By Helaine Fendelman and Joe Rosson
From Tribune News Service
Dear Helaine and Joe:
I have enclosed photographs of two toy cars I would like to know more about. I received these Schuco Radio cars about 1950. I have two, and one is in better condition than the other. Are they rare or collectible?
Thank you,
D. H., Willowbrook, Illinois
Dear D. H.
Our collective heads are spinning, and our minds are filled with questions that cannot be answered either from the photographs or from the letter.
That said, we want to begin with a brief history of Schuco, which was founded in 1912 by Heinrich Mueller and Heinrich Schreyer in Nuremberg, Bavaria — the historic epicenter of the German toy industry. Originally the company was named Spielzeugfirma Schreyer and Company, which is a bit of a tongue-twister for non-German-speaking consumers….