Other than catalog pages, which provide photos and a bit of
descriptive information, very little information is available on
Arcade toys. How did the company determine which toys would be
made, and when? How were prices determined? Who designed the toys?
Answers to those questions, and much more that would be of interest
to Arcade collectors, are lost to time.
The Freeport, Ill., Public Library has very little information
on the company, because at the time the toys were being made,
nobody thought the company would end up having any real importance.
The company has been featured in several Freeport-area
publications, but often the information is about the progress of
the manufacturing concern, with very little about the toys, and
nothing about the Arcade threshers, which were such a big part of
the company’s sales that they were produced for at least 16 years,
through 1940.
Today Arcade threshers sell for $300-500, depending on which
one, and in what condition. If the original Arcade box accompanies
the toy, those prices could triple. Arcade threshers are prized by
collectors who are interested in cast-iron farm toys.
