Collection context
Summary
- Abstract:
- Finding Aid for The Ralph L. Tomlinson Toy Collection.
- Extent:
- 32.25 Linear feet (111 toys)
- Language:
- and The materials in this collection are in English.
- Preferred citation:
-
[identify item], Ralph L. Tomlinson Antique Toy Collection (2010.25.r), Frank Mt. Pleasant Library of Special Collections and Archives, Chapman University, CA.
Background
- Scope and content:
-
This collection contains over one hundred antique toys dating from 1890 to 2001, the bulk of which originate from 1920 to 1940. The collection represents toys manufactured in Germany, France, Spain, England, Japan, and the United States. Various manufacturers are represented including The Automatic Cradle Manufacturing Company, Nuremberg Tin Toy Factory, Inc., JEP, Tech Specialties, Wolverine Supply and Manufacturing Company, Schuco, Keystone Manufacturing Company, Kingsburg, Carerra Toys, Girand Model Works Company, Louis Mark and Company, Ferdinand Struass Company, Unique Art Manufacturing Company, Pava Hermanos, Wunder Manufacturing Company, N.B.K., Modern Toys, Buddy L. Manufacturing Company, Ichiko, Marunsan Company, Hadson, Line Mar, Metalcraft, Tri-ang Toys, Arcade Manufacturing Company, Dowst Manufacturing Company, Inc., John C. Turner Company, Hubley Manufacturing, and Mack Brothers.
Categories of toys include pedal riding toys, mechanical toys, image projectors, clockwork vehicles, construction sets, battery operated toys, friction vehicles, push & pull toys, farm toys, circus toys, military figures, steam engines, and train sets.
- Biographical / historical:
-
Born in Hannibal, Missouri, June 20, 1928, Ralph L. Tomlinson was one of this country’s premier collectors of antique toys. His collection of over 2,000 Victorian and early-20th century playthings was displayed in every room of his home in Newport Beach, California.
In his early childhood Ralph’s parents gave him only clothes for Christmas. The absence of toys that year made more of an impact than even he knew. As a grown man in the early 60’s, he bought a vintage mechanical bank for 25 cents, which he sold a few years later for $350. Ralph was hooked, not so much by the profit from his first sale, as by the delight he felt in the toys themselves, and by the compelling idea of learning through play.
Ralph collected toys from all over the world. He ordered from catalogs, purchased from auctions, and attended conventions and antique stores looking another piece of history. Each toy reflecting the time period in which it was created. Ralph’s notoriety grew along with his collection and he was featured on KOCE and A&E and in many magazines and newspapers. An article in The Los Angeles Times quoted him as saying, “I love each one of my toys, and I still play with them all the time.” Jack Herbet, an antique toy consultant for the Sotherby's and Christy's auction houses, said Tomlin's collection is one of the best one the West Coast for variety and educational value.
Tomlinson kept his collection in pristine condition. “Since his earliest days of collecting, Ralph has always made sure that his toys were in excellent working order and looked their very best,” said Bertoia Antique Toy Auction House owner, Jeanne Bertoia. “Ralph likes for his toys to be shiny and clean, and because he’s mechanically inclined, nothing pleases him more than to retreat to his wonderful workshop to tinker with his toys and restore them to perfect working order. He has always been very particular about the presentation of his toys, and if he has made a repair to any of them – which he does with great expertise and subtlety –he will always point out the repair with pride.”
Ralph L. Tomlinson sat on both the Chapman University Board of Governors and the Leatherby Libraries Board. In 2008, his passion for community and generosity exceeding the love he had for his toys, Ralph donated over 100 pieces to Chapman University, along with a number of custom-made cabinets in which to display them. The resulting exhibit entitled “Learning through Play” is a tribute to Ralph’s passion and generosity, capturing as it does both nostalgia for childhood and an appreciation for human ingenuity.
Ralph passed away from a stroke on July 7, 2011 at the age of 83. The majority of his collection was sold at auction shortly after his passing.
References
Castan and Tomlinson collections step into the spotlight at Bertoia’s Sept. 23-24 antique toy auction. Retrieved 19 October 2011 from http://www.bertoiaauctions.com/guest/web/2011-9/SeptStory2011.pdf
Brewer, Melissa. (2011). Learning through play: An exhibit of children's toys, 1890-2001. Frank Mt. Pleasant Library of Special Collections and Archives, Chapman University, CA.
Obituary, Ralph L. Tomlinson. Orange County Register. Retrieved 19 October 2011 from http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/orangecounty/obituary.aspx?n=ralph-l-tomlinson&pid=153120841
- Arrangement:
-
The exhibit of the collection is arranged by toy category (mechanical toys, push & pull toys, etc.) Within each catagory different manufacturers, time periods, materials, and functions are represented. However this the collection has no formal arrangement.
- Physical location:
- Leatherby Libraries
- Rules or conventions:
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Access and use
- Restrictions:
-
This collection is open for research.
- Terms of access:
-
There are no restrictions on the use of this material.
- Preferred citation:
-
[identify item], Ralph L. Tomlinson Antique Toy Collection (2010.25.r), Frank Mt. Pleasant Library of Special Collections and Archives, Chapman University, CA.
- Location of this collection:
-
One University DriveOrange, CA 92866, US
- Contact:
- (714) 532-7719