Buying Antique Toys Online

If you are new to buying antique or vintage toys online its a good idea to spend some time deciding on your budget and the area of interest that appeals to you, and then to spend some time watching online auctions without bidding, mainly to get an idea of the closing prices for the antique or vintage toys you like best. Demand for certain categories of antique or vintage toys fluctuates and like any vintage or antique item, it is the market that determines the value. Rarity and condition are major factors also. The wise collector will go for the best quality item that fits their budget.
Recently there is a good selection of well priced offers to be found when you are purchasing Antique and Vintage Toys and we present here for you the very best specials. Please browse the the antique and vintage collectibles listed below and click on any items through to to read more, pics as well as points. If you cannot find that which you are searching for on this page, work with the lookup service above. eBay regularly provides the very best and most inexpensive Antique Toys pieces and is the largest as well as one of the very most widely used on line buying websites. We aim to bring you the top results on items so you’re able to add to your collection, get started purchasing vintage toys or simply to get the most your money can buy.

What people are watching on eBay

ONE Wind Up Toy Android Robot,Kids,Party Favours,WUT149

eBay Watchers: 122
Price: $2.2

10 - Windup Toy Keys "For Windup Toys" - L@@K!!

eBay Watchers: 121
Price: $16.49

L152 ANTIQUE RARE ALABAMA COON JIGGER TOMBO FERDINAND STRAUSS CHROMOLITHOGRAPHED

eBay Watchers: 95
Price: $405.0

VINTAGE MARX WALKING POPEYE WITH PARROT CAGES, EXCELLENT IN ORIGINAL BOX, NICE!!

eBay Watchers: 78
Price: $586.99

1900s FERDINAND MARTIN PIANIST PIANO P[LAYER TIN TOY VERY RARE LEHMANN BING

eBay Watchers: 72
Price: $1715.0

Trains

	SUPER EXPRESS FREIGHT TRAIN SET "Y" MADE IN JAPAN OLD IN TIN BATTERY OPERATED $44.00 (0 Bids) Time Left: 1h 5m
	VINTAGE RUSSIAN WIND-UP TIN TOY TRAIN WITH KEY & BOX $49.99 (0 Bids) Time Left: 1h 40m
	The great adventure of Train Toys, French book $49.00 (0 Bids) Time Left: 1h 41m
	VERY RARE OLD USED ANTIQUE VINTAGE BATTERY OPER TIN TOY TRAIN WITH TRACKS JAPAN $200.00 (0 Bids) Time Left: 1h 46m
	JOUEF The integral, French trains toys, French book $62.00 (0 Bids) Time Left: 1h 52m
	Trains Miniatures, Miniature trains, French book $38.00 (0 Bids) Time Left: 2h 25m
	CAST IRON 1920'S LOCOMOTIVE VINTAGE TOY TRAIN G-500- $65.00 (0 Bids) Time Left: 2h 26m
	VINTAGE RUSSIAN ROLLER COASTER WIND UP TIN TOY TRAIN STATION RAILWAY RR $24.99 (0 Bids) Time Left: 2h 43m
	VINTAGE HOLGATE WOODEN TRAIN SET PULL TOY EARLY '40'S GOOD CONDITION $50.00 (0 Bids) Time Left: 2h 44m
	2-tin windup TRAINS-japan.. $1.99 $10.00 Time Left: 2h 54m
	VINTAGE HOLGATE WOODEN BLOCK TRAIN CAR $9.99 (0 Bids) Time Left: 3h 2m
	VINTAGE TOYS, TRACTOR, TRAIN ENGINE, RUBBER CAR (SUN?) $5.95 (0 Bids) Time Left: 3h 3m
	Metal Cast RR Crossing Sign; Orange;3 5 8" Non-Magnetic; 1994; TCA; Train Layout $9.99 (0 Bids) Time Left: 3h 27m
	Metal Cast Curve Warning Sign; Yellow ;3 3 4" Non-Magnetic; 1994; Train Layout $9.99 (0 Bids) Time Left: 3h 27m
	Trains - Jouets de collection, French book by Lamming $26.00 (0 Bids) Time Left: 3h 43m
	TOMMEE TIPPEE 1950's HARD PLASTIC CHOW CHOW TRAIN SET $24.99 (0 Bids) Time Left: 3h 49m
	Vintage Japan Diecast Train Engine $9.75 $42.00 Time Left: 4h
	Vintage Marx Tin Oil Pump Old Gas Station or Diesel Train Depot Part $22.00 (1 Bids) Time Left: 4h 19m
	TYCO 1966-67 SLOT CAR ROADRACING & HO SCALE ELECTRIC TOY TRAIN CATALOG $9.99 (0 Bids) Time Left: 4h 20m
	VINTAGE 1966 FRANKONIA MELODY SHUTTLE TIN TRAIN IN BOX WORKS XYLOPHONE TRACK $149.99 (0 Bids) Time Left: 4h 28m
	Ives cast iron train freight set antique $124.00 (12 Bids) Time Left: 4h 47m
	Kenton stock car cast iron train antique A $20.00 (6 Bids) Time Left: 4h 50m
	Kenton stock car cast iron train antique B $20.00 (6 Bids) Time Left: 4h 53m
	VINTAGE.. NEW SILVER MOUNTAIN TIN TRAIN.. MADE BY MODERN TOYS. JAPAN.. IT WORKS $30.00 (1 Bids) Time Left: 4h 54m
	Dent cast iron train passenger car set antique $56.55 (11 Bids) Time Left: 4h 56m
	Kenton cast iron train trolley car antique $20.00 (7 Bids) Time Left: 4h 59m
	Stevens cast iron train passenger car set antique 1885 $168.06 (8 Bids) Time Left: 5h 3m
	Wilkins cast iron train steel passenger car set antique $118.00 (7 Bids) Time Left: 5h 5m
	Harris cast iron train passenger car set antique $46.00 (4 Bids) Time Left: 5h 8m
	Japan Pull Back Action Tin Toys - Mini Western Train $9.99 (0 Bids) Time Left: 5h 8m
	Metal Toys 1910-1979 book Vintage Mechanical Train MORE $35.00 (0 Bids) Time Left: 5h 10m
	Wilkins Kingsbury cast iron train steel passenger car set antique $89.00 (6 Bids) Time Left: 5h 11m
	Wood paper antique train circus car 1909 $44.99 (8 Bids) Time Left: 5h 14m
	Bliss paper on wood antique train set $180.27 (15 Bids) Time Left: 5h 17m
	Vintage Karl Bub and other West German tin train wind up toys $43.11 (0 Bids) Time Left: 5h 39m
	LIONEL TRAIN OPERATORS DVD! 1915 - 1986 PARTS MANUALS AND EXPLODED DIAGRAMS! â—„ â—„ $1.56 (0 Bids) Time Left: 5h 43m

A toy train is a toy that represents a train. It is distinguished from a model train by an emphasis on low cost and durability, rather than scale modeling. A toy train can be as simple as a pull toy that does not even run on track, or it might be operated by clockwork or a battery.[citation needed] Many toy trains blur the line between the two categories, running on electric power and approaching accurate scale.

The first widely adopted standards for toy trains running on track were introduced in Leipzig, Germany in 1891 by Märklin.

Name	Width (metric)	Width (imperial)	size	Comments
Number 5 gauge	120 mm	4 5/8 in	1:8	Also known as V Gauge.
Number 4 gauge	75 mm	3 in	1:11 or 1:20	Also known as IV or 3 gauge. Measurement is sometimes also quoted at 2 15/16 in.
Number 3 gauge	67 mm	2 5/8 in	1:16 or 1:22 or 1:23	also known as III, II, IIa gauges.
Number 2 gauge	54 mm	2 1/8 in	1:22.5 or 1:27 or 1:28	also known as II gauge.
Number 1 gauge	45 mm	1 3/4 in	1:32 or 1:30	Also known as I gauge. Used by modern G scale.
Number 0 gauge	35 mm	1 3/8 in	1:48 or 1:43 or 1:45 or 1:64	Introduced later, around 1900. This is modern O gauge.

Märklin measured the gauge as the distance between the centers of the two outer rails, rather than the distance between the outer rails themselves. Lionel's Standard gauge is allegedly the result of Lionel's misreading these standards, as are the variances in O gauge between the United States and Europe.

Most of these standards never really caught on, due to their large size, which made them impractical to use indoors, as well as the high price of manufacturing. Wide gauge trains, which are close in size to 2 gauge, are produced in limited quantities today, as are 1 gauge and O gauge trains. Of these, O gauge is the most popular.

The modern standards for toy trains also include S gauge, HO scale, N scale, and Z scale, in descending order of size. HO and N scale are the most popular model railway standards of today; inexpensive sets sold in toy stores and catalogs are less realistic than those sold to hobbyists. O gauge arguably remains the most popular toy train standard. Another size that is attracting interest among hobbyists is building and operating trains from LEGO, or L gauge, which is roughly 1/38 scale.

Although the words "scale" and "gauge" are often used interchangeably, toy train manufacturers have only recently concerned themselves with accurate scale.[citation needed] The terms "O scale" and "S scale" tend to imply serious scale modeling, while the terms "O gauge" and "S gauge" tend to imply toy trains manufactured by the likes of Lionel and American Flyer. While S gauge is fairly consistent at 1:64 scale, O gauge trains represent a variety of sizes. O gauge track happens to be 1/45 the size of real-world standard gauge track, so manufacturers in Continental Europe have traditionally used 1:45 for O gauge trains. British manufacturers rounded this up to 1:43, which is seven millimeters to the foot. U.S. manufacturers rounded it down to 1:48, which is a quarter-inch to the foot. However, most engaged in a practice of selective compression in order to make the trains fit in a smaller space, causing the actual scale to vary, and numerous manufacturers produced 1:64 scale trains—the proper size for S gauge—in O gauge, especially for cost-conscious lines.

Some of the earliest O gauge trains made of tinplate weren't scale at all, made to unrealistic, whimsical proportions similar in length to modern HO scale, but anywhere from one and a half to two times as wide and tall.

Some adult fans of toy trains operate their trains, while others only collect.[citation needed] Some toy train layouts are accessorized with scale models in an attempt to be as realistic as possible, while others are accessorized with toy buildings, cars, and figures. Some hobbyists will only buy accessories that were manufactured by the same company who made their trains. This practice is most common among fans of Marx and Lionel.

The earliest toy trains date from the 19th century and were often made of cast iron. Motorized units running on track soon followed, powered by a steam or clockwork engine. Some of these trains used clever methods to whistle and smoke.

Toy trains were revolutionized when Märklin, a German firm that specialized in doll house accessories, sought to create an equivalent toy for boys where a constant revenue stream could be ensured by selling add-on accessories for years after the initial purchase. In addition to boxed sets containing a train and track, Märklin offered extra track, rolling stock, and buildings sold separately, creating the predecessor to the modern model train layout featuring buildings and scenery in addition to an operating train.

Electric trains followed, with the first appearing in 1897, produced by the U.S. firm Carlisle & Finch. As electricity became more common in the early 20th century, electric trains gained popularity and as time went on, these electric trains grew in sophistication, gaining lighting, the ability to change direction, to emit a whistling sound, to smoke, to remotely couple and uncouple cars and even load and unload cargo. Toy trains from the first half of the 20th century were often made of lithographed tin; later trains were often made mostly of plastic.

Prior to the 1950s, there was little distinction between toy trains and model railroads—model railroads were toys by definition. Pull toys and wind-up trains were marketed towards children, while electric trains were marketed towards teenagers, particularly teenaged boys. It was during the 1950s that the modern emphasis on realism in model railroading started to catch on.^{[citation needed]}

A colorful EMD GP40-2 emblazoned with the Chessie System logo, just one of many wooden toy trains offered by Whittle Shortline.

Consumer interest in trains as toys waned in the late 1950s, but has experienced resurgence since the late 1990s due in large part to the popularity of Thomas the Tank Engine.

Today, S gauge and O gauge railroads are still considered toy trains even by their adherents and are often accessorized with semi-scale model buildings by Plasticville or K-Line (who owns the rights to the Plasticville-like buildings produced by Marx from the 1950s to the 1970s). Ironically, however, due to their high cost, one is more likely to find an HO scale or N scale train set in a toy store than an O scale set.

Many modern electric toy trains contain sophisticated electronics that emit digitized sound effects and allow the operator to safely and easily run multiple remote control trains on one loop of track.

Source:http:/ /en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toy_train