This ad is for the first Marx plastic train set. This set was pretty much copied from the Schilling set of similar manufacture. These are hard enough to find but who among us has a battery operated version? Anyone? From a 1949 Montgomery Ward catalog.


Here we have the little bullet nosed floor train. Sold in a set with 3 of the gondolas at $2.15 per dozen. Interestingly, they had loads! It looks like the first one had cans, a shovel in the second car and boxes in the tail car. All that for 26 cents each.
Even if you allow the price of these toys to be doubled for retail, they're still very inexpensive.
I have come to believe that the little milk cans, heretofore attributed to some 555 C&S reefers, belong in this set. I wonder if there was an insert. Do you have one?


This ad shows a common floor train with the Lumar engine-tender and two Erie gondolas. It was marketed as the Grocery Train and while I have never cared for this series at $4.10 a dozen I think I'd take a couple dozen.


This ad shows a unique train set. Look at the Commodore Vanderbilt set in the center. An Engine and two coaches. No tender! This was the poor man's special. I have never seen this set and know of no-one who has. I wonder if these were actually sold.


This first one is of the Greyhound Bus Station that I have shown elsewhere on this site. Imagine, the station with a bus sold for $4.10 per dozen in 1941. That's about 31 cents each!


Here we have our favorite little "load" vehicles. Sold separately in 5 vehicle assortments at 44¢ per dozen. I believe the ad is somewhat misleading. I believe the price is 44¢ is for 12 vehicles not twelve 5 piece assortments. Still, at 12 for 44¢ were talking less than 4¢ each!
Just think about how much value our money once had!

(Courtesy of Trip Riley)