The company produced fine pewter and copper tableware before embarking on toy production in 1880; their first teddy bears were released in 1907.

In addition to toys, it made scientific and educational novelties and a vast range of kitchenware, tableware, office equipment, record players, electrical goods, etc.

The "Nuremberg Style" of manufacturing toys on steel sheets with lithographed designs that were stamped out of the metal, formed, and assembled using tabs and slots, was perfected by Bing.

Due to cheap German labor and low shipping and duty costs, Bing often undercut the prices of its U.S. competitors.

Mobile engines were more recognisable, and the more expensive versions could almost be classed as scale models, albeit inaccurate.

Additionally, the death of the company's founder, Ignaz Bing, in 1918 created a void in leadership.

Despite these setbacks, by 1921, Bing had re-established itself in the U.S. market, mainly via sales through the catalog retailer Sears, Roebuck & Co.

Bing attempted to compensate by increasing its presence in Canada, where it competed with mixed success with American Flyer.

[2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] There is a private collection of Bing products in the Historic Toy Museum at Freinsheim in Rhineland-Palatinate.