| The picture below shows a larger view of all (4) Early Cracker Jack Pop Corn Confection Pot Metal Toy Prize Spinning Tops with Different Designs in this lot. The tops are not dated but they are believed to be from the 1910s or 1920s. They are made of pot metal or lead, and one has some red inking on it. Three of the spinners are in a round shape. They have different designs in the center. One has country flags, one with swirls, one is a flower, and the last one we are not sure. They are marked “JAPAN”, but the maker is unknown. They could be used for different games, or simply as a toy to spin. Many of the early pot metal or lead prizes were manufactured by Dowst (Samuel Dowst), or the Tootsietoy Company of Chicago, Illinois, but there were other companies in the United States, and including ones from Japan and Germany prior to World War II as well. Some of these type prizes were made specifically for Cracker Jack, while others were made as small novelties, bought in volume, and used as prizes by The Cracker Jack Company. Pot metal or lead prizes were some of the earliest prizes that were used in Cracker Jack boxes from the 1910s to the late 1940s. Many of these type prizes or novelties were also sold out of old Johnson Smith & Company catalog as well as some other early novelty catalogs, also used in fortune telling sets, and some were also sold and used as board game parts. Many of these can be found factory painted, inked, or with no finish at all. All four of these for one price! These toy spinner tops measure about 13/16'' x 5/16''. They appear to be in mint as made unused condition as pictured. |
