J.L. Hess / George Carette Tin-Litho Battleship ca 1890-1910

One of the oldest toys in my collection is this Hess battleship from around 1890. These were sold by J.L. Hess as well as George Carette - and possibly others - from 1890-1910 as individually boxed items or in a set as part of a flotilla. Fellow collector Chuck Ehlers has noted that some of the ships had deck guns - like mine - while others came sans deck guns. Lithography was also varied. My battleship is equipped with a very early version of a friction drive motor and measures 9.625" (24,44cm) L x 1.875" (4,76cm) W x 2.5" (5.71cm) H.

Ed

Chuck Ehlers Photos (via facebook)

Nice photo showing an original box

My Battleship

Dolgencorp LLC Police Rescue Boat #02886

The second of two boats I picked up at the Dollar General store near my house. This would have made for a great accessory had I went ahead with my initial planes for included a stretch of the Milwaukee River flowing through the downtown area of my train layout. As it is though, there just wasn't any room left on the layout for a scene like that. Be Blessed and Relish Life! Ed 

Dolgencorp LLC Coast Guard Rescue Boat #08363

Here's a cool boat I picked up about 4-5 years ago at the Dollar General store down the block from my house. These photos were taken just a few days ago, so this thing is still in its original packaging. When building my Milwaukee North Western train layout, I had initially planned on simulating the Milwaukee River which intersects Wisconsin Ave. in the downtown area at a right angle. These boat would have been perfect for such a scene. Alas, I just didn't have room on my layout for that feature so the boats remain ensconced in there paper and plastic cocoons. The boat measures: 9.25" (23.49cm) L x 2.875" (7.30cm) W x 3.5" (8.89cm) H. Be Blessed and Relish Life! Ed 

It's A Small World After All: Pyro's U.S. Army Ferry Boat - OD HP Redux

Here's something I posted back in 2017 and deserves a second look now that we're talking about these small vehicles. It's Pyro's Army ferry boat. Bill Hanlon's "PLASTIC TOYS Dimestore Dreams of the '40s &'50s" says this was made from the late '40s until the early '50s. It has wheels underneath for running on dry land, but I haven't tried putting it in water to see if it floats. I've seen these in bright color schemes as well so they performed civilian as well as military duty! It measures 7 1/2" (19.05cm) L x 2 3/4" (6.98cm) W x 3" (7.62cm) H and includes four tiny U.S. Army staff cars. Enjoy! Opa Fritz