What's for sale?
This is a tinplate, toy cable car from 1950s or 1960s Japan. It has it's original box and all the necessary cabling and pulleys. The battery pack and controller is missing, so it is incomplete and therefore not a working toy.
It has a lithographed body in red, yellow, white and blue, pale blue plastic sheeting for the windows and plastic silver parts for the A-frame.
The lithographed motor house is fitted with a table clamp and is printed with "MADE IN JAPAN". The other end of the nylon cord, which acts as the cable, is attached to a small pulley which would be hung from a higher point.
As well as being a collectable toy, cable cars make fun ceiling ornaments and you can add battery-powered LEDs to add it to your Christmas decorations.
Who made it?
It was made by T.N Nomura, one of the largest of the Japanese tin toy makers of the 1940s onwards. There is no makers mark on the toy, but printed on the box is:
- trademark
- T.N.
- made in japan
What condition is it in?
- Second hand
- Fair to good condition
- The toy is non-working
- The plastic windows have marks and faint scratches
- The paintwork is generally good
- There are two 7mm scratches, one on the door and one the other side
- There are some paint chips on the roof and underneath
- The door handle works
- The controller and battery pack is missing
- The power lead is still connected to the motor house, which is untested
- The box is creased, battered, torn in several places and has been repaired with tape
- The bottom half of the box is not original
What are the cable car's measurements?
- 14.5cm long (5.75 inches)
- 8.5cm wide (just over 3.25 inches)
- 22cm high (about 8.5 inches)
- 535 grams including the packaging
If you have any questions, just send an email to help@3bcshop.com.
