IN A SPIN

Look what we found in the loft - a metal spinning top, circa 1975.
Our toy is a Pump Top - pumped with a downward thrust on a plunger moving on a
spiral patch creating spin to the body of the top. Succeeding pumps cause the top to eventually spin on its own. Music or action was added inside of the top for amusement.
Just plunge the handle of the humming top mounting on a plastic foot so it spins without actually moving.

The body is made of press mild steel, with the top half chromolithographed to show illustrations of children riding on toys, as if on a merry go round - panda, car, swan, train engine, horse, boat etc.

The bottom half is plain red with a series of holes, for humming, around the top edge.
At the top centre is a metal plunger with a dark blue plastic knob which passes through a coloured dome showing the maker's name and country of origin - Chad Valley Company Limited, England, Great Britain (manufactured 1970-1978)

The Chad Valley toy firm started in 1897.This top was produced before Chad Valley became part of Palitoy in 1979.


Types of Tops
The first spinning tops were used by the Ancient Egyptians in 2000 BC. The classes of tops are differentiated by the way in which they are spun :
Twirler - spun with hands or fingers by twisting the stem.
Supported top - spun by a cord while the top is held upright with a support
Whip top - spun by whipping the top to give continuous motion
Throwing top - spun with a cord on the body of the top and thrown causing spin

Variations of the top include the Buzzer, which I remember making from cardboard circles and spun by the twisting of a cord causing bi-directional motion. Have a look in your logft to see what you can find - also look out for the Yo-Yo !

Other Names for Tops
Spanish - trompo
Latin - turbo
Italian - trottola
French - la toupie
German - kreisel
Greek - strombos