|Here's the egg with an Easter postcard from the same time period (1900s) for a sense of size.|
Upon closer inspection, a seam was revealed along the side, and when the egg was opened, toy treasures were discovered within, still sewn down to their original backing cards.
These toy filled eggs were made in Germany from the late 1800s up to about 1920. They were popular in France as Easter gifts, and were exported there in great quantities. Few remain today however, since the pressed paper was fragile, and children naturally would have removed the toys as soon as they opened the eggs.
When they are found today it is usually as unsold stock that never made it into children's hands, and such eggs typically have the toys still sewn in place, as with this example. These eggs usually had a jointed bisque doll on one side, and tiny toys, doll clothes, or doll accessories on the other. The toys inside varied in quality from the very fancy to the rather primitive, enabling parents with a wide range of budgets to purchase them for their children's Easter baskets.
Keep an eye out for eggs today! Happy Easter!