The Antique Toy” by James Colton

A delightful compendium of toy trains running at Christmastime. Very nostalgic and almost as good as running one yourself.

An antique toy releases the unexpected

A series of short vignettes featuring a cast of toys and antiques.

Dr. William Furnish (1917-1997) was the most charming, erudite and enthusiastic toy collector in the world. Along with his wife Mary, Bill amassed thousands of toys, most from 1890 to 1970. The Furnish Collection includes trains and planes, cars and zeppelins, stuffed animals, games and banks, toy soldiers, robots (He plays with one worth $25,000), Erector sets, a fleet of boats and more. Bill takes us on a tour, making the toys come alive by telling stories and relating the toys to the times in which they were made - all with great style, wit and élan. Bill believed toys were important because they perpetuated the joys of childhood. "Bill was fantastic," remembers Dale Kelly, publisher of Antique Toy World, "He lit up a room. He was a great storyteller and he loved to share his vast knowledge of the toys."