1930 Katz No. 137 "The Red Arrow" Monoplane In Original Box
Early stamped metal high wing monoplane, "The Red Arrow" manufactured by Henry Katz & Co., New York. Complete with everything except the string! Wonderful toy; even more amazing is that it comes in its original box. Essentially it's a large pull toy. It has it's original two piece clicker mechanism, a wooden pulley, and a wooden propeller dowel (inside the plane). As it moves forward the wheels turn, the propeller rotates and it makes a loud grinding sound. It all works too. The toy was made from some kind of stamped metal; possible steel, tin, or a combination of both. In fact if you turn the single large wing upside down, tilt it at just the right angle, you can read "Amalie, Five U.S. Gallons". Amalie was, and still is, a large oil company. The top wing of the plane and most likely the fuselage were made from repainted, re-stamped five gallon oil drums. This was a common practice in an effort to save money. The Red Arrow has a dark red fuselage, all tapered, with no embossing except at the point where the wing rested. The large yellow propeller spins in front a black metal engine cowl just like Lindy. The tail is lithographed yellow with a red stripe design on the upright. The yellow wheels are also stamped metal. The Katz logo showing two cats playing on a large ball, plus the company name and location were lithoed onto the tail. The detachable top wing is lithoed with a large red arrow from nearly one end to the other. The toy name in large red letters and catalog number were included. The box was printed with a fantastic illustration of the Red Arrow allegorically finding its direction (i.e., the target) through the night skies. It's shown buzzing over the dark forests and sleeping homes. The name "Red Arrow" was drawn with a red arrow pierced through the center of the word "arrow". "A Miniature Toy Aeroplane" and red and white striping were printed around the edges. More than likely it all represented Lindbergh. The endflaps are replacements. Size: Fuselage 17½", Wingspan 18" Date Sold: Oct. 2009
Price Sold: $ 464
