A Brief History of Toys

Playthings have been around for a long time. Egyptians buried toy-like objects such as animal figures, boats, and tiny armies, in people's tombs. An ivory toy dog from the 18th Dynasty of Egypt (1570 to 1342 BC) resides today in the New York City's Metropolitan Museum of Art. The dog's jaws move by using a rod.

Although we know that there were many toys in ancient times, it's unclear whether how ancient societies valued toys. Were they used as religious objects or were they for play? Or perhaps, they were used for both. There is evidence that offering one's childhood toys to a god or goddess symbolized the transition from childhood to adulthood.

One of the early toy makers was Hero of Alexandria. During the second century BC, he created toys that would demonstrate the laws of physics. He created complex mechanical toys that used fire, water, and air pressure to move different parts of the toys.

In the 16th century, a toy industry developed in Nurnburg, Germany. Craftsman produced the toys, which were then sold by toy distributors. Materials for these early toys included wood, leather, paper, or cardboard. Metals such as lead, silver or tin were used in limited quantities.

The technology to make large numbers of toys from metal was not available until the 1840s. The most common metals were cast iron and tinplate. The next major innovation in toy materials was in the late 1950s to early 1960s with the introduction of plastics.

Toys have evolved as fast, if not faster, than technology. When the automobile was invented, so was the toy car a few years later. Many early toys were paper games and toys made of cast iron. As technology advanced to the development of rubber, vinyl, and plastics, so did the manufacturing of toys. This type of information can be valuable when trying to determine the age of a toy. A toy car's design, or an action figure's style clothing are other factors which are invaluable in dating a toy. Character toys are sometimes similarly dated since some characters were very popular during earlier years. No matter what the toy, people should always be observant for details that could be of assistance in dating the item.

The preceding material was written using information from "Toys May be just Childhood Memories, But They Can Also Be Valuable Collectibles" by Steve K. Ryan, from Cigar Aficionado.