Louis Marx Red and Blue Tractor with Make Do Wheel silver salt and pepper It is just gorgeously constructed

It is just gorgeously constructed

The nutcracker is in good overall condition

Another curious tool

a fantastic tangle of wires holding them in place

Louis Marx Red and Blue Tractor with Make Do Wheel silver salt and pepper It is just gorgeously constructedWhen I first started doing this, I worried a good amount about the condition of things, but over time I've come to gravitate toward decidedly imperfect things, and especially those with overt repairs that show the care and creativity of their prior owners of which this is a great example. The tin key wind tractor itself was made by Louis Marx Co, c. 1940s or early 50s, and is pretty smart looking in red and blue I think, but it is the "make do" front