1936/37 No. 4 SEARS A.C. GILBERT ERECTOR SET

Description

Offered here is a very nice example of a 1936/37 Sears No. 4 Gilbert Erector set.
The set has been inventoried per Greenberg’s Guide and is complete down to the last nut and bolt.
Gilbert started offering what collectors’ term “Sears sets” in 1935.
These sets were sold through Sears, Wards, Penney’s and maybe other catalog wholesalers.
The “Sears” sets from 1935 – 1947 were essentially regular-line sets from 1933/34 and differed from the retail sets.
The 1933 regular line No. 4 set was packed in the same sized cardboard box with a unique lid with aprons that ran to the bottom of the box.
In 1934, the No. 4 was packed in a metal box.
Gilbert started offering discounted “Sears sets” in 1935 with the No. 4 that year being packed in a red-metal box leftover from 1934.
In 1936 - 47, the set was packed in the same-sized cardboard box as the regular line 1933 No. 4 set.
History lesson is complete, on with the set. . .
The green inserts, flag, small parts box, P58 motor box are nice originals.
I believe the removable upper tray is a reproduction.
The manual is a very nice, complete original.
On to the down side.
The string is a reproduction.
Also, I put 6V to the P58 motor and it did not run.
I see one of the leads was replaced by a previous owner with plastic-insulated wire, an obvious repair.
The brushes are intact; I’ll leave it to the new owner to do some troubleshooting to get the motor running.
One of the auction photos shows the box top aprons which have split in three of the corners.
I had repairing them with Aleena’s craft glue on my “list of good intentions”, but will leave that repair to the new owner.
Don’t hesitate to ask questions through eBay’s messaging service.
Payment is through eBay’s payment system, shipping via USPS Priority Mail Large Flat Rate game box.
If you are interested in learning more about Gilbert Erector sets, Google ACGHS for the home page of the A. C. Gilbert Heritage Society.
Included in the photos is a sample page of an Erector parts guide I wrote about 10 years ago; it details the variations of all of the parts used between 1933 – 1962 and is available as a free download from the ACGHS web site.
Another trivial fact; the ACGHS president and webmaster is one of A. C. Gilbert’s grandsons!