Toy Horse & Cart, ca. 1920
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GUEST:
It's a horse and carriage. My grams gave it to my parents, who gave it to me. It was hers when she was a little girl. She got it sometime in the 1920s. It was a gift from her grandmother.
APPRAISER:
You've not done any research on it at this point, is that correct?
GUEST:
No, I've tried, actually, just on the Internet, and I couldn't find anything about it.
APPRAISER:
Okay, well, I have to say that when I first saw it, I thought it was a piece from the Victorian era. And you told me that it had been a piece that was given to your grandmother in the 1920s. And I thought, "Oh no, it couldn't have been because the quality is wonderful." When you get into the 1920s, you don't have quite as much detail on a piece. And it has woodcarving on the mouth, the teeth are delineated. And then usually, over the wood body, they will put burlap, and then tighten the burlap down so that you get the conformation of the horse. So it actually has a nice round butt and a nice arched neck. And then they cover it with a pony skin. It's a wonderful quality piece. The trappings on the horse are accurate. It has glass eyes, the cart part of it is wood and wicker. It has its original color. And I thought, "This has got to be Victorian." So then I looked at it a little bit more closely, and I saw it has wire wheels. The wire wheels are what you would find in the 1920s. And then I looked at the seat a little closer, and it's oilcloth. If it were Victorian, it could be a little leather seat, it could be a velvet seat. And this is definitely original to the piece.
GUEST:
Yeah.
APPRAISER:
It's got its original cording and tufting and everything on it. There were just a few little tell-tale clues that said, "No, this is a later piece." You said it was probably from F.A.O. Schwartz.
GUEST:
Right.
APPRAISER:
And that is a company that is noted for their beautiful children's toys. I think it is charming. It is a piece that obviously would have gone to a child who was very well taken care of, had great toys. If I were to go to a retail antique doll and toy show in particular, where this thing would sell at its highest price, I would expect it to bring between $1,800 and $2,000.
GUEST:
Wow.
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