Rare Antique Toys Find A Permanent Home In Texas

    DALLAS-FORT WORTH, TX, April 13, 2010 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Today's toys are mostly electronic gadgets that keep kids rooted in one spot for hours on end. But sitting in attics and basements around the world are toys from a bygone era - when toys were more likely to exhibit craftsmanship and whimsy and ran mostly on imagination rather than voltage.

Now those toys have been offered a new home, where they can inspire the imaginations of future generations. "I've been getting a lot of inquiries from folks who want to donate toys or toy collections," said toy museum owner Ron Sturgeon. "Like me, these people are interested in leaving a legacy by sharing their prized possessions with others," noted Sturgeon.

So in 2009 Sturgeon opened up DFW Elite Toy Museum (http://dfwelitetoymuseum.com) to donations. The museum is home to approximately 3,000 toys, mostly automotive-related. Perhaps the museum's most treasured artifact is the Eva Braun car, a model of the pre-WWII Mercedes that Hitler supposedly gave to his girlfriend.

The museum specializes in automobilia including models, but has just a little of everything. Sturgeon adds "visitors always confirm what we've heard time and time again, this is the "repository of cool stuff". Included in the eclectic exhibits is a turn-of-the century dog carrier, for the doting owner traveling by train.

Museum visitors will also find a late 19th century chair-scale, used to weigh jockeys. "Our female visitors never want to sit in it," said Sturgeon. The museum's collection includes bronzes, wall art, pedal cars, tractors, and intricate working built-to-scale salesmen's samples of farm machinery and automobiles.

Sturgeon has accepted several donations, but is cautious not to get overloaded with items the museum doesn't have room to display. Typically, the donations come from someone who wants to create a legacy, and honor someone, perhaps. Sturgeon displays information about that person, the donor and the collection. The museum is open five days a week and does not charge an admission fee.

Sturgeon, a successful entrepreneur and motivational speaker, Fort Worth commercial real estate investor and owner of a network of insurance quote websites, began the museum as a natural extension of his passion for collecting vintage automobiles. He had a particular fondness for Mercedes, and at one point had decided to try to collect every toy Mercedes ever made. That ambition changed as he began adding other rare toys to his collection. Today, he owns one of the most extensive collections of European Driver's School models in the world.

Every toy that comes into Sturgeon's possession is meticulously catalogued and lovingly cared for, and he has never sold any of them. "These toys are tiny bits of history, and I feel that it's my responsibility and my privilege to be able to share them with the rest of the world," said Sturgeon.

To learn more about donating toys, visit the vintage toy donation page. To see the entire collection in person, stop by DFW Elite Toy Museum is at 5940 Eden in Fort Worth. The museum is open from 9 to 5 on weekdays.

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