Century of Progress Speedboat

Marx Century of Progress Speedboat circa 1933/1934

18” X 7” X 7”, made of pressed steel and tin with a D size battery powered spot light and a wind up motor with a on/off switch. 

In the 35 plus years of collecting I have only found two examples of the Century of Progress Speedboat, one was in the early 1990’s and the example that is photographed here in 2018. It is believed by several Marx Toy experts that this toy was made for only a short period of time, it is believed to have been made for the Chicago Worlds Fair starting in 1933 through 1934. Besides the name the lithography on the box also has a similar font as was used on the tickets from the fair. 

This example works extremely well; it winds easily and runs for several minutes and it can be controlled by moving the rudder prior to placing in water. The light also works but the burned out as I was setting up the photograph. The boat is approximately 18 inches long which makes it one of the largest toys Marx produced, and was too big for a “modern” bathtub which also could have contributed to its short production span.