MOBOTOYS
museum of battery operated toys
Chapter 7: Grading - OVERALL
Chapter 8: Grading - BATTERY BOX
Chapter 9: Grading - METAL
Copyright 2021
MOBOTOYS
Book of Grading
Copyright info here
Legal disclaimer here
Preface here
Chapter 10: Grading - PAINT
OVERALL Grading Intent:
Use this grading characteristic to document the OVERALL condition of the Toy.
This is the most important score as it gives the overall condition at a glance. Grader is to add clarifying comments as needed (not typical) to supplement the numerical score where additional clarity of reason for grade is deemed necessary.
Typically Overall score = the LOWEST of score across all characteristics graded. For example, if the paint (or any characteristic) is graded a C-8, then overall the Toy usually is not better than a C-8. There are exceptions, a C-9 across the board with a C-8 battery box (Internal blemish only ) may be given a C-9 overall.
The OVERALL reference table included here provides an additional overall description to supplement the above general rule.
NOTE: When a remote control contains the batteries, BATTERY BOX characteristic is STILL USED. We always grade the battery compartment under this attribute, and separately grade the remote / remote functions under REMOTE CONTROL attribute.
BATTERY BOX Grading Intent:
Grade that summarizes the condition of the Battery Box. A battery box consist of one or more of the following:
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A battery compartment where the batteries are placed for operation.
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The compartment may be made of metal, plastic, or a combination of materials. All are graded ONLY here (e.g. a rusted battery compartment will NOT count against the grade for the metal outside the battery box). A FLAW ONLY DINGS ONE CHARACTERISTIC.
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The door to access this compartment,
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Including all hinge and latch mechanisms associated with the door.
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These parts may be made of various materials, but any given flaw is only counted against one characteristic.
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Remember, we are turning a "set of flaws" into one number, so use your common sense and good judgement when unsure. Quality is what we want, the # of issues (flaws) logarithmically scales negatively against grade for any characteristic.
METAL Grading Intent:
This graded characteristic reflects the overall condition of any exposed metal. Here we are specifically looking for physical damage such as dented, creased, and/or bent metal.
We are also looking for any corrosion to the metal due to rust and/or a past battery leak. Rust varies from tiny spots to big holes. It can be subjective grading corrosion but you can use the table included here as a guide.
Issues with metal usually means there are also issues with the paint (e.g. paint flakes away with metal rust), but these paint issues are noted under the grading attribute "Paint", not under "metal". The inverse of this is the paint can be scratched, but the metal can remain near mint. Use good judgement as damage "goes across" different characteristics.
PRO TIP: Color fading can be hard to spot sometimes when it is uniformly faded, but many times when color is compared on different sides you will see the side that "faced the sun".
PAINT Grading Intent:
This grade reflects the overall condition of any exposed Painted or Lithographed surfaces.
Here we are looking for physical damage in the form of scratches, nicks, dings, and/or flaked paint. Additional paint damage may be due to metal rust / corrosion.
Finally age-related condition issues such as color fading and paint "spider webbing" (spider webbing is where the paint dries out over time and cracks in a spiderweb-like pattern) are evaluated and noted.
Chapter 11: Grading - RUBBER / PLASTIC
Chapter 12: Grading - TIRES / TREADS
Chapter 13: Grading - FABRIC / FUR
Chapter 14: Grading - REMOTE CONTROL
Chapter 15: Grading - BOX
PRO TIP: If a rubber / plastic part is becoming very dry, it would be good to suggest to the owner of the item to treat the dried parts with an over the counter plastic restorer. This will not only slow down the drying, good restorers will put some moisture back into the material (this is good preservation when correct chemicals are used, do not use old homegrown remedies like linseed oil ... they make a mess and can make things worse).
RUBBER / PLASTIC Grading Intent:
This grade reflects the overall condition of any exposed Rubber and/or Plastic parts (not including tires / treads as these are graded separately).
This grading characteristic covers a wide range of parts; some are structural, such as a plastic frame or body, while some are minor, such as a plastic siren. Due to this wide variety, it is recommended to call out the part(s) that cause this attribute to be given a low grade.
For both these materials we are looking for structural issues such as cracks or broken/missing pieces, and age-related issues such as drying out of the material and/or fading of the color.
As typical, use the included table as a reference but always defer to your experience and consistently apply your standards when grading and you will be doing a great job!!!
PRO TIP: Common Sense and good judgement rule the day in these waters, reference tables and notes are your sunscreen.
TIRES / TREADS Grading Intent:
This grade reflects the overall condition of any wheels/tires or tractor/tank treads used to move or roll the toy around on the floor.
This grading characteristic covers a very narrow range of toy components as described below:
For wheels/tires:
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Wheels (rims) - typically metal, includes hubcaps
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Axles - Typically metal, look for bent axle or bad connections to wheels.
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Tires - typically rubber, plastic, metal, or wood
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Steering Mechanism (if present) (excludes remote control steering)
For tractor/tank treads:
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Treads (tracks) - typically rubber, but some are plastic with hinged tread design.
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Drive wheels - typically metal or plastic, used to drive the treads to move the toy.
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Guide wheels - typically metal or plastic, used to keep treads aligned with drive wheels.
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Steering mechanism is included in this grade ONLY if it is NOT remote controlled steering.
Although only a few parts are examined in this characteristic, the wide range of materials used means the grading criteria is very specific to the materials. Use other reference tables as needed to grade this category. For example, when grading rubber treads use the "RUBBER/PLASTIC" table as an additional reference to the table included here.
PRO TIP: If the toy has an odor that is not room clearing, try the following: Wash any non fabric/fur possible to remove any odor causing materials from these surfaces. Do not try to clean the fabric or fur without expert restoration experience. Place in the sun outside (80 degrees is good) for a few hours but no more. The sun does damage the toy over long periods, but here we are using the sun and the breeze to"bake off" the smell. If this is not enough then place in a box with odor absorbing material (find anywhere). Leave for a few weeks or months. We have rare toy that was very offensive ... at 1 year out in the garage it is starting to lose its smell, patience is your friend.
FABRIC / FUR Grading Intent:
This grade characteristic is used to capture the condition of all materials, fabrics, furs, and ribbon present anywhere on the toy (common), accessory (somewhat common), or remote control (uncommon).
These materials (at least some) are almost mandatory on character toys as clothing is made of fabric (although some clothing may lithographed onto metal). Fur is of course present on many animals. A large number of toys character / animal toys may have both fur and cotton clothing over the top.
Notes are important here to point out specific issues. Does the hole go thru the jacket and the fur underneath?, or "where exactly is the small stain that downgraded this category to a F-8 (C-8)
Earlier we stated "smells are not graded, as we do not grade toys that smell". This category allows minor exceptions to account for fabrics tend to pick up smells that may not be offensive, but are present (e.g. light musty smell from 50 years in an attic). So long as odors are honestly included in description and are not offensive to most people we are fine with grading these toys.
PRO TIP: Most remote controls also contain the batteries. There is overlap between grading "remote control" and "battery box". For example, "battery box" typically includes the "door", but here the "door" is part of the remote control itself. In this case we grade the inside of the door with "battery box" and outside with "remote control". The important thing is to grade all defects somewhere.
REMOTE CONTROL Grading Intent:
With this characteristic we are only interested in the remote control (if any) associated with the toy.
Remote controls may be as simple as ONE Push Button to turn the toy on/off, to multi-function remotes with fwd/rev, steering, and more. All functions are recognized in this category and any issues with a specific function must be included in notes. For example, if the steering cable to the toy is bent/broken, then "bent/broken steering cable" would be a good note.
The remote control may be wired, or wireless (rare in pre-1970 toys). If wired, the condition of the wire is included in the grading number.
Again we see multiple potential materials used in remote control assemblies. Grade accordingly and use other reference tables for additional guidance.
PRO TIP: We believe repaired / restored boxes is a good thing when done well and just as with any good restoration the grade and value can be increased. However, always make note of repaired boxes, type of repair, and quality of repair.
BOX Grading Intent:
With this characteristic we are only interested in the box (if any) associated with the toy.
While there are existing grading standards for paper / card stock / cardboard collectibles, after some initial research applying those standards to antique toy boxes was not the best fit.
Here we throw a few suggestions as to what we are looking for when grading boxes and some clues as to where we draw lines.
Finally ALWAYS make note of if the box is original or reproduction. Reproduction boxes can easily spotted when you see a hole or tear in the box that is printed (the donor box had a hole, was photographed and then printed on new cardboard and folded. Also, the type of and placement of staples (or lack of) is another tip off to reproduction boxes. All said, we would rather have a box like this than none at all as the box art is fabulous on many of these toys.