1940s Toasters Vintage and Working and Made in the U.S.A.
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Classic Toasters: the 1940s and 50s and later

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Glass Sides

Sunbeam Toaster with Glass Sides

This toaster is unusual in that it has glass sides with a colorful design which if you look carefully is actually painted on both sides of the glass. Several new, high-end toasters are using glass, so the appeal of using glass as a material endures.

It is an automatic two-slice pop up toaster, with controls at one end and nicely signed in gold on the face.

This one is in good condition with minor scratching on the top as emphasized in the picture. This one is perfectly clean inside and out, and it works just fine and is ready to make toast in your kitchen.

Sunbeam Toaster with glass sides
Sunbeam Corp. Chicago, U.S.A.
120 Volts 1100 Watts AC Only

Shipping weight 9 Lbs.

$145

Purchase Information

1949 General Electric Automatic Toaster

This model toaster was on the cover of the GE catalog in 1947, (we sell the matching waffle iron up on the shelf), and sold for just a year or two before they changed the design on the side, from an arrow with crossed fronds and six stars, to three parallel curved lines.

For the war bride, this was a symbol of home and hearth, and the hope of prosperity in peace-time America. The styling featured the latest streamlined design. In fact, most toaster cases were made in two halves with a center seam, but GE made this case in just one piece with no seams, and standing on a handsome base of ribbed bakelite in rich chocolate brown.

To give you an idea of what else was new at the time, take a look at the 1947 IBM Electric Typewriter, or the new combination phonograph and radio that would keep the kids occupied for hours.

This toaster has two controls: one for the light/dark slider and a matching slider for Keep Warm or Pop Up. It is clean and working and in good condition. There is one scratch on one side, as emphasized in the picture, but otherwise in excellent condition.

1949 GE Automatic Toaster
General Electric
Bridgeport, Conn. Ontario, Calif. Made in U.S.A.
115 Volts 1150 Watts

Shipping weight 9 Lbs.

$98

Purchase Information 		From General Electric circa 1949

Donna in Marion, North Carolina bought a waffle iron, then a few months later bought this toaster and wrote
"The toaster arrived today. It is beautiful and exactly as I remembered from my childhood. My mother will be so pleased with it. I can hardly wait for her to open her gift. Your customer service is superb and something you should be very proud of. I can't thank you enough for going that extra mile to make sure the toaster arrived in time for my mom's birthday. "

From General Electric circa 1949

General Electric Automatic Toaster with Ivory Colored Fittings

And, here is the less common cousin of the toaster shown above. This is the deluxe version with ivory colored fittings. (It matches the GE Diana waffle iron shown on the first page of waffle irons at the bottom.)

This toaster has two controls: one for the light/dark slider and a matching slider for Keep Warm or Pop Up. It was sold as the "no hurry" toaster since the finished toast can stay down in the toasting chamber until it is raised manually.

It is clean inside and out and in good condition aside from a very minor scratch on the top, as emphasized in the picture. The original cord is till in good useable condition and retains the original green molded plug.

GE Automatic Toaster with Ivory Colored Fittings
General Electric
Bridgeport, Conn. Ontario, Calif. Made in U.S.A.
115 Volts 1150 Watts

Shipping weight 9 Lbs.

$125

Purchase Information

Toastess circa 1948 from Canada

This manual toaster was produced in large numbers in Canada beginning after after WWII. The doors with an attractive diamond-quilted design are flanked by black plastic door handles. The inside of the toaster has solid copper guard wires surrounding mica plates wound with ribbon resistance wire.

It is completely manual, a simple, non-nonsense toaster; no moving parts except the doors. No decisions to make, just old fashioned vigilance. Comes with a detachable cord set that plugs into the side.

And, it makes pretty good toast.

$65

Purchase Information

Toastess Modern Version

The original model was made continuously for decades, literally, until 1998, when for their 50th anniversary, the company put out this model featuring a deluxe base with rubber feet and a cord storage compartment, an On/Off switch, and an attached modern cord with grounded plug.

This one is used, but clean and in very good condition. It is great for Morrocan dinner parties; the toaster sits on the table so everybody gets a freshly hottened pita.

$65

Purchase Information

Toastmaster Triple Slice

Do you have a family of three? Or, a passion for club sandwiches? Here's a Toastmaster with a sleek profile that toasts three slices at once, forerunner to the full-sized four slice toaster. The one light/dark knob controls all three slots. You can toast one, two or three slices at once. All three slots heat up whenever the lever is pushed down.

Club sandwiches were all the rage in the late 1950s, and Toastmaster was listening to the market. It produced this model for four years starting in 1957. It cost a few dollars more, and it's not nearly as common as other Toastmaster models. This one is easy to keep clean with large crumb doora on the bottom, and it is in very good condition.

Toastmaster Automatic Pop Up Toaster
110-120 Volts 12 Amps A.C. Only UL
Manufactured by Toastmaster Division
McGraw-Edison Co. Elgin, Ill. U.S.A.

$175

Purchase Information 		Triple Toast 1957 to 1961
Highly polished chromium plating finish

Brian in Houston bought this toaster and wrote to say
I just wanted to let you know I received my toaster yesterday. It looks great, and it makes perfect toast. I am very pleased with it. It is nice to have the choice to buy a vintage American toaster rather than all the new ones made in China. I'll definitely look you up the next time I need another toaster or small appliance. Thank you very much,

Toastmaster from the late 1950s

This Toastmaster began production in the late 1950s and continued on into the 1960s. The basic guts are very similar to the hugely popular model that came out after WWII, but the feet and fittings were streamlined and made easier to assemble.

This sturdy toaster has a heavy steel case with chromium plating. It is clean and in very good condition, free from damage with only minor signs of wear and use. It is fitted with a new, replacement cord and plug, good for another few dacades of service.

Toastmaster Automatic Pop Up Toaster
Manufactured by McGraw-Edison Co. Elgin, Ill.
Model 1B24 110-120 Volts 10.5 Amps.
Operate on A.C. or D.C.

Shipping Weight: 9 lbs.

$125

Purchase Information

Toastmaster with Helping Handle

This toaster was sold in the early 1970s, when Toastmaster had been producing toasters for over fifty years. Toastmaster moved all the controls to the front panel in the late 1960s, both the light dark knob and the push down lever. But, the unique feature is the "helping handle" which automatically folds down to the back. It has a large trap door on the bottom for easy crumb removal.

The ad shows mom juggling the juice pitcher, butter dish, bread, and of course the toaster held by its handle, so its design is not completely whimsy.

This one is in very good condition, has been cleaned, repaired, tested, and is ready to give you a helping hand. So, if you want to walk your toaster around the neighborhood, this one's for you.

Toastmaster with Helping Handle
110 -120 Volts - 8.3 Amps Operates on 50-60 Cycles A.C. Only
Manufactured by Toastmaster Division
McGraw-Edison Co. Boonville, MO. U.S.A.

Shipping weight 9 Lbs.

$95

Purchase Information 		Toastmaster from 1970 with the helping handle.
Made in New York City

The Walking Toaster

The earliest models of this toaster were produced in New York City in 1937, and continued production through the early 1950s at their last location just across the East River in Long Island City, Queens, New York, near the Breyer's ice cream plant. It was billed as "New As Tomorrow"

On one end of the toaster is the Light to Dark control, and on the other end is the On Off switch. The massive base is bakelite and signed nicely on both sides.

You put in bread in one end, watch it going by in the little porthole window, and it comes out toast on the other end. The bread moves through the toaster propelled by a clever mechanism driven by a little motor.

This one is in very good condition with very minor signs of wear and excellent condition mechanically. It comes with extra long tongs. We've completely serviced this one and it is ready for making the morning toast, or entertaining all the neighbor kids for an after school snack.

Todd in Portland, Oregon bought this toaster and wrote I've never had so much fun with a kitchen appliance before--thanks a million.

Ask about the one we have in near-mint condition.

The Walking Toaster

$575

Purchase Information

The Thin Line, Push Button Toaster

This toaster is unique for its combination of features.

First of all, the footprint is long and skinny, good for a narrow space to accommodate two regular slices up to 4.75 inches wide side by side. A divider in the middle of the slot prevents putting in long slices, but it helps to keep the crust in the middle from burning to a crisp.

And, it operates with a push of a button, sold as the Touch 'N Toast. (It was so modern in January 1967 when this toaster came out.) To start the toasting, load in two slices, dial the shade, then push the button on the control panel, and the bread descends and toasting begins. Pretty nifty. If you toast just one slice, you must use the side above the control panel marked One Slice.

The shell of the Thinline measures 14.25 inches long and 3.50 inches wide. If you include the control panel and knob the depth is 4.75 inches.

This one is in very good condition with very minor scratching as emphasized in the photos on the top. It has been disassembled and serviced and adjusted and works properly, It is clean as a whistle inside and out. And, it makes pretty good toast.

Sunbeam Corp. Chicago, U.S.A.
120 Volts 1200 Watts A.C. Only

Shipping weight 8 Lbs.

$110

Purchase Information 		Narrow footprint


Featherweight toaster made of aluminum

All Aluminum -- Good for RV or Trailer

After World War II, when there was a surplus of sheet aluminum from fabricating war planes, quite a few little toasters appeared that were made with an aluminum frame and doors. This one weighs just 20 ounces, is unmarked, but I've seen an identical one that was made in New York City.

Its profile is a wedge shape five inches wide at the base and the doors sport three staggered parallel lines, the motif of speed and motion. So, it must be a toaster for those on the go.

This toaster is in very good condition inside and out. It comes with a detachable cord set.

All Aluminum Toaster (unmarked)

$65

Purchase Information

Home. . . 1920s. . . 1930s. . . 1940s & Later. . . Non electric. . . 220 Volt. . .
Waffle Irons. . . Corn Poppers. . . Fryers. . . Egg Cookers. . . Other. . .
Kitchen Props . . . Toast Racks. . . toasterNotes Cards. . .
Repair Service. . . Replacement Cord Sets. . . FAQ. . . Links. . .

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