Buddy L Wrecker ca 1930-32 Pressed Steel Model Wrecker *SOLD*

Buddy L Wrecker ca 1930-32 Pressed Steel Model Wrecker

Enjoy our absolutely GIANT and BEAUTIFUL Buddy L Wrecker toy.   It is a more current rendition modeled after the apex of the steel truck hobby– a 1930-1932 Buddy L wrecker with a working winch.

This is a stellar toy that is more than two feet long, an “I’m bigger than you” feat to one up Keystone and Steelcraft toys.  This toy is also on branded Firestone rubber tires making it also taller than the competition.

Our toy is labeled below the chassis as a T-productions toy that was licensed by the Buddy L corporation ca. the late 1990s.  The paint is in excellent condition with a few chips and dings but at 98% condition.

This is a spectacular steel toy!

A brief history of Moline Pressed Steel Company/Buddy L Toy Company of East Moline, Illinois:    

The Buddy L Toy Company was founded in East Moline, Illinois in 1920 by Fred A. Lundahl. However, Moline Pressed Steel Company did not start manufacturing toys under the Buddy L name until 1921 starting with a pressed steel pick-up truck that expanded into a veritable fleet of almost 30 cranes and other construction toys some five years later. Up until that point, Moline Pressed Steel Company manufactured parts for farm implements, truck parts, automobile fenders, and other stamped auto body parts for the automobile industry.    

It is interesting to note, that the company was named after the founder’s son Arthur whose nickname was Buddy L. Lundahl started the company because he wanted to make toys that were new, different, and durable. Buddy L produced cranes, steamrollers, trucks, trains, and construction toys.     

Throughout the years the company that manufactured Buddy L had many names beginning with Moline Pressed Steel Co. until Mr. Lundahl sold the company during the Depression. After that, the company switched hands a few times before being sold off in 1995 by SLM International under bankruptcy protection. By 2010, Buddy L was owned by Empire Industries of Boca Raton, Florida, a subsidiary of Empire of Carolina where it has become more of a name than a toy maker. In 2001, after filing bankruptcy Empire Industries and its holdings were sold to Alpha International, Inc./Gearbox Pedal Car Company/Gearbox Toys/J. Lloyd International of Cedar Rapids, Iowa.     

Other names: Moline Press Steel Company (1910 -1913); Buddy L Manufacturing (1930); Buddy L Wood Products (1944); Buddy L Corp. (to date).