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1953 Tonka Younkers Private Label Semi

The truck featured just below is a rare private label Younkers Department Store (Des Moines, Iowa) semi. It was sold in their stores located in Iowa and Illinois. Manufactured in 1953, it has a 1953 cab and a 1951 or very early 1952 trailer with a steel floor and slip-latch lever on the rear doors. It was common for Tonka to use mixed/leftover parts for many of their private label trucks. This truck may be considered one of the rarest of Tonka's private label semis.

It is not pictured in Don DeSalle’s book Collectors Guide to Tonka Trucks 1947-1963 but is referenced, although incorrectly, as "Yonkers".

Tonka enthusiast Richard Gresh notes that three known examples (as of January 2009) of this truck exist.The first is shown just below from the Mr. Moe collection; The second is an original, very good condition semi in a collection in Michigan and the third is an original, excellent plus condition semi owned by Richard Gresh featured in a photo below.

The Younkers semi featured just below sold on eBay (without any rear tire asssembly) for $1702 USD in late November 2008

1953 Younkers Department Store semi. Courtesy the Mr. Moe collection

Slip-latch lever

Unique grille treatment for 1953 only

The Younkers logo is yellow with a red shadow

Front of trailer

The trailer floor is steel

The semi above is original, complete and unretouched. From the Richard Gresh collection

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