Art & Exhibitions
What Do You Collect? Tinplate Toys
A collection of wind-up tinplate toys gathered over around 40 years, from helicopters and spaceships to a circus monkey, shown for their bright colours and mechanical detail. For collectors and anyone curious about old toys.
Key information
- When
- Tue 9 Feb – Sun 3 OctOpen Tue 10.30am–5pm, Wed–Sun 10am–5pm
- Where
- Royal Albert Memorial Museum & Art GalleryQueen Street, EX4 3RXMore at this venueMap
About this event
This collection of clockwork tinplate toys started around 40 years ago. Having trained and worked as a mechanical engineer our collector was attracted by the different mechanisms, which often require repair.
The bulk of the collection was manufactured in Britain and Germany between the mid-50s and 60s. The first item was a helicopter gifted by a colleague when Andrew worked at Westland Helicopters; neither knew then that a collection would follow.
From helicopters to spaceships, a kangaroo to a circus monkey, marvel at the variety, bright colours and artistic detail on these wind-up wonders.
Information about accessibility is available on our Access page.