Japanese Lithographed Tin Wind-up Toy, ca. 1935
APPRAISER:
Tell me a little bit about this toy you brought us here at Meadowlands.
GUEST:
Well, it was my aunt and uncle's toy that they got for Christmas.
GUEST:
They were left up in the attic. The uncle gave them to my son.
APPRAISER:
You glommed on to him. Good idea.
GUEST:
Yes.
APPRAISER:
The one I've selected out of the box is, I think, probably the most unusual in that it is what we call prewar Japanese. It means it was made in Japan before World War II, and there's sort of a cutoff point. The prewar toys tended to be all tin and a little more naive in quality. The lithography, though, is just absolutely outstanding on this toy.
GUEST:
It is.
APPRAISER:
What adds to the value is the automotive motif on the sides. People who collect automotive toys love this kind of graphics. But what really makes this toy outstanding is this absolutely beautiful decorated box. Boxes can add double the value or sometimes triple the value.
GUEST:
Oh, really.
APPRAISER:
I mean, it's just astounding. This toy is very amusing because it has a wonderful little action with the rotating amusement park ride. That's another factor adding to the value of this toy because people collect amusement park rides. Well, as far as the value of this toy, it probably sold originally for around 89 cents or something like that. I've never seen this toy in the original box and I've never seen one so brilliant, so I think at auction this toy could probably bring as much as $2,000, maybe a little more. It's an absolutely wonderful find you have here. Please take care of it.
GUEST:
Well, we would never sell it, and it's going to be kept in the family.
APPRAISER:
Oh, well that's wonderful.
Appraisal Details
Executive producer Marsha Bemko shares her tips for getting the most out of ANTIQUES ROADSHOW.
Value can change: The value of an item is dependent upon many things, including the condition of the object itself, trends in the market for that kind of object, and the location where the item will be sold. These are just some of the reasons why the answer to the question "What's it worth?" is so often "It depends."
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