The James Gillespie Estate Soldiers & Cast Iron Toys Auction
These pieces are part of an incredible historic find of original pre-toy industrial wooden casting prototypes from the legendary J. & E. Stevens Company factory in Cromwell, Connecticut. The group includes a Hinge Pattern, a flat-plate paddle-style industrial casting pattern with integral cylindrical pivot pins; a Universal Joint Part, a segmented four-flange mechanical interlocking coupling pattern with a central shaft collar; a Pillow Block Cap, an arched industrial bearing housing cap pattern designed for a shaft guide assembly; and a Slider Block, a flat-faced machine guide rail or spacer block casting pattern. J. & E. Stevens produced tools before concentrating on toys. These patterns were used at the factory as historic display items and were later found in storage there before the factory’s demolition. Each is hand-carved wood and was used in preparation for casting parts, circa 1880. The typed display cards paired with them were likely created by factory executives in the 1930s or mid-20th century to catalog and preserve the oldest remnants of the foundry’s 19th-century manufacturing history. The largest measures approximately 8" D. The overall condition is very good.
Condition: VERY GOOD
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