1928 Marx, Mechanical Mack Steam Shovel in Original Box
Super rare mechanical "Mack Steam Shovel" by Marx. Only example I've ever seen. Plus it comes in its original box which, also, I've never seen. The condition is amazing; near mint+ in complete excellent+ box. Most likely it was never played with and had been in a collection for a very long time. I found only a single reference listed in Freed's book on American Transportation Toys in which it was noted as SCARCE. Other than that there were no listings in any of the Sears-Roebuck or toy jobber catalogs. Nothing on the Internet. It's not even listed in a Marx catalog which references all of the Marx Mack vehicles manufactured through 1930. Nor was there an example in the Phillips auction catalogs which disposed of all the remaining Marx toy stock in 1977 after the company closed. Like all of the other trucks from this series the design is fantastic featuring a very authentic-looking Mack hood. The entire toy is tin litho. It has a red cab, yellow bumper, red with black trimmed hood and windshield frame, dark green wheels, running boards and chassis, red crane housing, blue boom, and red digging bucket. The driver is the same used by Marx for their Rex and Sparks racers. It has a single hunched-over driver, split front windshield and large Marx logo on the front radiator. The wheels are simple pressed disks with embossed spokes. The crane housing rotates manually and has an exterior crank which raises and lowers the boom. This automatically forces the digging bucket to open and close. The boom height remains stationary until it's released by lifting the metal rod just above the crank to disengage it. It runs using a simple clockwork motor with attached key that was standard at the time. The front axle can be positioned straight, right, or left. It still has its original metal spring underneath the chassis which keeps the axle in place while moving. The box features a awesome full panel, two color illustration of the steam shovel in action at a quarry. The operator can be seen inside the crane housing. Off in the distance a Marx Mack Dump truck is arriving to pick up another load. Further in the background you can see a farm, trees, fields, and large puffy clouds. The name of the truck was printed in large bold capital letters across the top. Manufacturer's name and address was printed along the bottom. This same illustration is repeated on both sides. The shorter box panels have the toy name printed in large capitol letters against a checkerboard background. Both endflaps stay closed using simple tuck-in tabs. One end flap includes a short instruction paragraph describing how to raise, lower, and release the bucket. Overall, it's one of the most beautifully illustrated boxes from the Marx Mack series that I've seen. Size: 16". Sold: May 2017
Price Sold: $ 3500
