Cast Iron Toy Horse

Cast Iron Toy Horse:

Now I can't remember where I picked up this little cast iron horse but I believe it was more of a market than a yard sale item.  I'm sure I paid less then $10 for this old time toy.  And as it doesn't have the cart that it was obviously made for, I'm sure it's value goes way down.  However, I imagine that if someone was putting together a collection this might have value to them.  

What little I've learned about the old cast iron toys shows that this is probably a toy of lesser quality.  There are three 'break' marks at the front where it wasn't finished smoothly after coming out of the mold.  However, it does seem to have only one coat of paint and perhaps that helps improve it's value as a lot of these toys were poorly hand painted probably by the children that received them as gifts.

Another thing I've noticed about this particular horse mold is that the wheels on this one have more spokes than others I've seen.  I'm thinking that that could be an indicator of age though I have no idea myself.  Also, the front hoof has an elongated piece underneath that I believe was used to attached it to another smaller set of wheels.

I don't see a lot of these toys around though they seem popular online as well as in the collector books.  It would be interesting to learn more as there are no marks to indicate manufacturer.  Any comments would be appreciated.

Fancy.  Pretty colour.  Snazzy handle.  Okay blade design.  But ultimately very similar to every other hand cultivator that is out there these days.  Apparently, this is a very comfortable style to work with, but I am look for blade design.

Now this baby is a hefty tool.  You need room in your garden to wield this one around.  And some versions of this can be very heavy.

Now this cultivator is great in a well crowded perennial bed.  That is what I was referring to when I said I had to bring several tools with me to do my garden work.  Great tool, but limited.

Here is what I mean about a wide hand cultivator that is difficult to get between a well established perennial garden.

The Perfect Garden Claw

Finding the perfect garden claw, cultivator, hand hoe, etc. Being only Five Feet something tall, I often find the long handled cultivators are angled wrong no matter how I hold it. And the hoes... I don't know, they just don't do enough for me. Most often I am on my hands and knees working in the garden and then I have a variety of smaller tools. Never just one though. I always seem to have to bring two or three hand tools out with me to do the work. A simple claw either has the middle tine poking out too far or it is flat across and therefore too wide. Lee Valley, a favourite spot for gardeners, has a wonderful Chinese hoe that looks like a slightly curled, pointy leaf. Okay, that is hard to describe. It is apparently an ancient tool but it too isn't perfect. The curve can be too much for working between established plants.

I can see it wont be long before I am hand forging a new garden tool. One that is solid enough to move soil, has a few tines to claw around the plants, is angled for digging... Oh, I see I will need to work on this for a while.

Any ideas of the perfect garden cultivator?