1915 M.H. Miller Co., Brownie Horseshoe Game in Original Box
Spectacular tin litho Brownie Horseshoe Game......never played with and probably never taken out of the original box until recently. Toy is complete right down to the washers and nuts. It comes complete with beautifully illustrated original box. Based on Palmer Cox's immensely popular Brownie comic strip the toy is essentially your basic set of horseshoes, but that's where the commonality ends. The game includes two embossed, raised metal targets. These are 11" in diameter. They're lithoed with concentric alternating rings and have a 3" long nickel plated stake in the center. The stakes attach to the target discs with their original nickel plated washers and nuts. The top halves are lithographed with ultra high gloss metallic gold paint and an alternating dark color. One disc has dark brown rings. The other is dark black. Both targets feature five Brownie vignettes drawn by Palmer Cox. I've shown several of these as the last photographs. The toy name and manufacturer name was also lithoed onto the third ring from the center. The undersides of the targets are polished high gloss tinplate. Complimenting the game are four hard rubber, authentically sized horseshoes. Two are black, and two are blue. Over time the antique rubber compound produces a white crystalline substance on the surface of the horseshoe. This is unavoidable. It's actually a "good" thing because it shows they were never clean. All four shoes were embossed with the word "BROWNIES" at the center top. The gorgeous box features a large, panel wide Palmer Cox illustration of the Brownies playing horseshoes. Nestled among the flowers it shows two of the bulbous belly fellows deeply involved in the game. The Brownie logo is "splashed" across the top of the cover along with the manufacturer's name and address. Two of the short side panels repeat the name. The underside of the box bottom was printed with an extensive list which includes assembly instructions, game play, and scoring. The high grade of this panel is probably the most revealing factor about the history of this example. It was never played with....period! Size: Box 12" square x 7/8" deep. Horseshoes 5¼" x 5½". Sold: Jan. 2008
Price Sold: $ 101
