Saturday, 6 September 2025

Ed's Antique Hess Battleship

Woodsy,

There are more boats out in The Cave than you can shake a stick at and not all of them have been photographed yet - especially the larger ones!

So, I thought you would be interested in the oldest boat (and the oldest toy) in The Hoard: a tin-litho 'Battleship' from the firm of Hess in Germany. 

The boat was sold from 1890-1910 and features a very early form of friction motor. Reportedly, it was also offered by Carrette.

From the Las Vegas Shipyard

Ed






6 comments:

  1. That's awfully cool. But those wheels just look like stamped tin. I would think they'd be too thin, with no traction, to move the ship. (Oh, and awfully sharp! Call the Government, quick!)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The wheels are probably just that - stamped metal. That said, the mechanism works well enough for a 120+ year old toy.

      Delete
  2. Paul Adams from New Zealand9/06/2025 6:10 am

    An amazing toy. I have nothing that old. I think my oldest would be a 1930s Dinky aeroplane.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanx Paul. I also have a cardboard village from Milton-Bradley dated 1899

      Delete
  3. That’s lovely Ed.I also have a love for old tin and wooden toy boats . I’ll try to post one or two when I get a chance. Will O

    ReplyDelete
  4. Thanx Will! I started out collecting space toys and airplanes but took a divergent path over the years.

    ReplyDelete