The Surprising Value of the Cruver Olds

A very rough looking old plastic toy car is worth major money. Too often, people don’t realize what they have and throw these cars away as junk because they look so bad. They don’t know the year, the car, the scale, or it’s worth.

The 1949 Cruver Oldsmobile promo is a 1/25 plastic scale model, 4-door sedan manufactured by the Cruver Company of Chicago, Illinois. They were made only in 1949 after which the company went out of business. Early in the 1970’s these cars sold for in the $400 range as a collector’s item. I purchased one in "good" condition in 1976 for $250 thinking I made a great find. I kept it until 1995, selling it for $175. The advent of computers brought about a price reduction because they became much easier to find.

The car originally sold at what was then known as dime stores: 5 & 10-cent stores such as McCrory’s. Very crude looking compared to today’s model cars, they have painted dull gray pieces instead of chrome. These glued on parts constantly fall off and get lost. The fewer parts missing, the more valuable the car. Most all are missing something at this point. They were made in four or five colors including red, blue, and white, and a couple shades of green. All are the same 1/25 scale.

How do you tell if you have a Cruver Olds? It’s actually quite easy because it’s the only car with painted silver pieces instead of chrome. On the bottom raised lettering says Cruver Company, Chicago.

If you have one or locate one, this car is not junk. Even if it is in very poor condition, someone will want it for parts. If you have one, I encourage you to check ebay and model car books for prices and what the car is supposed to have.