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1920s Vintage Children's Toys with Prices, Descriptions and Images

Unlike later decades, the choice of toys parents could buy for children was limited, so all popular 20s toys have been included on this page. It is fascinating looking at the cars which emulate the car models of the time and how most were wooden or steel as plastic did not exist. We have over close to 30 examples below with prices, descriptions and pictures covering the period from the early to the late Twenties, the range although limited is fascinating .

Featured Toys on this page Tom Tinker Toy, Bird Whistlers, All Steel Pedal Cars, Clock Work Train Set, 3 Wheel Velocipedes, Erector Set, Flossy Flirt Doll, Cast Iron Toy Cars, Gyroscope Spinning Top, Magic Lantern, Marbles and many more from the 1920s

Popular Toys in the Twenties

  • Early U.S. Vintage Teddy Bear from the early 20s

    Vintage Twenties Teddy Bear

    Price: From 79 cents

    This Teddy Bear is from an advert from 1920. Named after the United States President Theodore Roosevelt (whose nickname was "Teddy") following a cartoon where he refused to kill a tied up beaten black bear (1902). The following year, Morris Michtom (Ideal Novelty and Toy Co) wrote to the president asking for permission to market a (Teddy Bear) and was given permission, the rest as they say is history. However, there are disputes over the first "Teddy Bear" as it is believed that the Steiff firm in Germany, unaware of Michtom's bear, produced a stuffed bear from Richard Steiff's designs at around the same time.


  • Tom Tinker Toy

    Vintage 20s Tom Tinker Toy

    Price: 59 cents

    Made from smooth wooden balls threaded on strong chords.


  • Bird Whistles

    Bird Whistlers

    Price: 3 for 19 cents

    Fill your Bird with water Whistler and they make a sound like a canary.


  • Steel Vintage Pedal Cars from the 20s

    20s Pedal Cars

    Price: From $10.95

    This offers an idea of the style of cars and trucks around at the time (I love these), they are all based loosely on cars and trucks from popular major car makers Cadillac, Lincoln and MAC truck. The more expensive, the better chain drive gearing used. I can only wonder what these would cost today as antiques if you could find a one in good condition.


  • Vintage Clockwork Train Set

    Clock Work Train Set

    Price: $5.95

    Clock Work Train with 15 ft of track. The train itself was was 7 inches long and the carriages were 5 inches long, the train set was made by Bing Trains who also made an electric train set which ran through dry cell batteries or AC through transformer (cost of electric set and transformer was close to $20.00).



  • 3 wheel velocipedes

    Columbia 3 Wheel Velocipedes

    Price: From $8.98

    Columbia 3 Wheel Velocipedes ( Tricycle ), features include bicycle bell, adjustable handle bars, padded leather saddle with coil springs, tubular steel frame, ball bearing wheels and bicycle spokes. Through to the late 50s the word Velocipede / Bicycle or Bike were used to describe human-powered vehicles with one or more wheels it very much depended on who the manufacturer was, towards the late 1950's Tricycle and Bike / Bicycle were used much more in advertising and now it would be hard to find an add for a Velocipede.


  • Vintage Twenties Morse Code Telegraph Learning Set

    Morse Code Telegraph Learning Set

    Price: From $2.90

    Morse Code Telegraph learning kit included everything to learn how to use Morse code and use the Telegraph. Radio and the Telegraph were changing communications and this was sold as a toy but was also bought by adults to learn the new technology


  • Tinker Construction kit

    Tinker Construction kit

    Price: From 63 cents to $1.75

    Unlike the Erector construction kit which was based on thin steel and nuts and bolts, the Tinker Construction kit was based on wooden sticks and spools to build things, seems a shame they are not around today. Nearly 1/5 of all toys sold were construction kits of one kind or another making them as much for education as for play


  • Steel Bucket Crane

    Steel Bucket Crane

    Price: 98 cents

    Steel Toy Bucket Crane.


  • Erector Set

    Erector Set

    Price: From 98 cents to $9.98

    I was pleased to see this Erector Set from the early 20s, very few toys or manufacturers are around since that time, this is one of the few and tells you that child development and kids making things with their hands was as strong and important then as it is today. ( The vast difference in price between the steel sets and the wooden based sets offers an insight into the range of things each set could make because the steel was more versatile and longer lasting )


  • Twenties Flossy Flirt Doll

    Flossy Flirt Doll

    Price: From $1.98 to $4.98

    Flossy Flirt Doll animated doll, says the words Ma Ma, rolling flirty eyes and she closes her eyes when she goes to sleep, sizes range from 14 inch high to 23 inches high.


  • Cast Iron Cars

    Toy Cars

    Price: From 39 cents

    Cast Iron Cars for little boys to play with, provides hours of fun.


  • Weather Prophet

    Weather Prophet

    Price: 98 cents

    Weather Prophet, I love this the description tells us that when the woman comes out the weather will be fine the next day and when the man comes out it will be bad weather, unsure how it worked as no barometer was mentioned with it's description.


  • Olympic Flyer Wagon

    Olympic Flyer Wagon

    Price: $4.98

    The Olympic Flyer Wagon, an all steel pull along Wagon, with red enamel, 33 inches long and 14 inches wide with pull along handle. If you watch any movie from the twenties, thirties or Forties that includes children playing some make of pull along wagon will be featured


  • Electric Shock Joke

    Electric Shock Joke

    Price: $1.98

    Practical joke fun with a popular toy that dates back to the 20's, turn the handle and get your friends to pick up the two rods and get electric shock.


  • Twenties Magic Lantern

    Magic Lantern

    Price: $3.98

    Magic Lantern includes 12 glass slides, Kerosene lamp, lamp chimney for the smoke, display your picture on a white sheet or wall. A short time ago, I was looking to buy one of these and the only ones I could find were from the early 30s and were electric instead of kerosene and were pretty expensive even though they were quite popular from the late 1800's through to the 30s, the glass slides were even harder to come by.


  • Childrens Marbles

    Marbles

    Price: From 19 cents

    As you can see the clay marbles at 150 for 19 cents were significantly cheaper than the imported glass marbles costing nearly 10 times as much for each marble.


  • Wind up Musical Merry Go Round

    Musical Merry Go Round

    Price: 79 cents

    Wind up Musical Merry Go Round with horses and pigs carrying their riders while the music plays.


  • Twenties Wind up Airplane

    Airplane Toy

    Price: 87 cents

    Wind up Airplane includes a Plane and an Air Ship.


  • Boys Bicycle Red enamel

    Boys Bicycle

    Price: $15.75

    Boys Bicycle with 14 1/2 inch steel frame, Triple Coil Saddle Springs, and Red enamel.


  • Riding Horse

    Riding Horse

    Price: $2.98

    Horses head and front wheels swivel for easy turning.


  • Steam Roller and Tractor toy

    Steam Roller and Tractor

    Price: $4.98

    Steam Roller and Tractor moves under its own steam.


  • Little Girls Stick Horse

    Stick Horse

    Price: 59 cents

    Little Girls Stick Horse from the 1920s, not much to say except little girls still love them today nearly 100 years later and will still use the same words giddy up.


  • Swinging Horse

    Swinging Horse

    Price: $3.69

    Once again a toy that has stood the test of time, safer and made from different materials but basically the same.


  • Horse and Cart

    Horse and Cart

    Price: 89 cents

    Horse and Cart, horse has moving legs just like a real horse, 18 inches X 6 inches


  • 1920's Boys Bike

    Boys Bike

    Price: $15.98

    What I found the most interesting was the strange design, with the small wheels and $5.00 more to include a rear wheel coaster brake suitable for ages 6 to 12 (hmm 12 year old boy speeding down a hill and no brakes unless you spent the extra $5.00).


  • Twenties Humpty Dumpty Circus

    Humpty Dumpty Circus

    Price: $7.96

    What a great gift, the circus includes Canvas Tent and Sawdust Ring, Circus Girl and Ringmaster, Brown Bear, Clown, Donkey, Elephant, Poodle, Dog, and Horse.


  • Boys hand Cars from the 20s

    Boys Hand Cars

    Price: From $3.99

    I looked at these first and tried to work out if they were push along, but when reading the description the children push and pull the handle with their hands which is connected to the rear axle to make them go along, and they use their feet to do the steering. Looks like a great fitness idea for our kids today.


  • The Gyroscope Spinning Top

    Gyroscope

    Price: 19 cents

    The Gyroscope Spinning Top a wonder of modern science, will spin while at any angle, I just checked and they are still sold on Amazon with little change from the original design.


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