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Glamorgan Toy Products – Glam Toys – G.T.P.

Glamorgan Toy Products

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Glamorgan Toy Products often referred to simply as Glamtoys or the even shorter GTP were based in Hannah Street, Porth, Mid-Glamorgan, South Wales and it goes without saying that the company name was derived from its geographical location.

Glam Toys, which I will refer to in future as GTP, was founded in 1935 by Jacob Beatus who was a pre-war emigre from Nazi Germay and, like his compatriot Phillip Ullman of Mettoy fame, set himself up producing tin plate toys but on a much more modest scale.

The toys produced by GTP were small, basic tin toys, cheap to produce and cheap at the toy counter and it goes without saying that Woolworths were one of GTP’s largest sales outlets. Typical GTP toys included racing and saloon cars, emergency vehicles etc. together with various novelty items such as ‘clicking’ frogs and other animals as well as small railway rolling stock items and the like.

Products were often marked simply ‘Made in England’ or ‘Made in Gt. Britain’, vehicles usually carried a registration plate marked ‘GTP’ followed by a three digit number which can be used in helping to compile a comprehensive list of the GTP vehicle range.

GTP toys came unboxed and as a result it is difficult to find any that come in pristine condition the majority in fact tend to be classed as ‘play-worn’. Post War saw a change in attitudes both from the retailers and the buying public and a more sophisticated market place demanded that toys now be packaged in individual boxes. Reacting to this GTP gave up part of their manufacturing plant and began to produce their own boxes in house. However it soon became clear to the management that they could make greater profits from producing the packaging rather than from the toys they contained. 

By 1935 toy making had been abandoned at GTP and Jacob Beatus now concentrated his efforts in producing cartons under the name Jacob Beatus Ltd.

The Automatic Garage pictured above is part of the GTP product range, numbered GTP 584, the garage features detailed tin-printing in colours, an automatic spring loaded door and is some 15cm. wide.

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