Not everything we collect on the junk removal truck is junk. We come across plenty of antique and vintage items every day, which still holds value. Sometimes it has monetary value, but other times that value comes in nostalgia for items from our youth. That is never more the case than when we come across vintage toys.

Vintage Toys

Toys have been around for thousands of years. Realistically, a toy is anything that can be used for play. That could be a rock, string, or the branch of a tree, but dolls have also been found at archaeological digs dated at thousands of years old.

The Value of Toys

Why are toys important? As noted, toys give children the opportunity to play. Oftentimes that play is setting the stage for growth and learning. A toy is the vehicle to understand the world children live in and will inhabit as an adult one day. For example, dolls introduce the concept of parenting, while wooden blocks might help with building, counting, or spatial recognition.

While some of the first toys discovered include figurines, balls, and replica weapons, like bows and arrows, it wasn’t until more modern history that childhood was given its own special time. By the 18th century, experts recognized that children needed their youth to flourish and grow into functioning adults. And toys were the perfect tool for that growth.

• 

• 

• 

Enter the world of puzzles, rocking horses, spinning wheels, puppets, and kites. Board games were invented. Card games too. It was the golden age of youth and toys began to flourish.

Modern Market for Toys

At the turn of the twentieth century, mass production of toys grew. As prosperity increased, children had more time on their hands and adults looked for fun ways to fill it. Creative forces took hold and the advent of toy companies began. Simple toys became more complex and toy makers expanded their bags of tricks.

By the time wartime came and went, you had companies like Play-doh, Slinky, and Dinky Toys. Die cast cars were all the rage, as were model airplanes you could build yourself. The advent of plastics made way for another huge jump in toy creation. Cheap materials made for easier access to toys for an even wider range of families. And the toy market grew into the multi-billion industry it is today.

• 

• 

• 

While toys have come a long way, at their base level, they are still about play. A toy can teach a child about colours, shapes, motion, spatial relationships, counting, problem solving, cause and effect, hand-eye coordination, and so much more. Simple toys, like balls, blocks, and puzzles are still some of the best toys for children.

Even adults enjoy them too! How many of you have sat down to do a puzzle over the last few months or thrown a ball around in the yard? The simple act of playing is a form of entertainment that we crave and need still today. So when we find old, vintage toys in our travels on the Load of Rubbish truck, we can’t help but be taken back to our own childhoods. Can you blame us?

[/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]