| The picture below shows larger top and bottom views of the (3) 1943 Cracker Jack Pop Corn Confection Miniature Pot Metal or Lead Toy Prize Douglas Airplanes in this lot. These planes are not dated but they are from 1943. The Cracker Jack ID number for these is Z-0643. They were from The Cosmo Manufacturing Company, of Chicago, Illinois. The center and right ones are both marked “MADE IN U.S.A.” on the bottom. The left one is slightly smaller and not marked on the bottom. Two of these have red paint, and the other one has blue paint. Many of the pot metal or lead prizes were manufactured by the Tootsietoy Company of Chicago, Illinois. There were other companies, including from Japan prior to World War II. Some of these type prizes were made specifically for Cracker Jack, while others were made as 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 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 three of these airplanes for one price! The two larger miniature airplanes each measure about 2-5/16'' x 1-1/2'' x 1/2''. These appear to range from good to mint condition. The two red ones have light paint wear as pictured. |
