Saturday, June 29, 2013

1996 Hess Toy Truck Glass Promotion

 These collector series glasses were sold at the stations in the summer of 1996. You could purchase a new collectible glass every few weeks until you got the complete set of 4 glasses.

 
 The first one that they offered was the "First Hess Truck" glass that had a picture of the 1982 Hess truck on the front. On the rear of the glass it read: "The First Hess Truck. The 1982 First Hess Truck was a replica of the original 1933 Chevrolet oil delivery truck driven by Lean Hess, the founder of the Hess Oil Company.
This toy truck was the thirteenth in a series of Hess holiday promotional trucks that began in 1964 and is one of the most recognized symbols of the early days of the Hess Oil Company". Under that was the Hess logo and the final line reads, 1996 Classic Truck Series.
 


The second one offered was the "Hess Fire Truck Bank" glass that has a picture of the 1986 Hess fire truck on the front. On the rear of this glass it read" "Hess Fire Truck Bank". The 1986 Red Fire Truck Bank features emergency lights, head and tail lights, and an action packed hydraulic ladder. This toy truck also has a real coin bank, along with genuine chrome detailing on mirrors, bumpers and side instrument panels.
This toy truck is the sixteenth in a series of Hess holiday promotional trucks and is extremely popular with children and adults". Under that was the Hess logo and the final line reads, 1996 Classic Truck Series.
 
 
 
The third one offered was the "Hess Trailer and Racer" glass that has a picture of the 1992 Hess truck on the front. On the rear of this glass it reads: "Hess Trailer and Racer". The 1992 Hess Trailer and Racer is an 18 wheeler that features working head lights, tail lights and side lights.Clear windows on both sides of the trailer showcase a sporty and dramatically lit racer. The race car has operating head lights and a friction motor.
This dual vehicle is the 22nd in a series of Hess promotional trucks and remains a favorite among collectors". Under that was the Hess logo and the final line reads, 1996 Classic Truck Series.
 
 
 
The forth and final one offered was the "Hess Tanker Truck" glass that has a picture of the 1984 Hess tanker on the front. One the rear of the glass it reads: "Hess Tanker Truck". The 1984 Hess Tanker Truck features working head and tail lights, a built in savings bank, and chrome detailing on the mirrors, lights, and grill of the cab. A clear from windshield allows a view of the cab interior including a chrome steering wheel.
This Hess Tanker Truck if the fifteenth in a series of Hess holiday promotional trucks and is an authentic replica of an actual Hess gasoline delivery truck. Under that was the Hess logo and the final line reads, 1996 Classic Truck Series.
 
 
 
Each of these glass came with two cards included with your purchase. Here is a picture below of them.
 
 
Every once in awhile Hess produces something special that they give as a gift to employees, station owners, bulk buyers and even special customers and this next item is no exception. Mr. Lean Hess had a special gift box set made of these glasses (see below). These were never sold at the stations and there were only 2000 of these produced.
 
 

 

Thursday, June 13, 2013

THE MANY USES OF OLD TOY TRUCKS


I have collected vintage metal toy trucks since I was small and it hasn't changed now that I am in my 50s. I used to gaze at the window displays many years ago in my favorite toy stores. I have done some research on the many uses that people have come up for the older metal toy trucks and it is amazing at the imagination that some people come up with. One of the uses for a large, old rusty toy stake truck is doubling as a plant holder with ivy flowing over the edge of the truck bed and down the shelf it was placed atop. During my younger days vintage toy trucks sold like hot cakes and they were one of my favorite items to buy. People making these displays don't mind rust, nicks, breaks, missing paint, windshields, headlights or grills, as those don’t necessarily detract from the truck's cool factor or function. And by function, I mean that they make the most practical displays!
 
Vintage toy dump trucks have the largest hauling capacity, but most 13 inch or larger pick-up trucks have beds that can hold and haul most anything from potpourri and candles, to snacks at a potluck lunch, to stacks of family photos or fireplace kindling. Smaller trucks are great for holding desktop office supplies or playing cards and dice. This little truck houses the game of concentration pieces. Check it out.
 
concentration truck
 
 
Vintage toy trucks also make the best candy dishes for individually wrapped pieces. Whether they are set out on display all the time or brought out just for the holidays, to fill with Easter eggs or Christmas ornaments, they are always great conversation pieces. Even the less-child-like/more-mature-style rooms of your home appear more friendly and welcoming with the addition of whimsy in the shape of a vintage toy.
the whimsy of a vintage toy
 
When a white stake-bed truck isn’t hauling glitter trees for the holidays, it holds a juicy collection of tomato pincushions for a sewing nook.
 
hauling pincushions
Some favorite projects to create are unique pin cushions out of little vintage toy trucks and trailers.

unique pincushions1
 

unique pincushions2
 
Shopping for vintage trucks is pretty easy. But first set your dollar limit. Don’t spend more than $25 for a large 12 – 20 inch truck or more than $10 on a truck for a pincushion. If you’re willing to clean them up yourself and don’t mind a bit of wear and damage, you can usually find them through online auctions or vintage online shopping. With lower condition standards, you won’t be competing with high-spending collectors. But the best places for finding vintage toy trucks are flea markets. Most are found on the ground, under tables and out of view of most shoppers, so keep a look out!
Once you bring your grungy little find home, give it a good washing, allow it to dry well in the sun if possible and then if it still has a dry and lifeless look to it spray it with a good coat of glossy clear acrylic. This will bring out the vibrant color of the paint giving it a much friendlier look as if it were just waxed. Don’t skip over the tires, clear spray acrylic makes the rubber appear almost new. Here is a vintage Tonka truck that was very cheap and a great project.
 
a clear coat shines it up
Look how much better it looks with it’s shiny clear coat! This will be perfect for hauling audio/video remote controls on the coffee table of the family room.
 
 
 
 
 

Tuesday, June 4, 2013

1960s Merit Oil Board Game

 



MERIT OIL BOARD GAME - THE GREAT ADVENTURE


Players represent Oil Companies competing for oil-fields and oil-cargoes. The players move around the board in "monopoly manner" and can land on a variety of fields: "Information" (card drawing - a bit risk-cards type), "Memo" (card drawing - bonus-card-like), "Drilling" or "Helicopter" (allow to buy drilling rights), "Stock Market" (allows to buy stocks).
Each time a player passes one of the 2 "production" fields, his oil fields produce certain quantities of oil (Kuwait producing most, Iraq second most, Qatar, Iran and Trinidad only little). When opting for drilling, the player token is moved from the board on a special drilling track which can either end with finding a well or with failure.
At any time, a player can ship a cargo of his oil to the world's major ports (the ships move on the world map which is at the center of the board), the profit depends on the current price for oil (1-4, depending on what the "Information cards" bring).
Players agree on a certain time limit and the richest player at that time wins the game.

Designer
Publisher
Year Published
1960
# of Players
2 − 7
User Suggested # of Players
Best with 4, 5 players
Recommended with 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 players
Mfg Suggested Ages
10 and up
Playing Time
User Suggested Ages
10 and up
Language Dependence
Moderate in-game text - needs crib sheet or paste up
Subdomain
  
Category
Mechanic
Family
Primary Name
Oil: The Great Adventure




                                                                                







Thursday, May 30, 2013

The Elusive Shell mail-in Gas Pump for the Jimson Tanker

Well friends, if you have been reading the couple of blogs that I wrote about the Jimson Toy Tanker Truck from Hong Kong you know that one of the big questions is that on the original box it shows a picture of a Shell gas pump. In my last blog I cleared up the confusion about if the gas pump came with the toy or was a mail-in item like the 1966 Hess Voyager stand. For those of you who missed that article the answer is that it did not come with the toy. I thought that I would post a picture for everyone to see the pump itself. The pump is made of plastic and done in the Shell colors of white and orange and stands 3" tall x 3/4" wide. At the top of the pump sits the Shell logo. Right below that there is an arm attached to the top of the pump that extends out to the connection for the gas hose. The hose itself is green and at the end of the hose is the nozzle. The nozzle attaches to the side of the pump just like the real pumps and rests there until it is called into use for the next customer. There are some graphics on the body of the pump and at the very bottom it states - Made in Hong Kong. The pump has the graphics on both sides so if it is displayed in the center of an island it looks the same.



Tuesday, May 14, 2013

Vintage Mid Century Tin Litho Friction Oil Truck / Tanker

This is a rare tin litho toy oil tanker that was imported from Singapore. Some tin toys were made in Japan and some were made in China. These toys were not made as US imports and the US was not trading with mainland China at the time these toys were made and imported (i.e. until about 1979, only Taiwan was acknowledged as the Republic of China). You will notice that the box has writing in Chinese & English.
 
The oil truck is 7 5/8" long and has a short chain hanging from a small hole in the back bumper. There is no corresponding hole on the other side and no chain was ever there according to all articles that i have read on these toys. The truck came in a 2 piece box with colorful graphics of the tanker in front of the oil refinery. The truck itself is friction powered and nicely detailed in red, yellow & white with a chrome bumper and grille. It has real rubber tires along with chrome hubcaps. A very nice piece of history to have in any gas collection!
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Friday, May 10, 2013

Followup blog to April 29th comparison between the 1964 Hess Tanker and 1960s Jimson Shell Tanker

Well folks I have received alot of questions and comments on my last blog about the differences between the 1964 Hess Tanker and 1960s Jimson Shell Tanker so much so that I need to write this followup article and include some additional information and be a little more specific. OK, the first thing that I need to clear up is that I stated that there were 12 Hess tanker tires and what I meant to write and be more specific is that there are 12 Hess tires under the tanker that are double and 2 single on the front for a total of 14 tires all together unlike the 6 that are under the Jimson tanker which are single tires plus the front 2 for a total of 8. I hope that helps clear up any confusion. Now, the other most commented on item is the gas pump that is shown on the front of the box (see pic). The reader went on to say that recently one sold on Ebay and in the picture it showed the gas pump and i didn't mention that it came with one so lets clear that up as well. Each truck DID NOT come with a gas pump and was an item that you could purchase separately. I know this for a fact as I talked to an older collector who is very knowledgeable on Jimson Toys and he was able to confirm this. He compared this to the 1966 Hess Voyager where you might have also seen some pictures of it sitting on a display stand. Everyone also assumed that when they got a Voyager that would be included, not so. That also was an additional item that you could purchase separately.I also wanted to show you a rare picture of the actual case of trucks as well as the label on the side of the case which you can see below. If you have any other question that you would like me to address on this subject feel free to leave them in the comment section below and I will do my best to answer them. We love to hear from you! Enjoy the pictures.

 CASE OF 12 TANKERS




RARE PICTURE OF A CASE OF JIMSON TANKERS
 



CLOSE UP SHOT OF TANKERS
 



SIDE LABEL ON CASE FROM HONG KONG


  
EBAY AUCTION PICTURE WITH OPTIONAL (SEPERATE PURCHASE) GAS PUMP INCLUDED.

Monday, April 29, 2013

Comparison between the 1964 Hess Tanker and 1960s Jimson Shell Tanker

In 1964 Hess introduced its line of Hess Toy Trucks at their stations which would end up becoming one of the most popular ideas of its time. They paved the way for all the other oil companies to start coming out with their own toy trucks as well but none were more popular than the Hess toy Truck. Here in this article you will be able to see side by side pictures of the similarity between the Hess and Shell Oil Company promotional toy tanker. The Hess tanker was produced by the Marx Toy Company who already had built up their reputation for the most well built and popular toys that children played with over the years. Hess always insisted in the very best detail and that is why right up to today they are the best quality and most durable plastic toy trucks ever made. The 1960s Shell tanker was produced in Hong Kong by a company called Jimson. Jimson produced many small plastic toys throughout the years one of which was a vintage and rare Shell Tanker Truck which featured a chrome plated front bumper & hubcaps along with friction powered front wheels.

Some of the similarities between the two tankers are:
  • Both tankers came with a funnel to fill the rear tank
  • Rear tank holds water
  • Came with a drain hose and nozzle
  • Had removable cap to install funnel
  • Same rear style tank
  • Both do not have any plastic windshield
  • Both trucks are the same scale measuring 12" long by 2.5 wide and 2.5 high
Some of the differences between the two tankers are:
  • 1964 Hess had battery operated lights
  • Shell tanker does not have a rear bumper
  • Shell tanker is removable from the cab
  • Hess removable funnel cap is rear cap
  • Shell removable funnel cap is in the center
  • Hess has black plastic hose and Shell is clear
  • Shell has removable chrome hubcaps
  • Hess has 12 tanker tires / Shell only has 6
  • Hess cab has 2 tone paint
  • The Shell tanker is friction powered
Below are some picture comparison shots so you can judge for yourself how amazingly close they both are in detail. The Shell tanker is available for sale on our website http://www.raystoytrucks.com