Toy, Airplane, Wind-Up, Lindbergh, King Collection

A yellow tin airplane with the top half of a pilot's body on the wing. The pilot is wearing a red jacket and brown flight cap with metal frame goggles. The arms of the pilot are extended out over a round orange circle attached to the plane with a metal pin through its center. The airplane has black lettering on the wing "N-X-211" and on the sides "Lindbergh" "Spirit of St. Louis" "New York-Paris" and the nose of the plane has the Schuco trademark above a small red propeller. Two large wheels are located beneath the wing next to each side of the airplane and one small wheel is located in the tail.

On May 20-21, 1927, Charles Lindbergh literally flew into history when he crossed the Atlantic Ocean in his Ryan NYP Spirit of St. Louis, thus becoming the first pilot to fly solo and nonstop from New York to Paris. This flight made Lindbergh a household name and catapulted him into fame and celebrity. The objects of popular culture in the National Collection display everything from ashtrays to wristwatches reflect the public adulation for Lindbergh and the powerful commercial response to his celebrity. More than 75 years after the Spirit's historic flight, Lindbergh's name still has the power help sell manufactured goods.