Produced from 1910 Product number 219 Hand lacquered Mechanism: clockwork Height approx. 20 cm / 7,8 inches The woman’s clothing in light blue and pink
Original box. Courtesy Milestone Auctions
I wrote above: The woman’s clothing in light blue and pink There are many different colors to be found but most have been replaced over the years. Originally the female was to be found in the color Light Blue and Pink. The pink version is often still recognizable but most of the blue versions have suffered from the weather, “dirty” children’s hands and light influences and have discolored to a brown color. In the photo below, the original blue color can still be recognized in a discolored “brown” version, if you look under the band that is around the waist of the female
At the bottom is the mechanism to turn it up. This is a large fixed key usually in the color blue or metal. At the bottom of the edge of the dress there should be a “cardboard” edge, this serves to let the dancing couple slide over the floor more easily. This edge is often gone
Bleu key
Metal color key and here you can see very good the cardboard edge
The typical “Martin” markings are on both sides under the skirt
Triangle sign
F.M. Paris sign
Unless otherwise stated: Toys and pictures from my own collection and from the collection of the Spielmuseum Soltau in Germany
This article was also published in the monthly toy magazine: Antique Toy World of March 2025
Product name: Auto-Fusée made from 1932 (Product number see in the text below)
The Fernand Martin factory has had three owners in its history, the first being of course Fernand Martin himself, from 1912 Georges Flersheim and the last one from 1919 was Victor Bonnet. Victor Bonnet & Cie has been administratively dissolved in 1933. During these administrative dissolution process some of Victor Bonnet & Cie’s assets were transferred to Victor Bonnet’s privately held company. This Victor Bonnet’s privately held company was producing household items and after the dissolution of Victor Bonnet & Cie in 1933 they started producing existing toy models from the old company and very soon a lot of new toy models. In all the published books the writers have concluded this period with the: Voiture Nounou Poupon (pram with nanny) with number 265, but in the meantime evidence has been found that some other toys (at least 4 but probably more) were produced until the company closed down in 1933.
Part of an original Victor Bonnet bill from March 31 -1933
A few names of toys on this original bill, whose numbers are not yet known to us are: ??? Le Corsaire ( a pistol ) ??? Auto-fusée ( a race car )
We see the name Auto-fusée mentioned in the bill from 1933. From this Auto-fusée (a race car) I have not been able to find a manufacturer number that was used till the end of 1933. The Auto-fusée has a length of about 20cm / 7.87 inch It is completely made of tin plate and has no driver figure.
Advertising from the magazine Louvre Jouets étrennes
This car is made in two different mechanical versions, one with a system “Crémaillère” mechanism and the second version has no mechanism. This car was made in two colored versions, one in silver/gray and one in red.
The difference between with system “Crémaillère” mechanism and without mechanism, the bottom plate for securing the mechanism is sometimes not present on the models without mechanism.
Some factory history:
Victor Bonnet & Cie used from 1919, until they administratively dissolved in 1933, the logo V.B.& Cie and V.B. on toys and sometimes the well-known triangle with number 138 to. (From 1897 Fernand Martin placed the triangle with the text “Article Francais” and around it the text “Marque Deposee” and under the triangle the number 138, this triangle sign was granted from the “Chambre Syndicale des Fabricants de Jouets & jeux” to French toymakers.) Victor Bonnet started in 1934 the toy production in the Victor Bonnet’s privately held company that had been installed 8, rue des Tourelles Paris where he used already the logo VèBè. After 1933 Victor Bonnet also no longer uses the old FM logo and the triangular logo with no 138 underneath. There were no reasons for Victor BONNET to continue using them, as the FM logo was obsolete, and the triangular logo had been created at the end of the 19th century, and probably had lost any meaning by the thirties.
Fernand Martin triangle sign
This race cars are produced by Victor Bonnet in the old Fernand Martin factory till the end of 1933 but they produced this car again from 1934 in the other Victor Bonnet location, it was the same car but with some changes to the lettering on these cars.
The bottom of the cheapest model without drive.
My hypothesis over the production from this race car :
Until the end of 1933: -A silver gray one with number 5 and the marking V.B. Paris on one side and a triangle with number 138 on the other side, with mechanism. -A silver gray one with number 5 and the marking V.B. Paris on one side and a triangle with number 138 on the other side and without mechanism -A red one with number 5 and the marking V.B. Paris on one side and a triangle with number 138 on the other side, with mechanism.
From 1934: -A red one with number 8 and the marking VéBé Paris Marque Déposé on one side and Made in France on the other side, with mechanism. -A red one with number 8 and the marking VéBé Paris Marque Déposé on one side and Made in France on the other side and without mechanism. I have seen till now, these 5 versions: But maybe there are even more various versions to discover
My conclusion is that the red and silver gray cars with number 5, marking with the triangle and V.B. Paris are only made until the end of 1933 at the location Boulevard de Menilmontant Paris (the old Fernand Martin factory) and the red one with number 8, marking Made in France and VéBé Paris Marque Déposé from 1934 and later, in the location at the 8. Rue des Tourelles Paris.
As can be seen in the advertisement from the Vébé catalog 1939/1940, these toys have been given product number 8 and were packed in a box per 6 pieces. The advertisement also states that this model was for sale with and without mechanism, the model without mechanism get product number 80. What is striking is that they still used the same image in their catalog and advertisements of the model with number 5 as produced as before 1934, you can see also the triangle with number 138 on the side of the car that was used before 1934.
Courtesy Clive Lamming
System “Crémaillère”
Several “Crémaillère” systems have been invented based on the same principle, some names of these inventors are March -Riggenbach – Strub – Locher and Von-Hoff. The toy manufacturer Tantet and Manon was presumably the first to use this system in toys and T & M had his version patented in 1889 in a very nice toy: “Train du Plaisir”, a Locomotive followed by three open panorama cars with passengers.
The invention of the “Crémaillère” (a rack and pinion) is, like any good invention, of great simplicity. To make toys move instead of a spring / gear mechanism, use of a flywheel, furthermore a coarse toothed gear and a toothed rack and with that resembles the “Crémaillère” transmission.
The simplicity of the invention makes it possible to set toys in motion without excessive production costs.
By this Victor Bonnet race car the toothed rack (1) with on the end a push button (2). When the push button is pushed into the car, the wheels moved by means of the coarse toothed gear (3) that is fastend on a larger finer gear (4), they let a smaller gear (5) (that is attached to the shaft (6) with the back wheels) moving, these back wheels have the function of the flywheel and put the car on the ground and it sets itself moving.
Where does the name Auto Fusée come from?
It could be that Victor Bonnet named this toy “Auto-Fusée” from the Fritz von Opel rocket car, in 1928 this car was a sensation, in the French press this car was named “Auto a Fusée”. When you set this toy car, which is equipped with the system “Crémaillère”, in motion, it also takes off like a rocket just like the car from Fritz von Opel. Fritz von Opel was the grandson of Adam Opel, the founder of the Opel car brand. Fritz von Opel tested his invention on March 15, 1928 with his first rocket-powered car, the Opel-Sander Rakete called the RAK 1, powered by 12 missiles
Source: Cnum – Digital Conservatory of Arts and Crafts – http://cnum.cnam.fr magazine Meccano November 01, 1928 ( Note: the car on the photo is the RAK 1 and the speed mentioned in the text is of the RAK 3 )
Fritz von Opel reached in his first run a top speed of 75 km/h with his RAK 1. Two months later, his RAK 2, which was powered by 24 missiles, reached a top speed of 230 km/h. The Opel RAK 3 rocket train powered by 30 solid rockets, reached a speed, in June 1928, of 254 km/h (157 mph). On the second run the train jumps the track and is destroyed. (Information from the side http://weebau.com/history/opel-rak.htm)
In the years around 1930 many inventors from various countries tried to invent and design better and faster versions, sometimes with success but also sometimes with fatal outcome, after which “model” Victor Bonnet designed his “Auto-Fusee” is not known.
Fernand Martin had 1 son Maurice who also worked in the factory of his father. It now appears that at the age of 30 in 1902 he was also busy “inventing” toys. I have only been able to find 1 patented invention so far. I have never seen this toy in real life and it probably never reached the production stage. Still interesting to read the description and look at the image.
Here is a translation of the French patent:
This invention relates to an automatic movement toy system consisting of a small subject whose frame or skeleton is formed by a coil spring. This subject moves perpendicularly on a vertical rod, passed through the hands of the figurine, as a result of vibrations that have been previously imparted to the spring constituting the body of the subject. The invention in question will be well understood from the following description with reference to the attached specimen drawing, in which: Fig. 1 represents the frame of the toy in question. Fig. 2 shows the same subject seen from the outside. In both figures, the same reference letters designate the same parts. As can be seen in this drawing, the toy system in question comprises a body a “formed of a coil spring to which are attached the legs b, a head c and arms d“. The arms are fixed on a small tube e into which a rod f is threaded. To maneuver the small subject, it is sufficient to hold the rod vertically as indicated in the figures of the drawing, then to flex the body of the figurine representing a “clown” for example and the latter will descend along the rod by a swing of the body. When the subject is at the bottom, the whole assembly is turned over, another descent occurs and so on. The shapes, details, accessories, materials and dimensions of this toy system can of course vary without changing in any way the principle of the invention. CLAIM: An automatic movement toy system consisting of a small subject whose frame or skeleton is formed by a coil spring and which has in its hands a tubular piece in which a rod passes so that after having given the subject’s body an oscillating movement, it can move by a continuous swing caused by the bending of the coil spring forming the frame of the body, as described in principle and shown.
In 1907 Maurice became seriously ill probably struck by tuberculosis. Maurice died of his illness on August 15, 1919 and Fernand Martin died almost 3 weeks later on September 4, 1919, aged 70 years.
Produced from 1895 Product number 148 Hand lacquered Mechanism: Rubber band Height approx. 13,5 cm / 5,3 inches Length approx: 25 cm / 10 Inch
This is one of the rarest Martin toys, I have only found three in total: This one on the picture below, which has the original box. There is one in the book “THE HISTORY OF MARTIN MECHANICAL TOYS” by Frédéric Marchand on page 90 And there is one auctioned in 2021 by The RSL auction company
Courtesy Bertoia auctions
“Le Sauteur Intrepide” has wonderful action as performer runs in a circle around central mound and flips over a horizontal bar to complete a somersault.
The action is the same as with the Martin bullfighter article number 129 from 1894
Courtesy Bertoia auctionsoriginal catalog page from 1898
Produced from 1904 Product number 200 Hand lacquered Mechanism: clockwork Height approx. 20 cm / 7,87 inches
French postcard from my own collectionOriginal catalog page
Here a free translation from a article in the “La Nature” from 1906 pag. 36
The popular Hercules. We all know, having seen him, how often this Hercules, lining up in a public square with weights and dumbbells of 20, 50 and 100 kg. After the compliments from the audience, he takes the opportunity and announces that he is going to lift the weights and barbells and asks if anyone from the audience is willing to come and do the same. In general, amateurs do not come forward, and if there are some, after trying, they are soon obliged to abandon the experiment.
Courtesy: Spielmusem Soltau Germany
The little Hercules that we present does not hesitate to take on the work: on his right hand he carries a weight of 20 kg which he holds horizontally, while with his left hand he successively raises and lowers a dumbbell of the same weight. He walks, moves to the left and to the right and shows that these movements come about in a very natural way for him through the force he knows how to use. He is not afraid of the competitor who may come along and shows the society around him that he can fulfill the promise he made, to bear the burden for a long time. In fact, he only stops after going around the meeting several times. Also wonderful, this little Hercules manages to convince us that he is a strong man who can skillfully handle heavy weights.
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
