Websitings - Ives Train Society, The International Association of Player-Piano, Roll-Playing and Automatic Instrument, Enthusiasts & Wagner & Griswold, Cookware Collectors.

This month Mike McLeod takes a look at Ives Train Society, The International Association of Player-Piano, Roll-Playing and Automatic Instrument, Enthusiasts & Wagner & Griswold, Cookware Collectors.

Readers who would like to share interesting websites with Mike may contact him via email at: mikemcl@mindspring.com.

Ives Train Society
http://members.aol.com/ivesboy/

Circa 1914 Ives clockwork engine and coal car. (Both photos, courtesy Ives Train Society.)

Edward R. Ives (1839-1918) began making toys in the mid-1800s. He first started with paper dolls and then moved on to clockwork dolls and animals. His line also included toy cannons that fired with real gunpowder. Yikes!

But it was with toy trains that he hit the jackpot. During the late 1800s and early 1900s, Ives was the largest toy company in America. At that time, Ives focused on manufacturing pull-string and clockwork trains made of tin or cast iron. Ives’ trains were known for their durability and for the company’s “cast-iron” replacement guarantee—and of course, for the realistic designs of their trains. The company was also a smart marketer: it created the fictional “Ives Railway Line” and counseled its young male buyers that the success of “their” railroad depended on their smart management skills.

Other train manufacturers, like Lionel, began making electric trains, and Ives followed suit. Yet, it continued to make the clockwork trains (that originally ran without rails) because most of their clientele had no electricity at that time in America.

Cover to the Ives’ set from 1904. When purchasing complete sets, make sure the trains and their boxes match.

Eventally, Ives’ trains were overshadowed in the market by Lionel. The company attempted diversification into toy boats, but they had several design problems – in addition to their sinking easily. The company filed for bankruptcy in 1927 and was purchased by Lionel in 1928. And this is one reason why Ives’ trains are collector’s items; few are left.

The Ives Train Society’s webpage features photos of many of the individual engines and cars with descriptions, and also photos of the original boxes. And speaking of boxes, the website offers wise insight for collectors. “In the last five years, the value of a complete set in its original box has sky-rocketed. Unfortunately, it has brought the onset of some collectors selling empty boxes and other collectors trying to fill them – to increase the value of their trains. If you're going to spend a lot of money for a boxed set, the first thing you should do is look at the trains and make sure that they were all manufactured at approximately the same date and that they were actually sold as a set, and if they're in a box, you should be sure that the box is from the same time period…. Unfortunately, some sets have gotten 'mis-boxed' over the years simply due to lack of knowledge of the collector that owned them…. When these sets are passed on to other collectors, they can be and are often put back in the wrong box.”

You can also email the website with your questions about Ives trains. For train collectors and enthusiasts, this is the place to get on board.

The International Association of Player-Piano, Roll-Playing and Automatic Instrument Enthusiasts
http://www.amica.org

A close-up of the Mills Violano and the violin it played. (Photos, Don Teach Shreveport, La.)

In addition to player pianos, mechanically-played instruments featured on this website include: violins, accordions, saxophones, organs, harps, banjos and orchestrions. Amazing. If you aren’t familiar with ochestrions (as I wasn’t), the website explains. “Orchestrions are the one-man-bands of the automatic music world. They are player pianos, with other musical instruments built in, and everything plays automatically. These instruments were once a common feature of public gathering places such as bars and cafes. Many orchestrions were coin-operated, the forerunners of the jukebox. When the price was a nickel a play, they began to be called ‘nickelodeons’….”

Founded in 1963 in San Francisco, the association is “…dedicated to the preservation, restoration and appreciation of historic automatic musical instruments.” Members go to great lengths to preserve and restore automatic instruments, often displaying them for public viewing.

Ad for the Mills Violano
from 1923.

The website features several unique instruments (under the “Exotic Instruments” button), including reproducing pianos and a Violano Virtuoso. A reproducing piano “…like a player piano, is a regular piano with a mechanism that allows the piano to play automatically. Reproducing pianos have sophisticated playing capability that permits automatic adjustment of expression and volume of musical notes, thus reproducing the performance of the original artist.”

A Violano Virtuoso is a machine that plays a violin with a rotating disk instead of a bow. In fine condition, these machine-played instruments are very rare.

In addition to automatic instrument eye candy, the FAQ button lists: where to get new or used player piano rolls; people who repair automatic instruments; 935+ manufacturers and instrument models; 895 technical articles; where to find player-piano parts; and information on how to restore them.

You can also click on the “See what I found” box to see photos of rolls and hear their songs played. It’s the bee’s knees.

Wagner and Griswold Society, Cookware Collectors
http://www.wag-society.org

Griswold Manufacturing Company, ca. 1920-30. Market value for the #50 and #100 in cast iron is about $1,500-$2,000 and $500-$900 respectively.

The Wagner Manufacturing and Griswold Manufacturing companies began independently in the late 1800s. Griswold Manufacturing achieved success first in making butt hinges, and it later expanded into making skillets, waffle irons, tea kettles, griddles and so on. Wagner began in 1891 making cast iron cookware. The two were strong competitors, so it was probably disappointing to the Griswold Company when a third company (the McGraw Edison Company) purchased it and then sold its housewares division to Wagner. Wagner continued to sell Griswold-marked wares until 1972.

Wagner Manufacturing suffered a similar fate, except it was purchased and sold several times. Today, it is owned by the American Culinary Corporation, and it is still in business.

In later years, Alfred Andresen had Griswold make a few of their cookware items like these,
ca. 1890-1910.

The Wagner and Griswold Society promotes the collecting of cast iron and aluminum cookware, and in days gone by, manufacturers were very creative in the utensils they made and sold. Sure, skillets were skillets back in the late 1800s and early 1900s, but some waffle irons, for instance, were made cross-shaped or in the shape of five hearts joined by their points in the middle.

In addition to the photos, upcoming events and convention info, probably the most valuable resource on the website for collectors is the forum. In it, collectors share information and discuss cookware, auctions, reproductions, items wanted and so on. Articles on cleaning and seasoning cookware are also posted here.

We think we’re getting creative these days with smiley face pancakes at IHOP. Considering the day and the age, we take a back seat when it comes to our ancestors’ cookware. Apple cake pans, star heart pans, golf ball pans—so they didn’t have Teflon and PAM, so what? When they wanted to, they cooked in style.

Journal Home Page Contents Page Brimfield FleaMarkets.Com Brimfield Country Store Subscribe