Hubley

Hubley toys

Hubley Mfg. Co. toys history

Lancaster, Pennsylvania, 1894 to date.

Slogan: "They're Different"

Also known as: Lancaster Brand Iron Toys.

John E. Hubley originally manufactured electric toy train equipment and parts. Purchased Safety Buggy Co. factory and moved to site in 1909. First manufactured cast-iron toys, horse-drawn wagons and fire engines, circus trains, and cap guns. Toy autos became the headliners in 1930s.

The firm made accurate metal replicas of popular American cars and trucks, as well as some lesser known foreign models. There are 7 Ford 'Model A' body styles alone, including a Coupe, Sedan, Station Wagon, Roadster, Victoria, Roadster Pickup, and Phaeton.

By quickly converting to cheaper smaller toys during the Depression, they avoided financial woes experienced by many other toy companies. Iron shortages in WWII and commitments to fill war contracts did stop the toy division in 1942, until after the war. The name was later changed to Gabriel Industries and still existed as a division of CBS as of 1978.

Though mass produced, each Hubley toy was largely hand-made. Each one was also painted by hand, so each is somewhat unique...