Mary Smith of Das Bulli Haus, North Franklin, Conn., was especially excited to show off their circa 1960s T.N. Nomura skipping monkey, which was being sold with its original box, and an unusual Decamps wind-up bear in tree stump.
Review & Photos by Carly Timpson
NORTH FRANKLIN, CONN. — By 8:30 am on Sunday, March 10, a small and eager crowd had already begun forming outside the Franklin Volunteer Fire Department (VFD). With early-bird shopping starting at 9 and regular admission at 10, Franklin VFD’s Second Antique & Collectible Toy Show had all the signs to foreshadow a successful day ahead. Inside, Chief Mark Nall had finished setting up his stand and was busy catching up with other dealers. Before the show opened, Nall shared “It’s a really good community event. [The dealers] have been trading as they set up all morning.”
Growing from its first installment, this year’s show welcomed 38 dealers. Across the board, returning dealers were pleased with the successful sales and turnout from last year’s show so they were looking forward to this one. The addition of an early-bird entry this year, as requested by many shoppers and dealers last year, helped the day start strong. At 9:05, Franklin VFD event manager Jodie Hanks reported that 40 shoppers had already entered the show.
George Hagar, Franklin, Conn., was one of the first booths by the show’s entrance. Within the first half hour of the early-bird entrances, he commented, “It’s already bigger than last year and last year was great!” Hagar brought shelving units and filled them with a neatly arranged display of trucks and toys, including planes and helicopters, a few race cars and excavation equipment. He also had several interesting, and possibly rare, Snap-On Tools collectibles, including a ceramic toolbox-shaped cookie jar and a nine-piece stainless-steel bar set with a Snap-On branded bamboo holder.
“It’s rough, but it’s a beautiful truck,” said Chief Mark Nall about this circa 1959s Tonka Toys “Sportsman” truck that he had gotten early in the day.
As the chief of a volunteer fire department, Mark Nall is many things that you would expect: a leader, a role model, an advocate… One of his other roles is antiques collector. With his booth purposefully located beside the door, the charismatic leader was able to greet everyone as they entered the show. Nall’s offerings were vast, from vintage Erector sets, a Hasbro Twin Navy Blinker Code Lite morse code toy, G.I. Joe figures and trucks, Tonka trucks and cars of all models and sizes. But what he was most excited about was a dark blue truck that he had gotten from one of the other dealers before the show started.
Barry Doe, Uncasville, Conn., has been dealing at toy shows and train shows for more than 25 years. He said that these shows “are a dying breed.” As such, most of his business is conducted on eBay now, so he was thrilled to have this show nearby. His tables were filled with trains, his primary focus, but he also mentioned that he was “big into” Marx toys, and his current favorites were metal toy soldiers from various makers such as Britains Ltd. and Mignot. Laughing, he commented, “It’s a bad habit as a collector — you start collecting one thing but then you come across new stuff and start collecting that too!” By the end of the show, Doe was pleased to report he had sold a few unexpected items, including several books.
Across the way from Doe was the booth of Das Bulli Haus, run by Clay and Mary Smith, North Franklin, Conn. Their booth was certainly one of the most diverse at the show. Yes, they had cars, trucks and trains like most other dealers, but they also had various Steiff animals, a few ride-on toys, many different wind-up toys, American tin toys, a “creepy baby” and a mechanical tin playground set with magnetic children made by Lee Manufacturing of Hartford, Conn.
Barry Doe, Uncasville, Conn., had an assorted collection of small metal soldier figures including early German “flats,” Britains, CBG Mignots, raw metal soldiers from Ukraine and a few self-painted Cossack warriors.
For West Warwick, R.I. couple Lou and Estelle Verte, this show marked their first since the start of the Covid pandemic. They both shared the sentiment that it was good to be back on the circuit and shared praise for Franklin VFD saying, “It’s great people here running this show, they really do want to talk and get to know you.” Their booth had an assortment of toys and collectibles, including board games, toy guns, dexterity puzzles, marbles and banks.
Barbara Popeleski, Windham, Conn., was at the event just to show her appreciation for the Franklin VFD, which helped her after an accident a few years back. “They saved my life, so now I will support all that they do.” However, attending the show made her realize that she had quite a few interesting items at home and she may be interested in selling them someday.
Other shoppers included Mark Appellof, Middletown, Conn., who was at the show with his three friends. The four men have been attending antiques shows for years, thanks to an online discussion board that brought the group together in 2005. When asked what he liked about attending antique shows both as a collector and as a dealer, Appeloff shared, “It’s never just a show, the hobby is all about camaraderie.”
Offering the largest items in the show, John Dollard of C.A.R.S., Bozrah, Conn., advertised the company’s restoration with two “Art Linkletter-approved” Gym Dandy Surrey pedal bikes and a John Deere pedal tractor, all of which were for sale.
That camaraderie was felt throughout the entire show. It was not uncommon to hear parents and grandparents exclaiming, “I used to have that!” as they shared joy from their childhood with their children and grandchildren. Many of the dealers were happy to continue spreading that joy and were gifting small toys to excited children all day. And as we spoke with dealers throughout the day, many reported feeling an overwhelming sense of community as they walked around chatting and making deals with each other.
Brothers John and Bill Shishmanian, Norwich, Conn., had a vast assortment of Tootsietoy, Dinky and Barclay miniature cars that they had been collecting since the 1970s. They also brought trading cards and Nicaraguan cigar boxes. Just after the show’s general admission opened, they reported, “We sold a lot of stuff early on and have already done better than last year.”
John Dollard was at the show representing his company, Classic Americana Restoration Specialists (C.A.R.S.), Bozrah, Conn. He brought two circa 1950-60s Gym Dandy Surrey pedal bikes that the company restored. As maintaining a piece’s authenticity is a top priority for C.A.R.S., Dollard described the laborious process of sourcing period-correct hardware or having parts custom-made to match the original aesthetic. Besides the custom-made top and new, period-correct hardware, the bikes were made with all original components. He also had a ride-on John Deere tractor, which, Dollard explained, is how C.A.R.S. got into the business of restoring antique children’s toys last year.
Tonka Trucks from the 1950s and ’60s are the specialty of Wayne Martin, Old Saybrook, Conn. His tables were filled with dump trucks, backhoes and bulldozers from various years.
Nearby, Patrick Whitney, Pomfret, Conn., also had some pedal tractors, which are his specialty. However, at this show, he was mostly selling vintage trucks, especially Tonka and Buddy “L” models. A similar collection was in the booth of Wayne Martin and Jonathan Wrightington, Old Saybrook, Conn. By 11:30 am, Martin said they had sold 50 percent of what they brought with them and Wrightington shared that he kept having to refill the “deal box” they had set up at the end of the booth. Everything in the deal box was priced at either $5 or $10 depending on its size and it was a huge hit, especially with the kids.
With a steady crowd throughout the morning and into the early afternoon, Hanks was busy planning changes and starting to make flyers for next year’s show because, as Mike Connolly, Ledyard, Conn., joked, “Everyone here is happy — it is toys, after all!”
The Franklin Volunteer Fire Department will host its third annual Antique & Collectible Toy Show on Sunday, March 9, 2025. All proceeds from the show will continue to benefit Franklin VFD. For information, eventsfvfd@gmail.com.
