August 16, 2007 - Dallas, TX – The
DFW Elite Toy Museum is known for its rare cars, but the
Atom Jet Racer just might be the most hard-to-find piece in the entire collection. In fact, with a scarcity rating of 10 on a 10 point scale, the jet racer is next to impossible to find anywhere except on display at
Fort Worth’s premier toy museum. At more than two feet long, the collectable toy is a favorite with visitors because of its unusual size and exquisite workmanship.
“It was made in Japan in the 1950s and was one of the last
large tin friction toys ever made,” said
Rodney Ross, museum curator. “Back when Atom Jet Racers were being made, they were pretty inexpensive tin toys – just a cheap toy that kids would play with and destroy. Because of that, very few survived.”
The scarcity of the
Atom Jet Racer has made it even more sought after by collectors of large tin toys. Made by the famous Japanese toy maker
Yonezawa, this
beautifully lithographed tin racer is 27 inches long with a friction motor and a tiny, goggle-wearing driver in an enclosed cockpit. Part racer and part jet, this hybrid toy must have been captivating to young imaginations.
“If I had to choose a favorite out of all the toys at the
DFW Elite Toy Museum, I would choose this one,” Ross said. “The museum has some of the finest antique toys in the world, but the Atom Jet Racer is exceptional. This one would easily fetch more than $3,500 at auction, but I doubt that it’s going to see any auction house for years to come.”
In its heyday, the
Atom Jet Racer was equipped with sparklers inside the body that would shoot sparks out the rear of the jet as it was rolled across the floor. Although the sparklers have since burned out, the rest of the vehicle remains in tip-top condition, right down to its rubber tires and chrome hubcaps.
“Back when Yonezawa was making these, kids had no idea of how special a toy they were playing with,” Ross said. “To them, it was just another toy to destroy. To us, as collectors, the Atom Jet Racer is amazing because of the exceptional workmanship it required to create a toy of its caliber.”
“It is easy to see why it has become one of the most
sought-after toys for collectors today.”
The Atom Jet Racer is one of more than 3,000 rare and antique toys amassed by toy and car collector
Ron Sturgeon, owner of the
DFW Elite Toy Museum. The museum also includes a section of historically accurate Indy
race cars,
sedans from the 1950s and 60s,
tin lithograph wind-up models and, for the animal lover, there is even a collection devoted to “
Dogs in Cars.”
The
DFW Elite Toy Museum is located inside
DFW Elite Auto Rental.com at 5940 Eden in
Fort Worth. Hours are 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday, with weekend hours by appointment. In Fort Worth, call 817.838. RENT (7368); in Dallas call 214.247.4700. For more information, visit them online at
http://www.dfweliteautorental.com.
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