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Before LEGO was LEGO: Erector Building Sets (July 8)

While it’s no LEGO set, the Erector metal construction toy set got its start long before the colorful plastic bricks. And they are still around today.

July 8, 2026

Estimated reading time: 4 minutes

While it’s no LEGO set, the metal Erector construction toy set got its start long before the colorful plastic bricks. (LEGO didn’t become a brand until 1932 and the interlocking bricks weren’t invented until 1958.) Erector sets might even have been as popular back then as LEGO is today. And here’s the kicker…the toy brand is still around.

1913 – The Erector Set Gets a Patent

An antique Erector Set — An early Erector set, at the California State Railroad Museum. (Jim Heaphy/Wikimedia Commons)

It was on this day in 1913 when Alfred Carlton Gilbert received a patent for his Erector set which became an incredibly popular metal toy construction set. It was originally sold in wooden boxes and included metal beams of various lengths but with regularly spaced holes. Using bolts and nuts, the beams could be used to create different buildings and structures, taken apart and then used to building something new.

By 1924, the sets featured over 70 different types of parts. When Gilbert passed away in 1961, his company began to lose sales which led to a filing for bankruptcy in 1967. New colorful plastic parts were added, but it was hard to compete with other building sets. The British construction toy brand Meccano acquired the Erector brand, and these sets continue to be sold.

In the late 1990’s, a Disney engineer, Mark Sumner used his Erector set to build a working model for what became the “Soarin’” ride at Epcot and Disney’s California Adventure.

2021 – A Post-It Leonardo

Images of Leonardo DaVinci's “Head of a Bear” drawing — Leonardo DaVinci’s “Head of a Bear” drawing. *(Wikimedia Commons)*

It is believed by art scholars that Leonardo da Vinci drew a number of close-up drawings of bears’ anatomy and movements in circa 1480. They were drawn using a silverpoint pencil which is very difficult to erase. One drawing, “Head of a Bear”, is only one of four such drawings that have survived. On this day, the drawing went up for auction at Christie’s in London. It sold for £8.9 million (approximately $12.2 million) by an American couple.

One must wonder if they got their money’s worth since the drawing is only 2.8 in by 2.8, slightly small than a Post-It note and hence, it has been dubbed a “Post-It Leonardo.” It is just one of eight pieces of Leonardo’s work that is owned by private citizens. (Image: Wikimedia)