Ron Sturgeon’s toy collecting started innocently enough. In 1985, he paid $350 for a vintage 1935 Maklin truck and trailer.
He’s gotten serious about automotive toys in the last 22 years and has managed to amass a 3000 piece collection that reflects a lifetime love of all things automotive.
A longtime collector of German tin toys, Sturgeon is a well-known collector of Tipp & Co. Many Tipp & Co toys are rare because so many of them were destroyed after WW II.
The Collyville Courier article includes a photo of Ron holding a toy that would have been a prime candidate for destruction after WW II.
It’s a Fuherwagon in tan.
http://www.realcities.com/mld/dfw/news/special_packages/all_colleyville/17689042.htm
Sturgeon’s toy collection also includes a toy that is controversial among collectors: the Eva Braun Mercedes.
The toy allegedly depicts a car that was given by Hitler to Eva Braun. However, many collectors and historians debate the likelihood that such a gift actually passed between the evil architect of genocide and his mistress because he was notoriously parsimonious and would not have given such a lavish gift to a woman whose relationship with him had to remain secret.
http://www.dfwelitecarclub.com/toy_museum/eva.html
Whether based upon a real gift Mercedes or not, the toy is one of only five in the world.
For full details on visiting the Fort Worth toy museum or for an online sneak preview, check out http://www.dfwelitecarclub.com/toy_museum/
