Kyser & Rex Monkey Bell Toy, ca. 1880
APPRAISER:
Now, you know how we like boxes at the antique toy table. True. And usually we get these colorful paper boxes. But this is a wooden box. What's in it?
GUEST:
Inside, there is an antique toy monkey, pull toy, that was left to me by my grandmother.
APPRAISER:
Mm-hmm. Well, I notice on the box it says "Kenner Ferguson." Who is he?
GUEST:
Kenner Ferguson was a child that would have been my great-grandmother's uncle.
APPRAISER:
Uh-huh.
GUEST:
Unfortunately, he only lived to be three years old. He was born in 1881 and died in 1884. And they put the toy away.
APPRAISER:
They put the toy away. Often a sad story involved when you find a toy in really, really nice condition. It's a cast-iron bell toy. It's the kind of toy that a little toddler would pull along and the monkey would ring the bell. It's made by Kyser & Rex in Philadelphia, and it is in pretty extraordinary condition. The paint is really bright on his coat. No paint loss on his face. A little chipping here. Still gold paint on the wheels. Notice the heart-shape design on the wheels. That's one of the features of these great bell toys. Kyser & Rex was one of the makers of toys and banks in the late 1800s, and this is one of their finer toys. You said somebody offered you some money for it?
GUEST:
Yes, I researched it a little bit when I first got it, and I called a collector I found online.
APPRAISER:
Uh-huh.
GUEST:
And he offered me a thousand dollars for it without ever seeing any pictures of it.
APPRAISER:
I'm glad you didn't sell it, because it's worth a little more than that.
GUEST:
Okay.
APPRAISER:
An average example sold in the $4,000 range. But this is above average. A little paint loss, but with the original box, I think on today's market at auction, it could certainly bring $6,000, maybe as much as $7,000 to $8,000.
GUEST:
That's awesome.
APPRAISER:
So I think it was very wise not to jump on that first thousand-dollar offer.
GUEST:
Yes. Very nice. Thank you.
Appraisal Details
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