I came into this world in April. I’m an Aries or the Ram…. Guess that’s why I’m so bull headed.

Family gatherings for special occasions bring out stories about us 7 kids. One tale my Dad seems most fond of telling, is about me as a tiny toddler, with my sand pail.

We lived in part of a house owned by an elderly lady. I would carry my pail of sand to the front porch, neatly dump it there and revel in the wonderful sand all over the floor. Mrs. Trout would come out, see that gritty stuff, get her broom and sweep my precious sand away.

Dad laughs with delight, while telling how I would immediately go to my sand box, stubbornly load my pail with more sand, haul it to the front porch and dump it there, all over again.

That was about 60 years ago when most Sand Pails were metal and made by J. Chein Co. and the Ohio Art Toy Company. Today, a trip to the attic, or an estate auction is likely to produce a Child’s Metal Sand Pail, Sand Shovel, A Watering Can and maybe a Sieve decorated with Nursery Rhyme Characters. Or some other wonderful old toy.

Ohio Art also made metal oval frames, which held the famous Cupid Awake and Cupid Asleep pictures. They made Children’s Tea Sets, Clocks, Wagons, Trains, Windmills, Drums, Laundry Sets, Spinning Tops, Cars, Trucks, Mailbox Banks, and World Globes, Barns and Farm Sets, Chinese Checkers, Cash Registers, Pistols, and an endless list of fabulous toys.

J Chein also made similar toys, and their Circus Roller Coasters and Ferris Wheels, Wind-Up Animals, and Doll Furniture are a special favorites.

Collecting Antique or Vintage Toys gives the collector warm, fuzzy memories of their own Childhood. Many old toys can be quite valuable. The love of these toys and the challenge of finding something valuable is a part of what creates the “thrill of the hunt”.

Look among the Cobwebs, you may find Treasures!

The Sand Pail pictured here is offered for sale by Muddy Creek Collectibles on the TIAS Antique and Collectibles website.