’enfant.
The company will disappear with the First World War, probably the last number was number 55 from July-August 1914.

These illustrated bulletins are very rare because they were not sold but provided only to the members of the society.

The first volume published was in June 1905. The issue’s are abundantly illustrated with figures and plates, sometimes in color. This first issue contains a list of members with a total of 82 names.

In the toy book of Mary Hiller Automata & Machanical Toys from 1976 on page 165 you can read: A report from one such meeting in 1906 told of a cinematograph show witch not only pictured work going on at the factory of Fernand Martin but ended with little dramatic scenes wher the actors were actually the Martin “bonshommes”. Fernand Martin attended this meeting and was held at the Conservatoire des Arts et Métiers on April 1 -1906

I received a copy of this report, which included the following text:

Translation:
Then the whole series of well-known mechanical toys was paraded before us that are manufactured in the factory of Mr. Fernand Martin. Cinematographic films presented the workshops and the tools of this manufacture; hands showed the toys being made, turning them, turning them over, while the lecturer gave the explanation (very curious effect).
Then, finally, the cinematograph projected amusing and dramatic scenes, the actors of which were Mr. Martin’s’s mechanical little bonshommes.

Now we have to find this movie(s) , does this movie(s) still exist??? or is this movie(s) somewhere in an archive, maybe we’ll never know?

Special thanks to Mr. Claude Lamboley for providing the necessary information and images



Bertoia Basics auction August 10/11 2023

Now an impressive two-day event! Day 1 will feature hundreds of trains from around the world as well as over 250 pressed steel toys including Buddy L, Smith Miller, Kingsbury & more. Day 2 will be highlighted with hundreds of tinplate toys from around the world including penny toys, European auto’s and motorcycles, Lehmanns and hand painted wind-up tins, comic character toys, and more.

In this auction is a lot with two Martin pianists, ideal for those who have a Martin pianist of which they are missing parts. and there is one Victor Bonnet truck.

Day 2 Lot number 1114

1114. TWO FERNAND MARTIN PIANISTS | France. | 5″ l. | Lot for parts, (Very Good Condition) | $350 – $700

Day 2 lot number 1112

1112. VICTOR BONNET AUTO TRANSPORT TRUCK | France. | 8″ l. | Spring Inoperative, (Very Good Condition) | $250 – $500

The Bertoia team is dedicated to offering our quality customer service, experience and support.
Do not hesitate to contact us for assistance with registration, bidding or any other questions.

For the complete overview, Auction terms & Info, Shipping & Payment look at this site: http://www.bertoiaauctions.com/

After the auction, I will publish the realized prices for these Martins.

Regarding the objects described in this article, I do not make a statement about condition or value.
I advise interested collectors always do to research yourself, to view the object or to contact the seller / auction

Victor Bonnet pistols 4: Le Pétard

Victor Bonnet produced various tin pistols in the period from 1919 to 1933.
The number we know now is 8 pieces but maybe we will discover more.
the list of the pistols known so far is:

The Victor Bonnet list with pistol models with article numbers
Le Pan-Pan 247
Flac 256
Bombarde 257
Le Pétard 258
Tape_Fort 262
Le Sans-Balle 264
Le Costaud 266
Le Corsaire 269 ??

Here we present :

Name: Le Pétard
Number: 258
Year of first production: 1927
Dimensions: 11 cm x 8,5 cm / 4,5 inch x 3,35 inch

catalog immage

RSL AUCTION: CRÈME DE LA CRÈME TWENTY TWENTY-THREE AUGUST 5, 2023

Fantastic Selection of Mechnical Banks, Still Banks, American Tin And Clockwork Toys, European Aeronautical Toys, and Much, Much More

​IN THIS AUCTION ARE FIVE MARTIN TOYS

There are many more beautiful toys in this auction

For the complete overview, Auction terms & Info, Shipping & Payment look at this site:
https://www.rslauctionco.com

After the auction, I will publish the realized price for these toys.

Regarding the objects described in this article, I do not make a statement about authenticity, condition or value.
I advise interested collectors always do to research yourself, to view the object or to contact the seller / auction

Milestone SUMMER DISCOVERY TOY AUCTION on the July 22-2023

Milestone Auctions is proud to present this auction event. Collectors will have the chance to bid on many different categories of wonderful Antique & Vintage Toys!!

Wonderful selection of American, German, & Japanese Windup and Battery Operated Toys, Pressed Steel Truck, Cast Iron, Trains, Martin toys & MORE!!

Lot number 0063
Lot number 0064

“FULL CATALOG & LIVE BIDDING THRU”
WWW.MILESTONEAUCTIONS.COM LIVEAUCTIONEERS, & INVALUABLE

PHONE BIDS & ABSENTEE BIDS Call 440-527-8060

AUCTION PREVIEW AVAILABLE WEEK OF AUCTION & 8:00 AM AUCTION DAY

For the complete overview, Auction terms & Info, Shipping & Payment look at this site: https://www.milestoneauctions.com/

After the auction, I will publish the realized prices for these Martins.

Photos courtesy Milestone Auctions

Regarding the objects described in this article, I do not make a statement about condition or value.
I advise interested collectors always do to research yourself, to view the object or to contact the seller / auction

Catalog Victor Bonnet Toys from 1929

From my own collection

Here is a link to a catalog by Victor Bonnet from about 1929.
I found this catalog on the site of ATCA (Antique Toy Collectors of America) I only saw that they have a wrong date 1902, the Victor Bonnet period started in 1919 till 1933

Here the link to the ATCA: https://atca-club.org


The ATCA is a group of collectors who delight in the history and preservation of toys, who exchange information about toys, and willingly share their knowledge with other members and the public. We are all passionate in our collecting and seeking and encourage others who relive childhood dreams through the joy of collecting antique toys.
I have been given permission to post a link to this catalog in my blog.
Have fun browsing.

L’Oie – The goose

first production date : 1899
production number: 169
height: 20 cm / 7,87 inch produced by Fernand Martin

Picture from the 1908 catalog

After winding up, this goose walks forward step by step, in a very natural way, moving its neck from left to right in the tempo of its walk.

This goose was found with several different Martin keys and is marked on the bottom right with the round FM logo

Source: Cnum – Digital Conservatory of Arts and Crafts – http://cnum.cnam.fr newspaper: La Nature 1900

The accompanying text to this figure is:
Finally we find a goose gently shaking its neck, swinging from side to side, following the favorite movement of these birds, advancing little by little: “with majestic slowness”.
These small automatons are manufactured by Mr. Fernand Martin manufacturer of iron automatic and mechanical toys 88 Boulevard Menilmontant in Paris

In an earlier article I also wrote about this goose, it was then that the image of this goose was used on an edition of a piece of music composed by AD. Gauwin.

Original antique stereo glass plate of a sale booth with Martin toys.

This very rare and original stereo glass plate is in the private possession of Bruno Cirla and Christophe Feraud from Massilia Toys in Marseille
The photo was taken at the World Exhibition in Liège, Belgium in 1905 by Jules Richard.

Jules Richard was a French photographer, businessman and instrument maker. He was the inventor and manufacturer of the Verascope stereographic cameras.

Courtesy Massilia Toys

If you look closely at the photo you can clearly see that on the table are a whole group of Fernand Martin toys.

On the left you see a part of een statue ( in white the base and in black a part of the table ) this colossal statue was a personifying the Toy Fairy distributing toys.

Courtesy Massilia Toys

On the side of: www.worldfairs.info there is an report of this World exhibition in Liège in 1905. you can read that there were toys in the section “BIMBELOTERIE” , in the names you can recognize that they must be Fernand Martin toys.

The French text: …les petits automates: la portière, la boulangère, la marchande d’oranges, le pompier, l’avocat gesticulant au bout de ses grandes et larges manches, le pianiste véhément, le cuisinier et combien d’autres encore.

Translation: …the little automatons: the portress, the baker, the orange seller, the fireman, the lawyer gesticulating at the end of his big and wide sleeves, the vehement pianist, the cook and how many others besides.

Don’t miss the July 2023 issue of the Antique Toy World Magazine

An overview of the contents of the new Antique Toy World Magazine July 2023 :

Antique Toy World is the leading publication for toy collectors worldwide.

Published since 1970.
Antique Toy World is a monthly magazine published in the USA by Dale Kelley, the magazine’s founder, editor and publisher.

To subscribe go to https://antiquetoyworld.com/about-atw/
Email: ads@antiquetoyworld.com

S.I.J.I.M. toys that look like “Martin” toys

This article is published in the August 2020 issue of the ATW Antique Toy World magazine. https://antiquetoyworld.com/about-atw/

Updated version with new facts:

S.I.J.I.M.
This toy maker from Paris made very nice toys.
This manufacturer is named S.I.J.I.M. and the director was Prosper Lévi.
He started his factory in 1909 but the firm ceased to exist in 1913 or 1914.
S.I.J.I.M. means: Société Industrielle de jouets et d’inventions mécaniques.

Prosper Lévi had his trademarks protected in France on July 23, 1909 and internationally on September 20, 1909.

International Trademarks Industrial Property supplement organ of the International Bureau of the Union for the Protection of Industrial Property (source BNF Gallica)

REGISTRATIONS MADE AT THE INTERNATIONAL OFFICE.
The INTERNATIONAL REGISTRATION of obove trademarks is done through the intermediary of the administration of the country of origin of the trademark. It currently provides trademarks with legal protection in Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Cuba, Spain, France, Hungary, Italy, Mexico, The Netherlands, Portugal, Switzerland and in Tunisië

We know very little about this company, maybe we will find out more in the future and maybe we will find unknown catalogs.
He has not made many different pieces but what he made was beautiful.

Courtesy Toy Museum Soltau (“Spielmuseum Soltau”) in Germany,

Between the S.I.J.I.M. factory and the Fernand Martin factory was in 1912 a lawsuit, this lawsuit was about the Le Rapide Livreur from S.I.J.I.M. and the Petit Livreur from Fernand Martin.
Prosper Lévy from (S.I.J.I.M.) accused Fernand Martin having committed plagiarism.

Le Rapide Livreur. courtesy Bertoia auctions
The Martin Le Petit Livreur
A part of page 1 of the patent of Prosper Lévi that the lawsuit was about
A part of page 3 of the patent of Prosper Lévi that the lawsuit was about

If you look closely at Lévi’s patent you will see in the header a text in squared brackets.
translation: [ Guarantee certificate delivered to M. Jules Boucheron (of whom Mr. Lévi is assignee) on the occasion of the 10th Lépine Contest of toys and articles de Paris opend in Paris the August 12, 1910]

It just means that Jules Boucheron assigned his invention to Mr. Lévi at the occasion of the 10th Lépine Contest.
This means that Mr Lévi was not the inventor of this toy but that was Jules Boucheron.
Jules Boucheron was a small inventor probably without production opportunities and infrastructure.
Many toy manufacturers including Martin bought the rights from small inventors at the “Concours Lépine”.

In July 1914 Fernand Martin give a statement on the alleged allegations of plagiarism and the resulting lawsuit as mentioned above:
COMMUNICATES
We receive from our colleague, Mr. Fernand Martin, the following note with a request to insert: We are pleased to take that the infringement action brought by Mr. Levi against Mr. F. Martin, for a toy called “The Delivery Person” will not be followed up, Mr. Levi having recognized that it is wrongly and without right gull has assigned Mr. Martin in infringement. For his part, Mr. Martin, in the presence of this declaration, waived his claim for damages. The case is therefore closed.

July 1914, From the French magazine “Le Jouet Francias” the official organ of the Chambre Syndicale des Fabricants de Jouets, jeux & engins sportifes.

Martin kept his “Petit Livreur” in production and it was equally produced till in the 1930’s by Victor Bonnet and probably even into the 1950s bye his sons.

Pictures from the magazine of Choumara Paris in 1912
On the right, S.I.J.I.M. toys togehter with Martin toys and other toys.

The best selling and known toy was the organ grinder: le joueur d’orgue, even till nowadays this is often referred to as a Martin. But you can see on the box and on the catalog page that it is clearly a S.I.J.I.M. toy.

But S.I.J.I.M. has also made less well-known pieces.
See these two pages of a catalog of S.I.J.I.M.

These two pages contain the following toys.
Number 32 La Poussette. (The Stroller)
Number 33 Le Joueur d’orgue. (The Organ Player)
Number 34 Les Chevaux Hygieniques (Hygienic Horses)
Number 35 L’apprenti Cavalier. (The Rider Apprentice)
Number 36 Le Rapide Livreur (The Fast Delivery Man)
I don’t know if more toys are made because it is weird to start with number 32.
There is 1 piece which is probably also made by S.I.J.I.M., it is the Le Saute Mouton. (The leap frog)
This, Le Saute Mouton. (The leap frog), toy was depicted in a magazine from the Choumara Paris store in 1912 together with other S.I.J.I.M. , Martin and other toys.

courtesy Bertoia auctions : Le Saute Mouton

From 1897 many toy manufacturers place the famous triangle with the text “Article Francais” and around it the text “Marque Deposee” , under the triangle a number, this sign was exclusively granted by the Chambre Syndicale des Fabricants de Jouets to French toymakers who requested it. The number just reflects the order of the request in the sequence of the requests.
So this number was different per manufacturer.
Take a good look at the catalog page, you will also see this triangle by S.I.J.I.M. has been given number 248.
Martin had the number 138, here you can see how important this number could be to find out which manufacturer has produced a toy.

Mr Lévi made his own toys and many toys are in the “style” of the Fernand Martin and Flersheim toys.
And not without success because his models are very beautiful.
Like many toy manufacturers, a lot of ideas was copied from competitors.
As an example, compare the boy in the chair of Martin ( Le jeune ecuyer ) and the one of Lévi (L’apprenti Cavalier) same “idea” but with a different chair position and a different moving action. Who borrowed from whom ??

Lévi (L’apprenti Cavalier)
Courtesy Toy Museum Soltau (“Spielmuseum Soltau”) in Germany,
Martin ( Le jeune ecuyer )

The mechanisms of these S.I.J.I.M. toys are different from those of Martin, often more sophisticated and of a better quality and therefore more expensive to produce.
However, this did not result in a higher selling price than Fernand Martin/ Flersheim’s toys, but lack of profitability seems to be the reason for the cessation of activity in 1913 or 1914 just before the start of the First World War.
Now most of these S.I.J.I.M. toys are rarer than Martin, Flersheim and Victor Bonnet toys and are traded at very good prices.

A thank you to Frederic Marchand for the permission to use the two catalog pages and the additional information.

All toys with without reference are from my collection

cor@vanschaijk.com

Blog: www.fernandmartintoys.nl

Result Martin toys in the Miller & Miller auction June 09-2023

Auction Description

Unlocked from old collections, this is a generous offering of early to middle 20th Century toys manufactured from the 1920s to the 1950s. The lineup includes early tin windups from Germany and France, tin windup character toys from America, and a line-up of rare Canadian tin, pressed steel and cast iron toys. There is also a small offering of Japanese friction and battery-operated toys. Makers in this sale include Lehmann, Hess, Bing, Doll, Fernand Martin, Carette, Meccano, Bandai, Yonezawa, Schuco, Lincoln, Marx, and others. This sale affords collectors the opportunity to own clean and rare examples of antique and vintage toys from old collections. It’s an opportunity not to be missed!

photographs: Jon Dunford

For the complete overview, Auction terms & Info, Shipping & Payment look at this site: https://www.millerandmillerauctions.com/

These result prices are in CA $ and without Buyer’s Premium and subject to errors.
Always check the auction site for the results.

Regarding the objects described in this article, I do not make a statement about condition or value.
I advise interested collectors always do to research yourself, to view the object or to contact the seller / auction

Victor Bonnet pistols 3: Bombarde

Victor Bonnet produced various tin pistols in the period from 1919 to 1933.
The number we know now is 8 pieces but maybe we will discover more.
the list of the pistols known so far is:

The Victor Bonnet list with pistol models with article numbers
Le Pan-Pan 247
Flac 256
Bombarde 257
Le Pétard 258
Tape_Fort 262
Le Sans-Balle 264
Le Costaud 266
Le Corsaire 269 ??

Here we present :

Name: Bombarde
Number: 257
Year of first production: 1925
Dimensions: 11,5 cm x 8,5 cm / 4,5 inch x 3,35 inch

Patent number is FR 617259_A d.d. October 10-1925

catalog immage