James Dundas: Collecting Toy Premiums

Toys purchased with box tops and pocket change in days-gone-by abound in this fascinating and sweeping survey. Over 850 color photographs display the wide range of items, including airplanes, badges, booklets, decoders, pins, rings, and whistles, offered to children throughout much of the twentieth century by bread and cereal companies and over the radio. Favorite heroes of the airwaves all had premium toys for their devoted fans to collect. Found here are the premiums of radio's legendary heroes, including Buck Rogers; Captains Marvel, Midnight and Video; Dick Tracy; Green Hornet; the Lone Ranger; Red Ryder; Sky King; Superman; Tom Corbett; and Tarzan -- among others Also included in this wide ranging book are methods for dating premiums using patent numbers and area codes, brief reviews of many of the shows upon which so many premiums were based, and values for the toys displayed. Values are conveniently located in the captions. This book is must reading for toy collectors and dealers and for anyone who ever saved their box tops and then waited anxiously by the mailbox for some special item to arrive.