1964 Remco, Barney's Auto Factory, Sealed in Original Box
Here's probably the most difficult early 60's car-accessory-playset toys to find AND it's factory sealed! Never played with. Never removed from the original box. Complete!! I purchased it from the grandson of the original owner. The grandparents would buy their grandkids toys to play with whenever they "came over to the house so we wouldn't be bored". They were stored in the attic to be made "available" whenever needed and were only recently rediscovered while liquidating the grandparents estate. Some had been opened, but never played with. Most were never opened at all like this toy. Remco produced "Barney's Auto Factory" based on their earlier successes with Movieland Drive-In Theater (1959) and Mr. Kelly's Automatic Car Wash (1963). It was their largest, most complex battery operated car playset to date....and unlike their earlier successes it was available for only year! The original K-Mart price sticker of a whopping $9.33 is still on the box. However, Sears-Roebuck advertised it in their 1964 Christmas catalog as.... "Flick the switch and production line start to roll. You go through the same steps as the big auto makers in Detroit. As car reaches end of line, it's automatically swung around for final assembly. Includes parts for 3 late model cars, chassis, axles, motors, bodies, bumpers, roofs, steering wheels, accessories. Also screwdriver, wrench and ramp. Weight 6 pounds!" Directions printed on one of the long box sides (opposite side of the kid photo) was indicated where it should be opened from (3rd photo from top). The bottom of the box is actually the one with the photo insert (first photo). This photograph, which shows 4 assembly stages plus the boy and toy, was printed on cardboard. It has tabs which fit into slots located under the red and blue flaps. As you can imagine the photo is almost always missing. It's the first one I've seen. The remaining box sides have repeated text printed on a white background in red, blue, and black text except for one which is totally blank. Size: 24½" x 11½ x 12". Sold: Apr. 2010
Price Sold: $ 650