c.1934 Ohio Art, "Funny Face" Sand Set in Original Box
Check out this toy! Here's a four piece tin litho Sand Set by Ohio Art Co., it;s nearly 80 years old, never been used and in pristine mint condition! Plus it's in it's original box with insert and lid. Central to the set is its awesome Funny Face sand pail. Spectacular original colors, incredible art deco image, and unbelievable condition; it's one of the most beautiful images of any American 1930's toy I've seen. Complete with original two-tone ribbon bail, the rear lip of the base is marked with the Ohio Art trademark. The pail measures 3¼" tall. The base diameter is 2½". The top diameter is 3½". I couldn't find a single reference for it! Beautifully complimenting the pail is it's extraordinary tin litho shovel. Measuring 7" long it features an intricate full color illustration of a 1930's boy and girl playing at the beach under a large umbrella. A similar, yet very different shovel was referenced in Horman and Minick's, "Sand Pail Encyclopedia". The book indicated the artist as Ruth Newton although I could find no initials that would confirm this. In other words I couldn't find any references to the shovel. The back of the shovel, where the handle meets the scoop, is marked with the Ohio Art Co. trademark. The third piece to the set is a handsome olive green and maroon colored sifter. This piece is unmarked and I couldn't find it in any reference. And last is a 3" long embossed, gold and black, tin litho turtle sand mold. It too has never been used. The underside is silver tin plated. I did find a single reference for this item in Glicher's book "Ohio Art World of toys". It appears in a 1934 Mickey Mouse Sand Set. The 8" x 7" x 4" box for this set includes a bottom, separate lid, and die cut insert. All other Sand Sets from this period were usually packaged in die cut window display boxes. The fact that a three piece box was used may indicate that it was manufactured earlier than I've estimated. The cover print shows intricate printed illustrations nursery rhyme characters. The box bottom has similar images although they're difficult to see due to fading. It's interesting to point out that the box corners were assembled using glued strips of paper. Sold: Oct. 2011
Price Sold: $ 317
