Antique Toys

The earliest evidence of antique toys:

The replicates of the toys unearthed from the archaeological sites are finding a place within museums and the showcases of genuine collectors. Antique toys include wooden and metal carts, figurines and replicas of animals and birds. The history of man on record, documents that infants and toddlers play with whatever they can find. In fact early toys have included rocks and food stuff and good old rollable pine-cones. The antique toys and games that have been unearthed have been written about in the ancient manuscripts and other literature preserved and handed down.

The earliest civilizations being those which developed on the banks of the rivers Nile, Indus and Hwang Ho are also responsible for our understanding of the toys that children once played with. The cave paintings and excavated whistles, pull alongs and simple wind ups are proof enough of where our modern and technologically enhanced toys originated. Antique toys are nothing but replicas of these articles that are well preserved in dedicated archives.

Types of antique toys:

The collection of antique toys include shapes of birds, toy animals that can slide down a string, rock figurines, stick games, mouldable clay, elaborate dolls with wigs and movable limbs, stone-pottery-wood-wax harpoons & bows and arrows, miniature household items made of wax, terracotta or sticks and even yo-yos! There seemed to have been a thriving home-based industry back then! Interesting evidence reveals that when Greek girls came of age, it was a custom for them to sacrifice their toys to the gods. A ritual of one of the most enigmatic civilizations involving toys! And, it doesn’t stop there; on the eve of their wedding, girls would make offerings to the local temple and one of the very important components was their dolls. Antique toys such as hoops have been popular in many cultures of the world and so have the rollable ball and wheel.

The antique toys market today:

Today we have harnessed technology to an extent that not only are improved versions of the antique toys available for our children to behold and marvel, but the excavated originals are also replicated with genius. As civilizations progressed, so did the toys and stone, bone, wood and glass got replaced by fabric, plastic and other synthentic materials. While ancient toys were most often made by the older family members, the modern counter parts are produced in bulk and customized to individual tastes and demands. The antique toys market today also caters to dedicated adults who are genuine collectors of the change in the nature of toys.

The antique versus technology:

The earliest and most primitive toys were simple carvings and extensions of the availability in nature. The ball and wheel probably replicated the pine cone rolling down a hillock. Modern technology uses the same concepts of color, visible-stimulant and movement and takes the toy to the next level for the child who has changed too. Ancient Egyptian dolls reached a stage where their limbs were created to move realistically and subsequently, by the 1800s we bulk manufactured dolls that could talk! Today, dolls are designed to recognize and identify objects, tell you your fortune and even recognize a defined voice. Even though the basic creativity and materials have changed, children still play with and demand for toys that stimulate their senses and involve action.

The antique toy collectibles:

The popular collectibles seen with many genuine ‘collectors’ include rubber ducks and other bathtime toys for small children, marbles, wooden blocks and terracotta figurines. The antique toys collectibles are not only visually pleasing, but also toys, like play itself, that provide entertainment and educate. They are observed in all forms to enhance cognitive behavior and develop physical and mental co-ordination. The antique toys collectibles are ample proof of man’s quest to develop hand-eye coordination and observation and calculation skills at an early stage. The toys enable us to understand the simple designs created to learn about relationships that are spatial in nature and the law of cause and effect!