1949 Arnold No 563 Motorcyclist In Original Box
Superb example of the classic early post-war tin litho clockwork motorcyclist manufactured by Arnold, Nuremberg, Germany, U.S. Zone. Complete with excellent+ original box the toy conservatively grades near mint- (minus). It's just shy of near mint, but higher than excellent+. Overall it's one of the best boxed examples I've seen. The toy represents an early 1940s era motorcycle. It has a red and cream body and gray Union Cord tires. Also a head light, and rear carrier. The driver and cycle are a single piece of tinplate. Only the arms are separate. The driver wears a khaki canvas uniform, leather boots, gloves, and helmet. "Training wheels" keep him upright. The cyclist is powered with a small clockwork motor and has an attached key. The training wheels are angled towards the right. After it's wound up it glides smoothly across the floor. Simultaneously it emits sparks from the headlight. Best of all it works great! The toy is marked "Made in U.S. Zone, Germany" and is lithoed with the Arnold trademark. The book "German Tin Toys After 1945", by Alfred Kraus, et. al. lists this cycle as catalog number A643. This was based on the front fender number. However the correct catalog number is 563 which is printed on the box. The box is absolutely awesome. Typical of European toy boxes it features a different "text-less" water color illustration on five of the six panels. Only the narrow aprons have a duplicate drawing. Each panel shows a country or city scene of the riding motorcyclist. The Arnold logo was printed on one endflap. "Made in Germany U.S. Zone and No. 563 were printed on one of the tuck-in flaps. Size: 7½" Date Sold: Feb. 2010
Price Sold: $ 846
