Featured Sports, Recreation, Toy Ads
Sports equipment such as golf clubs, ball gloves, speed boats, outboard motors plus toys and games.
1950 American Toy Manufacturers Ad,
with five-page Catalogue
1950 ad for American Toy Manufacturers with 5-page catalogue list
Title- “Christmas Time is Toy Time. Give American Toys”- the ad shows two children looking at the presents under their tree. Also included with this ad is a five pages catalogue listing of toys made by American manufacturers.
History- (from Wikipedia) After World War II American toy manufacturers began to face competition from cheaper toys made in Japan. This ad was likely an effort to stem that tide. The ad speaks of toys made “in factories that meet rigid American sanitary standards.” The manufacturers whose products are highlighted in this ad include Lionel, Playskool, Fisher-Price, Ideal, Hubley, and Parker Brothers.
Condition- This ad is in excellent condition. The ad is sold untrimmed and not matted and includes the five black and white pages of toy listings seen below. Click on photos for larger image.
$10.00
1944 Chris-Craft Power Boat Ad
$6.00-SOLD
1944 full-page color magazine ad for Chris-Craft Boats (10 ½ x 14 )
Titled- “Buy U.S. War Bonds Today- Tomorrow Command your own Chris-Craft”- the ad shows a Chris-Craft 26-ft. Super Deluxe Cruiser..
History- (from Wikipedia) The Detroit area Chris-Craft company became well known for their sleek racing boats in the 1910s and 1920s. Chris-Craft sold high end powerboats to wealthy patrons such as Henry Ford and William Randolph Hearst. In the late 1920s, Chris-Craft extended its market into the middle class when it became one of the first mass producers of civilian pleasure boats. The company began assembly line production at their Algonac, Michigan plant, dramatically lowering production costs.
After the war, Chris-Craft introduced a new lineup of civilian pleasure boats in time for the massive American consumer expansion of the 1950s. That decade marked the height of company prestige and the brand name Chris-Craft became virtually synonymous with pleasure boating. The company offered 159 different models and was the sales leader in many categories of small civilian powerboats.
The company sold high-end boats to famous customers such as Dean Martin, Katharine Hepburn, Frank Sinatra, and Elvis Presley. Their boats were often made from the finest mahogany and were considered to be among the best available. They were easy to operate (a must for their "weekend sailor" owners). In some circles, owning a Chris-Craft was considered de rigueur. Even their lower-priced boats were considered to be of high quality, often featuring such luxury items as a liberal use of mahogany, teak, and brass.
Condition- This ad is in excellent condition.
1953 Congress Playing Card Ad
Large (10 by 13) 1953 full-page Congress Playing Card ad
Title- “Off with the old! On with the new!”- the ad shows face card royalty marching ahead of a deck of cards parade.
History- (edited from Wikipedia) Congress playing cards are a product of the United States Playing Card Company. The company was established in 1867 and produces and distributes many brands of playing cards, including Bicycle, Bee, and Hoyle. The company was once based in Cincinnati, Ohio, but is now headquartered in the Cincinnati suburb of Erlanger, Kentucky. It is currently a subsidiary of Newell Brands.
Congress was the most expensive of the first four brands introduced by the company in 1881. Congress was printed under two stocks: their standard No. 404 and the deluxe No. 606 which had gold edges.
Condition- This ad is in excellent condition.
$6.00
1938 Eaton's Christmas Toyville Ad
Large 2-Page 1938 Eaton’s Christmas Toyville Ad
Title- “Eaton’s Toyville News”- this ad shows a selection of toys available at Eaton’s department stores including dolls, trains, pull-toys and coloring books.
History- (edited from Wikipedia)
The T. Eaton Company Limited, commonly known as Eaton's, was once Canada's largest department store chain. It was founded in 1869 in Toronto by Timothy Eaton, an immigrant from what is now Northern Ireland. Eaton's grew to become a retail and social institution in Canada, with stores across the country, buying-offices around the globe, and a mail-order catalog that was found in the homes of most Canadians.
$12.00-SOLD
In 1938 when this ad appeared Eaton’s was certainly the dominant retailer in Canada and a model copied by other retailers throughout North America. Until the 1950s, Eaton's promoted itself as the "largest retail organization in the British Empire".
Condition- This large ad is in very good condition and measures (21 ½ x 15 ½).
1957 Ad for Evinrude Outboard Motors
Large 1957 full page ad for Evinrude Outboard Motors
Title- “Isn’t it time you tried it?”- the ad shows a family riding in an Evinrude-powered speed boat.
History-(from Wikipedia) Evinrude Motors was founded in Milwaukee by Norwegian Ole Evinrude in 1909. Legend says Evinrude's invention of the outboard boat engine revolves around a picnic on a lake, west of Milwaukee, two and one-half miles from shore. Ole’s date wanted a dish of ice cream and Evinrude rowed back to shore for it. The ice cream was melted by the time he returned, but it inspired him to design an engine that would replace the oar as a means of boat propulsion.
Condition- This ad is in excellent condition and measures 10 ¾ x 13 ½.
$6.00-SOLD
1958 ad for Johnson
Sea Horse Outboard motor
1958 (10 ½ x 14) magazine ad for Johnson Outboard Motors
Title- “New Super Sea-Horse 35 – so nice to come home with!!”- the ad shows a family riding their boat into the sunset.
History-(from Wikipedia) Outboard Marine Corporation was the world's largest manufacturer and supplier of outboard motors and second largest producer of powerboats. Based in Waukegan, Illinois the company became famous for its brand-name Johnson and Evinrude outboard motors, as well as its Chris-Craft and Grumman powerboats. Outboard Marine also marketed clothing for boating, and resort wear.
Condition- This ad is in excellent condition.
$6.00-SOLD
1950 authentic magazine ad for
Lionel Electric Trains
1950 (10 x 14) authentic magazine ad for Lionel Electric Trains
Title- “Magne-Traction, The new sensational 1950 Lionel Trains” - the ad shows a boy’s floating head overlooking two Lionel Trains. New York Yankee star, Joe DiMaggio, a well-known Lionel aficionado, appears at the bottom left corner with a plug for the “Joe DiMaggio Lionel Club House” television show.
History- Lionel electric trains were the toy of choice for baby-boomer kids after World War II into the late 1950s. Changing tastes saw a downturn in business but the company has survived under various owners and with varying degrees of success.
Condition- This ad is in excellent condition.
$10.00
1954 Hasbro Mr. Potato Head Ad
1954 authentic full-page magazine ad for Hasbro Mr. Potato Head
Title- “The Hasbro Guide to America’s Top Ten Toys!” - the ad shows Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head and nine other popular Hasbro toys.
History- (from Wikipedia) Brooklyn-born toy inventor George Lerner's idea of Mr. Potato Head toy (using a real potato) proved controversial. Most Americans considered the use of fruits and vegetables to make toys irresponsible and wasteful. Toy companies rejected Lerner's creation.
In 1951, Lerner showed the idea to Henry and Merrill Hassenfeld who conducted a small school supply and toy business called Hassenfeld Brothers (later changed to Hasbro). Realizing the toy was quite unlike anything in their line they bought the rights for $5,000. Lerner was offered an advance of $500 and a 5% royalty on every kit sold.
Born on May 1, 1952, the original Mr. Potato Head kit cost 98 cents and contained hands, feet, ears, two mouths, two pairs of eyes, four noses, three hats, eyeglasses, a pipe, and eight felt pieces resembling facial hair. Parents had to provide their own potato into which children could stick the various pieces.
$10.00
Mr. Potato Head was the first toy advertised on television. The campaign was also the first to be aimed directly at children; before this, commercials were only targeted at adults, so toy adverts had always been pitched to parents. This commercial revolutionized marketing, and caused an industrial boom. Over one million kits were sold in the first year. In 1953, Mrs. Potato Head was added, and soon after, Brother Spud and Sister Yam completed the Potato Head family with accessories reflecting the affluence of the fifties (including a car, a boat trailer, a kitchen set, a stroller, and pets called Spud-ettes). A plastic potato was added to the kit in 1964.
Condition- This ad is in excellent condition and is sold untrimmed and not matted.
1948 magazine ad for
Schwinn Bicycles
Large 1948 full page ad for Schwinn Bicycles (10 ¼ x 13 ½ )
Title- “The Christmas gift he’ll remember for life…a Schwinn-Built bicycle!”- the ad shows a boy with his new Schwinn in front of a Christmas tree.
History- (edited from Wikipedia) The Schwinn Bicycle Company was founded by German-born mechanical engineer Ignaz Schwinn in Chicago in 1895. It was the dominant manufacturer of American bicycles through most of the 20th century.
After hanging in during the Depression and World War II Schwinn decided the time was right to grow the brand. Most bicycle manufacturers in the United States sold in bulk to department stores, which in turn sold them as store brand models. Schwinn decided to try something different. Schwinn eliminated the practice of rebranding in 1950 and insisted that the Schwinn brand and guarantee appear on all products.
Condition- This ad is in very good condition.
$5.00
1953 2-page magazine ad for Spalding Sports Equipment
1953 2-page (20 x 13 ¼ ) magazine ad for Spalding Sports Equipment
Title- “Christmas is lots of sport from Spalding” – The ad shows a variety of sporting equipment manufactured by Spalding.
History- The Spalding company was founded in 1876 when Albert Spalding was a pitcher and the manager of the Chicago White Stockings. The company standardized early baseballs and developed the modern baseball bat with the bulge at its apex. Spalding became a division of the Russell Corporation in 2003.
Condition- This ad is in very good condition. It is comprised of two separate pages that would need to be matted to display properly. There is wear and binding holes on the center edge of each page.
$5.00
More Sports, Recreation and Toy Ads
Bicycle Playing Cards
Year - 1953
Title - Outsells all the rest
Size - 10 x 13.25
Cond. - Ex
Price - $5
Click to enlarge
Daisy Air Rifles
Year - 1951
Title - NRA Tie-In
Size - 10.5 x 13.5
Cond. - VG
Price - $5
Click to enlarge
Happy Tune
Year - 1950
Title - New, all plastic..
Size - 5 x 13.5
Cond. - Ex
Price - $4
Click to enlarge
Scott-Atwater Outboard Motor
Year - 1958
Title - 3 Cylinders, 60 hp!
Size - 10.5 x 13.5
Cond. - Ex
Price - $5-SOLD
Click to enlarge
Spalding Golf Balls
Year - 1949
Title - Who's playing this Spalding!
Size - 5 x 13.5
Cond. - Ex
Price - $3
Click to enlarge
Viewmaster
Year - 1950
Title - Exciting gifts
Size - 5.25 x 13.5
Cond. - Ex
Price - $4
Click to enlarge
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