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Electric Toasters Made in the U.S.A. during the depression years: 1930s
Home. . .
1920s. . .
1930s. . .
1940s & later. . .
Non electric. . .
220 Volt. . .
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Sunbeam Silent Automatic Toaster circa 1938In between the T1 and more famous T9, this toaster was made for a short time only; I've seen it advertised in 1938. The distinctive faceted glass jewel set in the face of the toaster glows orange during the toasting cycle.It is also a pre-pop-up model, so after the toasting cycle has ended automatically according to the light/dark setting, one raises the handle (signed Sunbeam) manually to lift the toast. I've used this toaster and can attest that if you use a dense, dark whole wheat bread, you'll never have to put it through twice! This toaster is capable of producing lightly toasted fluffy white bread all the way to darkly toasted dense, whole wheat or multi-grain bread. Aside from a small chip, this one is in superb condition, with most sumptuous shoulders, and ninety-nine percent of the original decals. It comes with a detachable cord set that plugs in the back. Sunbeam Silent Automatic Toaster 1938 Shipping weight 10 Lbs. $575Purchase Information |
Sunbeam Silent Automatic Toaster, mid-1930sYou'd never know that this toaster arrived during the depression years. This statuesque, two-slice toaster is automatic but not pop-up. When the toast is done, the toasting panels turn off automatically. When you want your toast, simply raise the handle. It uses a bimetal timing mechanism rather than a clockworks hence the name "Silent Automatic."The beautiful chrome body with bakelite handles sits on an ornate bakelite base. It features a faceted glass jewel set in the front that glows orange when the toaster is in operation. It comes with a detachable cord set which plugs in at the center of the back. This one apparently never abused and still retains 95% of its original decals on the bottom cover. Sunbeam Silent Automatic Toaster Chicago Flexible Shaft Company Chicago U.S.A. 110-120 Volts 875 Watts Model T-1-E Shipping weight 10 Lbs. SOLDPurchase Information |
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1934 Toastmaster Automatic Pop-up Toaster"Cheek to Cheek" by Irving Berlin topped the charts and "42nd Street" was running on Broadway when Toastmaster produced this stunning architectural design with that could have been a Busby Berkeley set! It has a clockwork timer that ticks with settings from light to dark. Two thumb screws make the bottom cover easy to remove for crumb extraction.This one is in very good condition and has been fitted with a new black neoprene replacement cord and molded plug. Produced 1934 until 1939 by McGraw Electric Company Water-Genters Div. Mpls, Minn. U.S.A. Made in Elgin, Ill. for the last years of production Shipping weight 7 Lbs. $178Purchase Information |
Toastmaster Automatic Pop Up Toaster"Over the Rainbow" topped the hit parade for 15 weeks the year Toastmaster came out with a toaster that would do Auntie Em proud. It has a chrome body with incised parallel lines that wrap around the corners and sits on a graceful bakelite base. The top of the toaster slopes toward the push-down lever side. A light/dark knob controls the clockwork timing mechanism. Cost in 1937 was $16.Produced from July 1936 until June 1938 McGraw Electric Company, Toastmaster Products Div. MPLS MINN U.S.A., 110 Volts 1100 Watts. Shipping weight 6 Lbs. $149Purchase Information |
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The Slider by DominionDominion made this toaster as an advance over the entirely manual, two-slice flopper style that toasts two slices at once, but only one side of each slice at a time. This one is an oven type toaster that toasts both sides of one slice at one time.As a toaster, it will brown bread, but it's more of a toast contraption to be used only accasionally, if at all. This is a suitable gift for a toaster collector, patent lawyer, native of Minneapolis, relative of the Lifson and Shaffer families (central founders of the company with Canadian roots), and just anyone fascinated by vintage electricals. It heats up as soon as you plug in the removable cord set. Then one cocks a lever that winds a clock and also closes two vertical flaps to cover the side of the toasting chamber. Drop in the bread and you're toasting. Inside the toaster, the floor of the chamber is on a steep angle, sloping down the ramp, so when the toasting cycle ends, and the spring-loaded vertical doors snap open, the finished toast slides out and down the ramp and remains standing. It's a toaster with a built-in toast rack! I am not sure when it was made; I suspect it was in the mid-1920s because of the early style name badge, but certainly before 1935 when, according to Antique Electric Waffle Irons 1900-1960, the company moved to Mansfield, Ohio. By the mid-1920s, Toastmaster had its original pop up, single-slice toaster on the market, and it had the advantage of turning the current on and off automatically -- no need to plug and unplug, and it was hugely popular, and hundreds of thousands were made and sold. In contrast, very few of the Dominion slider were sold and are quite scarce today. This one is in good condition and complete. There is light pitting on the horizontal platform. The elements heat properly but the clock struggles and tends to stop prematurely, requiring a jiggle, so this one is sold as is, and not as a proper working toaster. Dominion Slider Dependable Dominio Devices Dominion Electrical Mfg. Co. Minneapolis, Minn. 110 Volts 550 Watts Shipping weight 9 Lbs. $775Purchase Information |
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Dominion with wood side handlesAnd, if the family wasn't well-heeled enough to afford breakfast table toys (as the above toaster), here's a Dominion for everybody else. It is also made very solidly with high quality materials, and still works just fine. But this one is seriously scarred on the top and on the door below. The other door is not affected, so it will display well, and is otherwise in good shape. It comes with a detachable cord set.Dominion with wood side handles Shipping weight 6 Lbs. $49Purchase Information |
Clouds Toaster from GEGeneral Electric made a series of toasters in the 1930s and 1940s that look quite similar except for the design in the doors. They are simple, entirely manual, have no controls (except your nose and your attention.) And, they all featured a heavy steel body with chrome plating on the doors. This one has what I call a cloud design in the doors It is clean and working and shows wear. It comes with a detachable cord set. Cloud Toaster from General Electric Shipping weight 6 Lbs. $60Purchase Information |
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Parallel Lines Toaster from GEThis General Electric manual toaster from the 1930s has a black enamel body and doors with a design of parallel lines on the diagonal. It is clean and working and shows very modest wear. It comes with a detachable cord set. Parallel Lines Toaster from General Electric Shipping weight 6 Lbs. $75Purchase Information |
The Spider Web Toaster from GELouis Comfort Tiffany made a wonderful table lamp with a spider-web shade in elegant leaded glass. But did you every think the spider web would wind up on a toaster? Well, gather the goth children around the breakfast table and get loaf of bread and a jar of olive paste (well it HAS to be black!) and prepare a little snack.The base has a step down design, and the sides have step out raised panels. It is in excellent condition inside and out. It comes with a detachable cord set. Spider Web Toaster from General Electric Shipping weight 6 Lbs. SOLDPurchase Information |
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The Semi-Automatic DingerThis is a good choice for someone who enjoys the style and design of a manual toaster, and its small footprint, but needs some help with avoiding burnt toast.As with the old, flopper style toasters, with doors that fold down on each side, each slice gets toasted on one side at a time. On this toaster, the doors are connected, so if you open one, you open both. And, note the curved straps on the inside of the near door -- they hold the bread against the thermostatic mechanism. If you are toasting only one slice, you have to use this side. However, this toaster has a dial on the side to set the degree of Light or Dark, and an Off position, too. The toaster automatically turns off when a certain temperature is achieved and rings a little bell with a single, gentle ding. And, if the phone rings or you get distracted, eventually the temperature drops inside the toaster, the contacts close again, and the current comes back on but just long enough to keep the toast warm; it will continue to ding every five or ten seconds as the current cycles on and off until you flip the slices by opening the doors all the way and closing again or turn the dial to Off. This one is in very good condition and works just fine. I used it on my counter for a couple of weeks, while it was waiting for pictures. There is a very, very slight crease on the top of the toaster. Semi-Automatic Dinger Proctor Electric Co. Philadelphia, PA. U.S.A. 110-120 Volts 450 Watts Alternating Current Only UL Shipping weight 6 Lbs. $125Purchase Information |
General Electric Expan-dorBefore World War II, General Electric introduced this attractive toaster with a special feature that allows for toasting of thick breads, bagels, and sandwiches as well as regular bread.The hinge at the bottom of each door is made to expand for extra width. Pretty neat, huh? This one is in good condition with some signs of wear and it comes with a detachable cord set. The Expan-dor from General Electric 115 Volts 450 Watts Meriden, Conn. Made in U.S.A. Shipping weight 6 Lbs. SOLDPurchase Information |
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Empire Toaster from Two Rivers, Wisc.According to the seminal toaster documentarian Charles Fisher, this toaster was made in 1929 by the Great Northern Mfg. Co. in Chicago and sold under the Quality Brand. Later, in the 1930s, this one was sold as the Empire, made by Metal Ware Corp. in Two Rivers, Wisc.The base has pinched corners with wafer feet and sports a name badge. The doors are spring loaded. The interior is made of mica plates wrapped with resistance wire. This example has been used very little, and aside from some plating deterioration on the top, it is in very good condition. It comes with a detachable cord set, either new or vintage. Empire Metal Ware Corp., Two Rivers, Wisc. 115 Volts 550 Watts Shipping weight 5 Lbs. $160Purchase Information |
Universal Turn Easy with Black fittingsThis toaster is a cousin of the Turn Easy toaster shown above, but with a different design and with black fittings.It is in very good condition and the insides of the doors are lacking the usual corrosion. It comes with a detachable cord set. Universal - "The Brand Name Known In Every Home" Landers, Frary & Clark New Britain, Conn. U.S.A. 110-120 Volts 625 Watts Shipping weight 6 Lbs. SOLDPurchase Information |
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Manning-Bowman Toaster in the Harmony patternThis toaster is beautifully made of heavy gauge steel (no doubt from Mr. Carnegie's steel mills in Pittsburgh) with deluxe plating, then fitted with bakelite feet in a waterfall design, a motif central to art deco. It comes with a detachable cord set.In 1934, Manning-Bowman & Co was selling this toaster by itself, but also as part of No. 790 which was called "The Patrician" toaster service with a matching tray and divided crystal dish for butter and jam. I've never seen the whole set together; it is described in Helen Greguire's book "Collector's Guide to Toasters and Accessories" with a vintage catalog listing. Made by Manning-Bowman & Co. Meriden, Conn. U.S.A. Volts 115 Watts 470 Catl.No. 79 Shipping weight 6 Lbs. SOLDPurchase Information |
The Riverside Junior from YpsilantiI can't say I'd recommend it as a daily user, but this very stylish toaster will still make toast.This one is suitable as a gift for the art deco enthusiast or toaster collector. It is interesting for its streamlined shape, with a stylized lightning bolt design in the door. The body is aluminum, and the base is painted. Originally, it had black wrinkle paint on the base, but somewhere along the line it got repainted with black enamel. It comes with the original carton. The Riverside Junior Riverside Mfg. Co. Ypsilanti, Mi. 110 Volts 550 Watts Shipping weight 4 Lbs. $135Purchase Information |
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Colonial ToasterThis toaster is a bit unusual since the manufacturer didn't very often mix chrome plated doors with painted enamel base. I haven't done the research to determine the proper name of the design, so I'll just call it colonial. It quite sturdy, in good working order suitable for daily use, and a good value. The condition is good with minor paint loss and some light scratching to the doors. It comes with a detachable cord set. Colonial Toaster Shipping weight 6 Lbs. $45Purchase Information |
Wheat Shaft ToasterThe shape of the base on this toaster is a pointed oval and the top edge of the doors form a graceful arch. The doors have a circular wheat shaft design. The condition is very good with the chrome top and doors much better than average, an very minor paint loss. It comes with a detachable cord set. Wheat Shaft Toaster (unmarked) Shipping weight 6 Lbs. $75Purchase Information |
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