1949 Courtland, No.5300 Steam Shovel & Mechanical Trailer Truck in Factory Sealed Box
Several months ago (in 2005) I made a spectacular find when I located a rare three piece Courtland Steam Shovel and Mechanical Trailer Truck in near mint to mint condition in the original box. This toy has the distinction of being THE most difficult mechanical Courtland vehicle to find. Prior to finding it I had never seen a complete unit with the box in this condition. I thought it would be a long time before I found another. So you can imagine my surprise when I recently discovered a second No. 5300 only this time it's an even scarcer configuration. Amazingly, the box has never been opened! It's still factory sealed all around. The toy has never been removed from the box or played with. If that wasn't enough the condition of the box is incredible; near mint to mint condition. Corners and edges are solid without a single crease or tear.55+ years ago this was Courtland's most expensive vehicle with a suggested retail of $2.75. The set includes a brilliant yellow truck cab with a tin litho body, aluminum hitching platform, plastic roof and four solid rubber tires. The cab is hitched to a pressed aluminum lowboy tractor trailer with a manually cranked chain and tow hook and a series of nine connected wooden tires placed on a single axle towards the rear. A beautiful tin litho embossed steam shovel rests on top of the lowboy. It has a bright orange body attached to a pressed aluminum base and rubber treads on wooden wheels. Both the cab and steam shovel are extensively covered with detailed lithography. I've provided a photograph of the toy I previously sold. The box is a simple text type. It features the Courtland logo, the name and catalog number of the toy, and references the company's "guaranteed for life" slogan. It includes the original black factory tape which sealed the folded box edges plus the additional brown tape which sealed both end flaps. The original $2.98 coded retail price still appears in red grease pencil on one end. Size: 17½" x 4½" x 6". Sold: Ju. 2005
Price Sold: $ 599
