Vintage Gama German Tin Litho Tank Windup Toy *SOLD*

Vintage Gama German Tin Tank Windup Toy

This Gama German tin lithographed tank is a great shelf display with original treads.  The wheels and treads move wonderfully. You wind it up, slide the brake lever forward and the tank goes forward as the soldier pops up out of the turret and then goes back down. The treads on this are not original to this tank, but are a replacement from new old stock. One side of the treads has broken, but these rubber treads are known to break and even petrify and crumble. An original Gama winding key is included. The lithographs on this are in excellent condition with the usual scratches, scuffs, and wear that are to be expected with age and pay. The machine gun turret door and gun barrel are still intact. The soldier inside does appear to have his nose broken off (poor guy). This model  used to spark when it ran, but the flint has worn down so it no longer sparks. We encourage you to look at the photos to get a better idea of condition and quality. This little but hefty tank is approximately 5 ¼” x 3 ½” x 3 ¼”

And now a little history:

Toys like this were some of the first Post WW2 toys to come out of Germany.  The lithography and detail was very good and very evocative of the war effort.  In fact, this potentially was made just before the war, as soon the German toys paid tribute to US tanks with US stars, and American references.  Ours is more German home-front in style from 1940 or so.

According to Edward Force, Gama is the acronym for Georg Adam MAngold, who started the company in Fürth in 1882 making tinplate mechanical toys. Most toy production up through World War II and up until the late 1950s was lithographed tinplate.

In the early 1940s, toy tanks were popular and offered in various sizes including 3.5 and 7 inches in length. The destruction of World War II disrupted production as with other German makers such as Märklin and Schuco. In the late 1940s, production was started again under the auspices of the U.S.