1949 Courtland, No.5300 Steam Shovel and Mechanical Trailer Truck in Original Box
Fantastic mechanical vehicle combination manufactured by Courtland. This three piece set is old store stock taken from the shelves of the Crown 5¢ and 10¢ in Millersburg, PA. It's never been played with and in pristine near mint to mint condition. It also has the distinction of being THE most difficult mechanical Courtland vehicle to find. 55+ years ago it was also the most expensive Courtland vehicle retailing for $2.75. The set includes a brilliant yellow truck cab with a tin litho body, plastic roof and four solid rubber tires. The front is embossed and lithoed with a grille assembly and headlights. The front bumper is actually part of the chassis which was cut and then folded up at a 90 degree angle. The Courtland logo appears on both doors. The embossed hitching platform is pressed aluminum. Hitched to the cab is a pressed aluminum lowboy tractor trailer with a manually cranked chain and tow hook. The tow hook assembly is held in place by a red, pressed steel support. To insure that the lowboy can adequately transport the steam shovel's weight a series of nine connected wooden tires are placed on a single axle towards the rear of the trailer. They also work as rollers to help load and unload the steam shovel. The embossed tin litho steam shovel has a bright orange body attached to a pressed aluminum base. It's lithoed with perspective views of the two operators from the front and sides. Around the edges, top and sides, are lithoed rivet heads. The rear doors, handles, and caution signs (also all lithographed) give it a very realistic overall appearance. A steel crank manually raises, and lowers the crane boom while making a clicking/grinding sound. The bottom of the shovel releases by pulling back on the attached chain. It has its original rubber treads set around wooden wheels. Size: 15½" long x 4" wide x 10½" tall. Sold: Jun. 2005
Price Sold: $ 748
