1961 Philipp Niedermeier, No. 450 Cabriolet In Original Box
Amazing unused store stock toy manufactured by Philipp Niedermeier, West Germany. All tin litho comes with original hand painted composition drive in rare pristine mint condition. Also comes with complete original box! Purchased from the grandson of the original owner this toy had been squirreled away for nearly 50 years and was only recently taken out of its original box for the first time. Your eyes don't deceive you; both the brilliant lemon yellow and orange lithography are bold, deep, and consistently uniform. And check out the corners; not a spot of wear from moving around inside the box. And look at the celluloid windshield; when I first saw it, it blew me away. Just a hint of yellowing and without a single spot of distortion or damage. Ah, but I digress! Philipp Niedermeier was located in Nuremberg, (West) Germany. Although not on par with Marklin or Schuco they produced affordable toys for more moderate income families. The Cabriolet is made from two embossed tinplates (body and chassis). Lotsa details were provided plus at over a foot long you got a lot for your money. Notice the original 99 cents price written in grease pencil on the box. The Cabriolet has embossed fenders (front and back), embossed bumpers, a detailed dashboard, separate driver, separate plastic steering wheel, celluloid windshield, front wheel friction drive motor, single plate polished tin chassis, and rubber tires. You also got a safe toy; notice that the edges of the chassis and body were folded over to create a smooth folded exterior edge which won't cut the kiddies. And like most European toy you got a box which was nearly completely devoid of any text. It was all full color illustration. Only the endflaps are printed with the trademark logo, catalog number, and country of origin. Size: 12-¾" Date Sold: Oct. 2009
Price Sold: $ 210