Colortone was but one of the product names for the American Toy Company, child's toy and game manufacturer active from around the 1920s to the 1940s in Long Island City. They are not well-documented, but what is shown on the web displays a particularly beautiful graphic quality to their boxes. Many of their products were art-orientated, including this huge and impressive set. American Toy Company had their own line of crayons which were sold separately under the "Skippy" brand, and also "Scrappy" though I am not sure how many works of art like to be called scrappy.
Normally price stickers and such on original boxes don't add to the value, but in this case a "DO NOT OPEN UNTIL CHRISTMAS" pair of stickers from Grandma to Donald at least adds some charm. Donald was not artistically inclined, the set is virtually untouched though funky with age…but the enclosed stencils to allow a child to cheat were well-used.
The book I love is a modest little thing I have mentioned before. The beautiful "Objects of American Art Education" by Diana Korzenik, which contains numerous items such as this from her own collection. The catalog was published in 2004 but it still shows what a dedicated collector can do with persistence and vision. I see a few copies on Amazon. I rate it a BUY.
American Toy Works Colortone Paint Set, circa 1930 Collection Jim Linderman
Browse and Purchase books and Ebooks ($5.99) by Jim Linderman HERE on Blurb.com
