How to Collect Tonka Vehicles

Baby boomers are increasingly enthusiastic about collecting the toys they loved as children, and Tonka Trucks are becoming increasingly difficult for collectors to find. Here's how to collect the toys once known as the "toughest toy trucks of all."

Difficulty:

Moderately challenging

Instructions

Things You'll Need

• Tonka Toys

1. Start by giving yourself a crash course in Tonka history: Mound Metalcraft Inc., known as Tonka Toys started production in 1946 in a basement of a small schoolhouse in Mound, Minnesota, near Minneapolis.

2. Know that the company's first trade was manufacturing hand tools - rakes and shovels. It introduced the first Tonka trucks at the 1947 New York toy show.

3. Learn a bit about the different makes and models. The first Tonkas were the No. 100 steam shovel and the No. 150 crane and clam unveiled in 1947.

4. Be aware that the company added many other pressed-steel toy trucks (and jeeps) to its line during the 1950s and 1960s. One of the first Tonka jeeps was the 10-inch-long, flat-fender Universal Jeep, which appeared in the 1950s and was sold in many variations for more than a decade.

5. Realize that collectors spend hours discussing the basis for these designs - the U.S. Army version, the U.S. Air Force version and so forth.

6. Familiarize yourself with current values. Tonka is still around - it's now owned by Hasbro and makes a variety of toys, including the Soft Walkin' Wheels Toy Vehicles recently recalled because of safety concerns.

7. Understand that the trucks prized by real collectors are the ones made between 1947 and 1963. Value is determined by condition (rusty? battered? pristine? in the original box?) and by rarity.

8. Decide what you want to collect and why. If you're collecting because you love cars, all is well and good.

9. Look before you leap if you've got an eye on future values. Tonka collectors are extremely dedicated, and buyers and sellers tend to know their stuff.

Tips & Warnings

• The name Tonka was taken from nearby Lake Minnetonka and means "great" in the Sioux language.

• A 1959 Tonka hydraulic dump truck in "very good" condition was recently offered at $150 (and valued at $225).