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September 2, 2010 : Richard Lentinello
On Sunday, September 26, the AACA Museum in Hershey, Pennsylvania, will host an all-Matchbox toy show. The show will be run by the Diecast Exchange, and will focus on the entire history of Matchbox model cars, from the early 1950s up through the pre ...
The Tippco Christmas car was printed with extravagant lithography on each side, and equipped with a Christmas tree which can be illuminated. (quite luxurious for a toy in 1928) According to the 1928 Moko (Moses Kohnstarn) store catalog, an example was available with part no. 5258, which allowed the Christmas tree to rotate during motion. Another version had a light yellow chassis and mudguards of the same color.
The model in the museum has a nice patina, but after about 80 years, it’s easy to see what a glorious toy it was then, and now. Our’s has had the tree replaced with something more modern sometime in its life.
Christmas Car with Lighted Christmas Tree
Tipp & Co., around 1925 to 1935, clockwork-driven, lithographed, with lighted Christmas tree with
on and off switch. This series, with spoked wheels is pictured in the Catalog from 1930. In the 4th
edition of my book, “Cars and Motorcycles”, which is unfortunately, out-of-print, the series is
pictured with yellow “mudguards”. A similar car was found in a shop in an Ethiopian city in the
early 80’s. Around the same time a Nicholas-Car was also discovered in Cairo.
length 32cm. 12 5/8″
