Duncan Genuine Tournament - gold seal with red lettering
Exhibit #3189
Type
Production
Shape
Standard (-)
Axle
Fixed
Finish
Painted
Construction
One piece wood
Response
None
Diameter
59 mm
Width
30 mm
Gap
Fixed
Weight
47 gm
Condition
7
Date
1930
To
1935
Owner
Rick Brough
Compare
Genuine -- with a large "G" -- Duncan Tournament Yo-Yo Top with gold seal from the 1930s. Notice that "Duncan" and "Yo-Yo" are outlined in black and filled in with red. Duncan also made this same yo-yo with "Duncan" and "Yo-Yo" filled in with dark blue.
This early classic Duncan yo-yo was made from one piece of kiln dried maple. The body was then airbrushed with gloss red followed by a gloss black stripe on each side. The decal was then applied to one side.
Historically, it was after Duncan bought out the Flores Yo-Yo Company of Santa Monica, California, that Duncan began making this classic model. It really marks the beginning of a significant yo-yo boom in the 1930s.
It is difficult to find these old yo-yos with no play marks on them and even more difficult to find them with complete, intact decals. This one is in good shape for being more than 80 years old. The wear on the yo-yo in this exhibit suggests that it may be from the early 1930s because yo-yos later often show significant signs of "Walk the Dog" with lots of missing paint from the outer circumference of each halve. Walk the Dog -- easily the most famous of yo-yo tricks -- was not invented until sometime in the early 1930s when someone (Duncan?) thought to slip the looped string end over the axle to make the yo-yo spin or "sleep". The yo-yo shown here shows minimal "Walk the Dog" wear.
Original retail price: 20¢ US
Of interest... See a video Duncan Yo-Yo factory as it was being built starting in 1946 (last accessed December 21, 2019). Of particular interest, at mark 56:35 into the film, see early Duncan yo-yo demonstrators in action and the Duncan factory production floor with dozens of women making the beloved toy.
