A Schuco 1950s Elektro Control-Car 5308 Mercedes Benz 220S, Can$700 (£405) at Miller & Miller.
A fine collection of mid-century Schuco toys came for sale at Miller & Miller (18% buyer’s premium) in New Hamburg, Ontario, on March 1.
The 180 lots devoted to a single German toymaker were part of the remarkable holdings of the late Howard Meyer, a Canadian collector with a discerning eye who died in 2021.
Originally founded in 1912 under the name Spielzeugfirma Schreyer & Co, the Schuco factory assumed its more succinct branding in 1921.
Two Schuco 1920s wind-up figures of Drinking Tyrolians, Can$275 (£160) at Miller & Miller.
Items in the Meyer collection begin in this period - there were several of the classic 1920s-30s tin and fabric wind-up walking figures including a duo of Drinking Tyrolians sold at Can$275 (£160) - but its primary focus was the toys made after the Second World War.
It was during this period that Schuco focused production the international market with many of its toys marked US Zone Germany, allowing them to be sold outside occupied Germany.
Schuco 1950s tin and plastic Mister Atom juggler, Can$1600 (£930) at Miller & Miller.
This distinctive marking was used well into the 1950s, as evidenced by a tin and plastic Mister Atom juggler that had a guide of Can$500-700 and sold at Can$1600 (£930). Like many pieces in the collection, it was in near-mint condition.
Tin longevity
Schuco 1950s Curvo 1000 lithographed tin motorcycle, Can$400 (£230) at Miller & Miller.
Many Schuco toys transitioned to plastic and diecast metal in the 50s and 60s. However, its range of lithographed tin vehicles remained hugely popular.
More than a dozen motorcycles in the Meyer collection included boxed examples of the Curvo 1000 from 1950-54 and the late 1940s Motodrill 1006 sold at Can$400 (£230) and Can$325 (£190) respectively.
The first toy the factory produced of a specific rather than a generic vehicle was the Mercedes Benz 220S introduced in 1955. There were two versions of these battery-powered convertibles here: a fire engine red Elektro Control-Car (also referred to as the driving school car) and the pastel green Hydro-Car Elektro with its working steering wheel, gearstick and clutch. Both boxed examples in great order, they took Can$700 (£405) each.
Schuco 1961 Disneyland Alweg-Monorail G-Set in original box, Can$1200 (£700) at Miller & Miller.
There were also two Disneyland lithographed tin Alweg monorail sets, both in their boxes and never assembled. The c.1961 version (the gift set or ‘G-set’) sold at Can$1200 (£700) and the c.1962 super set (‘S-set’) at $1800 (£1050).
Schuco 1960s Elektro Radiant 5600 Sabena toy airliner for Hong Kong Airways, Can$800 (£470) at Miller & Miller.
Among the later pieces in the sale was a series of eight 1960s lithographed tinplate planes from the Elektro Radiant line. These were all patterned after the Vickers Viscount Turboprop but featured the livery of different airlines.
A boxed model for Hong Kong Airways sold best at Can$800 (£470).
