“MARX Sears 1962 #4073
Colonial MANSION with Breezeway and BOMB SHELTER Doll House
NO RUST COLD WAR SPECIAL” 
Here’s something you don’t see every day — a 1962 Marx tin dollhouse with a built in bomb shelter — spotted by Eartha Kitsch and featured on her fab blog, Ranch Dressing with Eartha Kitsch. There’s just something about miniature houses that appeals to most people — and this one also appeals to historians because of its rare bomb shelter. A few years ago, even the owner of the Marx Toy Museum had said he had seen only one of these rare doll house designs in his life — and that that the Museum didn’t even have one.
I emailed the seller, who kindly allowed us to show her photos here and also gave us a peek into how coveted this retro dollhouse seems to be is among vintage doll house collectors:
Hi Kate,
Thanks for contacting me on this. I’m more that happy to let you use the listing and link it. I have been selling on ebay for a while and I have never seen a response to a listing like this one. It is incredible the hits I get daily on it and the amount of people watching it. I’ve had several emails from people who have been looking for this dollhouse for 10+ years and others who want to link it to their dollhouse website. People who have these are so excited about their collection and sharing their stories with me and it has surprised many who never knew there was even a dollhouse out there made by Marx with a bomb shelter. It is truly a piece of history and I hope the right person gets this because if cared for it will last forever with the great shape it is in. I currently have over 40 people watching the auction and over 600 have pulled it up so it will be interesting to see what happens.
Sandy
– sandy3950
From the Ebay listing:
The Holy Grail of Tin Litho Dollhouses.
MARX Sears 1962 #4073
Two Story Colonial MANSION with Breezeway and BOMB SHELTER Doll House
NO RUST COLD WAR SPECIAL
One of the rarest of all MARX houses is this one with the fall out shelter. The house was inspired by John F. Kennedy’s appeal to our nation to be prepared for the worst outcome in our Cold War with Russia. Many Americans built bomb shelters that year as a result. The craze was short lived and the house was a low seller, a real Bomb. The house was only produced for one year (1962) in a VERY LIMITED quantity. Since it was not a big seller it is extremely difficult to find. The house also came with the rare Dutch door in white plastic. The inside of the house was exactly the same as most colonials, with the exception of the garage being replaced by the bombshelter.
And here it is….. the one room that makes this item a collectors must have. This is Priceless so don’t let it get away. It will only go up in value.
Super Rare features include.
1. Bomb Shelter/ fall-out shelter (has first aid items and things not normally in a garage)
2. Recroom/ gameroom
3. Breezeway
4. COVERED patio-I have not found anywhere. 5. Bay window front with the plastic pieces for the bay window
6. Dutch entry door -It is missing the actual door but has the plastic entry piece.The graphic on the walls and floors are incredible too many detail to list (see photos)
Appears to have been used very little if at all. No Rust. All tabs seem to be fine and all pieces attach together. Very colorfull and detailed pieces. There is one small scratch on roof and someone drew with a marker so I cleaned it off best I could. You can hardly see it now and it does not affect the overall look. Especially since it’s on the back side. There are a couple other tiny scratches in places but compared to others I have seen from the same era this one is a gem! It is missing the dutch door itself and the piece that goes on top of the breezeway side. It’s not a chimney but not sure what it is. The plastic green patio top does have a small crack in it but it is solid and hard to even see.
Seller Sandy also points to a 2008 story in the Charlotte Observer (link now gone) about the Official Marx Toy Museum. In her listing, Sandy says this was also in the story — although I cannot see it in the source document:
“Prominently missing in his collection is the grand Marx dollhouse that also came with a fallout shelter. ‘They just put that out for a little while, around the time of the Cuban missile crisis, and I’ve only seen one in my whole life,” [Museum owner] Turner apologizes.
There’s currently a take-no-prisoners opening bid of $999. This sold for $6.44 at Sears in 1962! Pretty darn good house appreciation!
Wow — this is truly an awesome little house. Special thanks to Ebay seller Sandy3950 for allowing us to feature this gem of a find. UPDATE: Dollhouse sold for more than $1,000.
Just one question: Wouldn’t a real bomb shelter always be below ground?
Let’s hear your home bomb shelter stories, readers!
Melissa Hogan says
Which other marx doll house had the Dutch door?
Pam Kueber says
Hi Melissa… I am not an expert on this. I think there are other websites/collectors that may have this info, though. Good luck!
Deaun says
Melissa,
It is a 60’s colonial without the patio or rec room. It came in half-brick and powder blue, with soft yellow shutters and a light gray roof. There is one with the complete door and frame on eBay right now. Here is the link:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/273824361092
Irving G. Steinberg says
Great story. Our 1966 house outside of the twin cities actually has a fallout shelter. The original owner (a 3M engineer) had it added during the construction of the house. Used for storage now, but plan to put some “tornado” supplies in it, along with some vintage items for atmosphere.
Shawna says
My childhood was full of great Marx toys, including a dollhouse sans bomb shelter, Jane West and her horse, and too many playsets to count. I’ve had the opportunity to visit the museum in Moundsville WV and it is outstanding! There is the namesake Indian mound and museum to visit as well as the supposedly haunted WV penitentiary to see and tour. Made for an interesting stop!
Carrie says
I just purchased this exact model at a garage sale WITH the box but used and in great condition. All parts. Thank you for this blog post. I will be contacting the Marx Museum owner, and going from there.
Angela M. Garcia-Johnson says
Love the dollhouse! Our real 1957 custom built ranch house has a bomb shelter in the basement. It wasn’t until the original builder’s son informed us as to what the large metal brackets in the cement wall (that has a window well were for)…they held a large metal door that protected the inhabitants from the window. On another note: Back in the late 50’s I recall driving by Westgate shopping center in Ann Arbor and my parents explaining what all the vendors were selling that were set up in the parking lot…they were marketing their different styles of bomb shelters. It was a scary time for a kid.
Jared Snapp says
Deaun,
Glad I could help! I knew there would be more out there…Good luck on the cot…we’re still looking for the cots so let me know if you find more than the one you need and I’ll do the same!
Kindest Regards,
Jared Snapp
Deaun says
Jared,
It has been a very long time since I posted on this thread, but I wanted to come back and say “thank you!” for telling us about finding the Dutch door on a different Marx house. I was able to buy the other house last Christmas (2017) for a door, and now I’m down to finding one more cot and my house will be complete. 🙂
Jared Snapp says
Nice find! I would love to make a find like that! My Wife’s Bomb Shelter House (the very one mentioned in the blog…we won it) is now complete except for the two folding beds/cots for the Bomb Shelter itself…still looking for those…did yours have all the furniture when you found it?
Paul Wilson says
Hi, Jared –
Apparently the furniture for many of these Marx houses (the Colonials in particular) was the same exact “basic” set, I have since learned. One set is very conservative, the other a bit more obviously mid-century-moderne. I do indeed have the pieces, multiples of them, in bags from other houses, but naturally NOT the pieces for the shelter. I guess it had folded cots, a sink, a round table, and two captain’s chairs. I DID, however, find the rest of it (the breezeway/recreation room) later that day in yet another cupboard. Only thing missing is the door and the shelter pieces, save for the table and chairs which were common to many houses and even Marx military play sets. It now sits, restored, with a great big pretend mushroom cloud atop it (it even lights up, for an even more sinister look…) 😀
Paul Wilson says
I have been seeking this like mad ever since I found a blog-post about it a month or two ago. I figured it was hopeless. I have many tin dollhouses, many were in storage, and two years ago I moved. The movers stuck stuff every which way and I am STILL sorting. This AM I went into a room off the carport seeking some fake medical props for a community theater show I am working on, and what do I see on a shelf BUT THE BOMB SHELTER DOLLHOUSE. Apparently I had had it for years and never even knew it??? It’s missing the attached game room and one bathroom wall (oh and a front door), but I felt like I had opened a treasure chest! I never did find the props I was looking for for the play BUT I DIDN’T CARE at that point!!!
Michele says
Correction: Cuban missle crisis