I had the chance to hit the road this past weekend, and I headed to Minnesota to visit some friends. We also found some time to visit some antique shops along the Mississippi River.

While these shops didn’t have a lot of toys, some of the toys they did have on display were rather curious. There was a nice selection of cap pistols and some good Little Big Books, but what is the fascination with putting “limited-edition” die-cast produced within the last five years on the shelves with the antiques?

I realize dealers put stuff out there just to see if it will get any bites, but there are better places to give that a try than in antiques shops. These don’t fit in with the plastic trucks from the 1950s and the Tonkas resting on the bottom shelf.

And if you wonder why Barbie is decked out in pink, my theory is because it really stands out on a shelf. There was a small Barbie play set in one shop that “leapt” off of the shelf amongst the rusty animal traps and dollhouse dinnerware.

If was going to display toys in my booth in a shop, I’d probably group all of them together instead of sprinkling them throughout the display. I’ll bet there are a lot of toys missed because you can only see a portion of it underneath the Life magazines and old beer cans.

And show those lunch boxes (even if it’s one with Barney) at eye level with the front facing out. It’s the graphics that catch the eye, and you can see them with a side panel showing on the bottom shelf.   

It’s always nice when the toy hobby receives some good news when it seems all that anyone wants to report about is the latest recall. However the last few weeks, there have been some pretty big stories, and, yes, the mainstream public ware interested in these, too.

The first was the announcement that Smith House Toys is going to sell the robot collection of Robert Lesser early next year. Lesser’s collection has been features at the Chicago Museum of Science and Industry, among others, exposing his great collection to thousands of people. This could very well be a landmark sale, or at least one that is remembered in toy circles for some time. Anyone sen a Machine Man robot sell lately?

The other big news was the sale of two promotional dolls of Mickey and Minnie Mouse by Hake’s Americana & Collectibles for $151,500 and some change. This is reported as the highest selling price for a Disney-related toy. When something tops six figures, that’s big news – even on Disney’s level.

This just goes to show you that the vintage toy market is doing just fine if you have good stuff. Despite the economic challenges presented today, there are plenty of people with plenty of disposable income for items they enjoy, like toys.

On a secondary note, the International Model & Hobby Expo will be taking place soon. If you are planning to attend, please say hello to the staff of Toy Shop’s sister publication, Toy Cars & Models. They will be roaming the floors, checking out the latest vehicle toys, just like yourself.