Dennis Sjöberg Collection - Tinplate Toys

The world of imagination is the most beautiful of all worlds. Few understood this better than the man behind one of Sweden’s most multifaceted toy collections. It comprises thousands of objects—from mechanical tin toys and Disney figures to Elastolin soldiers, model airplanes, fire engines, dolls, teddy bears, and far more besides. To the great delight of Crafoord Stockholm, we may now invite you to be enchanted by it.

Dennis was an only child. As a boy, he often accompanied his mother after she had finished cleaning for the night at the Sluss-Baren by Skeppsbron in Stockholm. They would frequently stop in front of the toy shop window on Götgatan. It was like a lit stage, a fairy tale. Dreamily, they admired the captivating colors, shapes, and whimsical mechanisms. His father worked aboard ships of the Swedish America Line. Occasionally he brought home a small gift, but more often wonderful stories of the great world beyond.

They were not wealthy in money, but rich in imagination. When six-year-old Dennis was away at summer camp on Barnens Ö in Roslagen, his father wrote to him: “Do make sure to save the stamps from the envelope. And collect beautiful stones for the aquarium!”
Dennis was careful with every little object even as a child. His childminder was a seamstress, and there he cut out and saved pictures of film stars from Allers magazine. His upbringing inspired him throughout his life. At the age of fifteen, he cycled to Paris, armed with a visa allowing him just three days to cross Germany.
His professional life became one of creativity, discovery, and storytelling, with travels across the globe. Dennis worked as a photographer and in the syndication of editorial material. As a young film enthusiast, he wrote to major studios enclosing return postage—and received a wealth of autographs in reply. He later arranged to attend film sets and gala events. He met Elvis Presley and the actors from the TV series Dallas, drove the Volvo P1800 used by Roger Moore in The Saint, and in Houston was even allowed to don one of the Apollo 17 astronaut suits. By sheer coincidence, many of his journeys also happened to coincide with toy auctions of various kinds…

At home, Dennis transformed a large garage into what resembled an elegant museum, complete with concealed wiring, beautiful wallpapers, and glass display cases for the toys. It was never about investment or showing off—he simply delighted in looking at them. With devotion and meticulous attention to detail, he also created around fifty miniature display boxes featuring complete scenes: a milliner’s hat shop, a dental surgery, an English pub, a butcher’s shop with hanging sausages and hams, a florist, a music room, and of course a toy shop with shelves bursting at the seams. The passionate collector surrounded himself with objects he found irresistibly beautiful and fascinating. He created worlds full of beauty and playfulness. Or, as his wife puts it: “He had an imagination that was not of this world.”

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In this first themed presentation from the Dennis Sjöberg Collection, a fine selection of tin toys is showcased. Highlights include several motorcycles with riders, such as the “Mac 700” and “A 560” models by Arnold, the classic Lehmann motorcycle “Halloh 683,” and a rare Tipp & Co motorcycle with sidecar. Also featured is the charming Fernand Martin toy The Barber, produced around 1900, as well as the Gama Santa holding a Christmas tree. Alongside numerous European rarities, toys from major Japanese manufacturers are presented, including Nomura Toys, Alps, and Modern Toys.

Welcome to find your favourites among animals, motorcycles, clowns, and much more.