1930's/40's Toby Toys (Louis Marx England Brand) Tin Clockwork Indy Racer & Box

Description

This tin plate race car is a "Toby Toy" which was Louis Marx Co. England Brand. It is called "Road Racer No. 9"  A hard to find Marx toy with box. The clockwork mechanism does not work but the toy is in excellent to pristine condition in every other way. The front wheels can be turned by hand to steer left or right. The wheels appear to be wood with tin hubs. The remainder of the toy is tin plate except the driver, which is 2 dimensional printed cardboard. I photographed a 1930's Louis Marx Toy Box to show the similar printing and construction of this box to boxes made for the Louis Marx Co in the 1930's & 40's. Toy is 9" longToby Toys was a trademark of Louis Marx & Co Ltd, England. Marx was an American company founded in New York by Louis Marx. He was the factory manager at Ferdinand Strauss, who manufactured cheap mechanical tin toys before founding Marx.Upon the death of Mr Strauss in 1921, Louis Marx and his brother purchased the Strauss dies and founded Louis Marx & Co Ltd" (?) of England. In 1932, they bought a factory in Dudley (Worcestershire), England and continued to produce cheap tinplate toys. Beginning in 1947, they specialized in die-cast toys made in mazak (Zamak) and plastic and on toy trains.In addition to "Toby Toys" - "Marx Toys - Made in Great Britain" was another English trademark of Louis Marx & Co.