Buddy "L" Sand & Gravel Truck, ca. 1927
GUEST:
I got it from my uncle. He was born in 1922. It was my favorite toy when I went to my grandmother's house in Ida Grove, Iowa. And when my grandmother moved, my uncle, of course, is an adult, and didn't really have a place to put it. So, uh, because he knew it was my favorite thing to play with, he gave it to me. So I'm only the second owner of this truck.
APPRAISER:
And you discovered what kind it is?
GUEST:
Yes, it's Buddy "L" Sand and Gravel Truck. I got the dust off of there, so I could read the decal and found out it was a sand and gravel truck. I always just liked the little doors on it.
APPRAISER:
Uh-huh.
GUEST:
That's one of the things I liked.
APPRAISER:
And you did a little research. What did you-- found something on the Internet like it?
GUEST:
I found that there's a Buddy "L" Museum. Saw similar trucks, and I never saw a sand and gravel truck. I think some of the truck were in the neighborhood of $400 to $600.
APPRAISER:
Yeah. Well, this is a nice truck. It is sand and gravel, which makes it a little rarer than the average.
GUEST:
Okay.
APPRAISER:
Most kids wanted a dump truck.
GUEST:
Right.
APPRAISER:
Because you could haul it out in the sandbox and throw sand in it. You could dump it and do all that.
GUEST:
Yup.
APPRAISER:
Sand and gravel, it's just not quite the same... pizzazz as a dump truck. These were made in the mid-1920s. The condition you have-- the decals are intact, which is very nice. Of course, sand and gravel means it has these little doors that open up so that the gravel goes out the sides. And that makes for a little rarer, and little more complex, little more expensive, 'cause it had all these four doors. Now, you said you saw some truck similar for $400 to $600.
GUEST:
Yeah.
APPRAISER:
Well, curiously, this truck if you notice has this divider in here.
GUEST:
Right. I've always wondered about that.
APPRAISER:
Which is often missing.
GUEST:
Okay. Yeah.
APPRAISER:
So a serious Buddy "L" collector who had a really super example of this truck, he'd pay $500 just for this.
GUEST:
Really?
APPRAISER:
Yes.
GUEST:
Oh, my gosh. Good for me.
APPRAISER:
Isn't that amazing?
GUEST:
That is amazing.
APPRAISER:
That's always missing.
GUEST:
Yeah.
APPRAISER:
This has had some play-wear,
GUEST:
Oh, yes, it has.
APPRAISER:
But it is still all original. And like all Buddy "L" trucks, operating steering.
GUEST:
Right.
APPRAISER:
Original decals, all the doors are original. At auction, I would expect, even in this condition, which as I say is played with, bring at least $3,000.
GUEST:
No kidding?
APPRAISER:
And maybe $3,500.
GUEST:
Oh, you're kidding? I had no idea. I probably, I shouldn't admit this, but I used to put a pillow here when I was quite small, I think I was five or six. Put your legs over here, reach under and steer. And go down the brick sidewalk next to my grandmother's house. And, of course, with those steel wheels, it was quite a ride.
APPRAISER:
Oh, I'll bet. Well, I hate to hear such stories.
GUEST:
I know you do, but I tell you, I think I only did it once.
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