It’s a dark wet day here, good time to feature yet another blast from the past that might not be well known. Today we examine the cast iron 1933 Chicago World’s Fair transport bus, made by the prolific Arcade company, which made many toys in the 20s and 30s. This company made high quality toys, and this is no exception:
This is the second smallest version of this model, which was made in 4 sizes. This variation is about 7.5" in length, scale is difficult to estimate as the proportions of the toy might not be accurate, but is is small scale, possibly around 1:65-1:70. For something of this age and size, there is considerable detail, the cast-in Greyhound logos on the side of the passenger trailer are especially nice touches. I believe this item was sold as a souvenir at the event. Several pics showing the detail from various angles:
This model has not suffered too much paint loss in its 83 years, and would be considered to be in good condition, as paint loss is a common area on cast iron toys. The cab detaches from the trailer, and as one can see in many of the pics, is articulated:
The truck part is kind of a cute little casting, and the cab and trailer sit on original white rubber wheels/tires, which show age but are intact enough to be presentable:
At lower left is the 1933 copyright, and other maker reference data is also on the inside of trailer and cab:
A view of the base:
This is one of the oldest, if not the oldest, item shown on this site. It has withstood the passage of time, and has a lot of character through the patina gained by the witness of history. I found this at an estate sale last year for $8, and was thrilled to come across it, I am definitely happy to have this obscure item in my collection:
The 1933 Chicago World’s Fair - aka “A Century of Progress” exhibition, was a showcase of streamlined and art moderne design and fantasy. Dozens of these GMC/Greyhound vehicles moved visitors throughout the event. Here are a few period pics of 1:1 examples from Hemmings and blogspot:
That is all.