item details
NameTin whistle
ProductionUnknown; manufacturer(s); late 1930s; Germany
Classificationwhistles
Materialsmetal, paint
DimensionsOverall: 26mm (width), 71mm (height), 5mm (depth)
Registration NumberGH024803
Credit lineGift of Leslie and Shirley Megget, on behalf of Joyce Megget, 2015
Overview
This tin whistle was a children's toy made in the late 1930s and imported from Germany.
The racing car is very similar to the revolutionary Mercedes-Benz W125 Grand Prix car which won the Tripoli Grand Prix in May 1937.
Toys manufactured from tinplate were available from about the 1830s but these were very expensive, hand-made items by skilled tinsmiths. By the turn of the century Germany had emerged as the world centre for the production of tinplate toys and the range was hugely varied both in terms of type and price, and included the popular 'penny toys'.