236. E-Z BILT TIN HOUSE

My tin toy collecting was jumpstarted by this tin toy house that I bought at the famous Makati Cinema Square, back in the days when it was still a happy-hunting ground for scroungers and thrift shoppers--with the basement level full of shops that sold practically anything used, vintage and second-hand.

The painted metal parts were in a box that had long since disintegrated, but I distinctly recall that it was marked with a"BILT E-Z" brand name. I assembled the pieces easily and formed this multi-level structure, put it on a shelf and forgot all about it. That is, until I saw a similar tin building featured on a Smithsonian Magazine!

A quick research yielded some information about this toy from the 1920s. The BILT-EZ building was made by Scott Manufacturing Company Inc, Chicago, USA. The parts connect together by means of tabs which project at right-angles from the top and bottom of the wall pieces and slip into the edges of the roof/floor parts. Balconies and lengths of roof edging are also attached with tabs. Roof/floor sections are connected together by means of connector plate.

Here is a youtube video I found of this early tin construction toy:


RARE E-Z BILT TOY