Bidspirit auction | ”IMPERIAL” Paddlewheel Steamboat

”IMPERIAL” Paddlewheel Steamboat - Unknown American Manufacturer. Possibly by Merriam Mfg. Company. Circa Mid 1850's - 10” Long x 5” Tall. This magnificent early tin boat is a true enigma as to the identity of its maker. At first inspection, one might think that it was made by Francis, Field and Francis of Philadelphia. However, this assumption would be wrong, even though they were known to produce a line of toys as early as 1836. The use of the perforated boat railing might suggest Althof-Bergman to many collectors, but they were not in business before the advent of the Civil War. A better attribution for this toy is the Merriam Company in Durham, Connecticut. It has recently been brought to my attention that they were producing toys as early as 1851. This coincides well with the dating. Furthermore, the use of violet blue, pale green and tin staining are all strongly associated with the work of Merriam. The stencil decorated paddle wheel housings are truly amazing and the American flag is original to the toy.