Goodyear Zeppelin Store Display, ca. 1930
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GUEST:
I brought the Goodyear zeppelin. That's what we used to call it when we were little. It's actually a hangar, and there is a surprise inside. The zeppelin belonged to my grandfather. He passed it down to my father, and I inherited it in 2009. It's kind of a mystery. We always heard that my grandfather owned it, and his brother had a tire store in East Cleveland. And we would always assume that maybe he had this in his tire store as a model, advertising model.
APPRAISER:
You are a great detective, because that is exactly how it would have happened. And when you think Goodyear, you think rubber, fast cars, you know, burn some rubber on the pavement. But this is a store advertising display...
GUEST:
Oh.
APPRAISER:
...that would have been potentially in a tire shop, but it was also advertising the Goodyear Zeppelin part of the corporation. Now, in 1910, Goodyear branched off and created their Goodyear aeronautics department. But in 1924, Goodyear acquired a controlling interest in the German Zeppelin company, which is why you would see this branded model like that. So due to the branding on this, Goodyear Zeppelin, we know that this model particularly dates between 1924 and World War II, and the reason why we know not after is, needless to say, German company, not the greatest PR in the world, for, uh, Goodyear to be teaming up with a German aeronautics company with the outbreak of World War II. So Zeppelin was dropped from the tag and they just went on to develop regular airships, planes, and helped out with the war effort. But this is just so cool. It's awesome. This is the biggest area of, like, what I would call cross-pollination when it comes to a collectible today. It's a piece of advertising. It relates to automobilia, it relates to aeronautics, but it also relates to toy collectors, which is huge. There's no maker known behind this.
GUEST:
Hm.
APPRAISER:
But Ohio was such a hotbed for toy manufacturers during the 1920s and 1930s. It's pressed steel, painted application on, and the condition of it, for being approximately 90-year-old display, is incredible. When it comes to an item like this, condition, condition, condition, I can't stress it enough, is what determines the value. It's original. It's untouched. And that's exactly how collectors want to find items today. And the biggest thing is that it actually works. It has an electro mechanical element, it has a motor in the back, and now we're gonna plug it in. Let's see if we can make some magic happen, because I want to see those hangar doors open.
GUEST:
(laughs)
APPRAISER:
And here we go.
(whirring)
APPRAISER:
Very few of these have actually popped up...
GUEST:
Mm.
APPRAISER:
...in the open market, and while it is large, it just makes for an unbelievable display. So if we were to see this at auction, I believe it would create a fire fury of fight between bidders.
GUEST:
Hm.
APPRAISER:
But conservatively, you would see it today estimated $3,000 to $5,000. And I think if you put it in a room in front of the right people, that number could be higher.
GUEST:
Wonderful.
APPRAISER:
If this was restored in any, uh, element or any repaint, any touch-up, it would drastically hurt the value.
Appraisal Details
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