Object Record
Images
Metadata
Title |
Erector Young Builder's Set No. 10021 |
Object Name |
Set, Construction |
Collection |
Architectural Toys Collection |
Catalog Number |
2006.5.1077 |
Description |
Erector Young Builder's Set No. 10021; metal beams, brackets, wheels, wires, discs |
Context |
Erector Set (trademark styled as "ERECTOR") was a brand of metal toy construction sets which were originally patented by Alfred Carlton Gilbert and first sold by his company, the Mysto Manufacturing Company of New Haven, Connecticut, in 1913. In 1916, the company was reorganized as the A. C. Gilbert Company. The brand continued its independent existence under various corporate ownerships until 1990, when Meccano bought the Erector brand and consolidated its worldwide marketing with its own brand. Unlike some earlier wooden construction sets, Erector could be used both for static structures and for dynamic structures incorporating mechanical linkages and other moving components. Modular, standardized construction sets like Erector provided the ability to build a model, then take it apart and build something else, over and over again. Both AC-powered electric motors and battery-powered DC motors became available, usually equipped with gears to increase their torque and effective mechanical power. Later sets added miniature light bulbs and simple switches to control electrical power. Assembled by US collector George Wetzel between 1976 and 2006, this collection was acquired by the museum in 2006. Objects were purchased by the collector from a variety of venues, including catalogues and direct sale. |
Currently On Display In |
Visible Vault: Open Collections Storage |
Site Name |
New Haven, CT |
Maker |
The A.C. Gilbert Co. |
Donor |
Wetzel, George |
Dimensions |
H-12.25 W-4.25 D-4.25 inches |
Lexicon Category |
9: Recreational Artifacts |
Notes on Related Objects |
Paper ephemera information sheet; folded, stored inside canister |
Caption |
Erector Young Builder's Set No. 10021 |