Keystone Toy Police Patrol Wagon
Watch
APPRAISER:
Sara, you brought in this truck.
GUEST:
Yes.
APPRAISER:
That was your grandfather's, is that correct?
GUEST:
Yes, sir.
APPRAISER:
And I understand he lets you play with it once in a while.
GUEST:
Yes, sir.
APPRAISER:
Well, I hope you play with it as well as he played with it, because he took very, very good care of this truck. What you have here is a Keystone pressed steel truck. They were probably the second major maker of these particular toys. Buddy L was the primary manufacturer; they made the best. Keystone, I think, is second-best, but still very good. As you could see by the original decal, this is the classic Packard front end. Most Keystone trucks were that way. What makes this truck particularly good is it's a police patrol wagon, a paddy wagon. Now, most kids would like a dump truck that has some action they can put sand in and dump sand. But to have a truck that really is to haul malefactors to jail it's sort of an odd thing for a child to play with. That again adds to the rarity of it. Now, what adds to the value of it is the condition your grandfather kept it in, because it has all these original decals here that say, "Police Patrol," has the original decal in the floor. They were fun to play with because they had operating steering wheels, little turn signal, all sorts of action. Wonder what your dad paid for this when he bought it.
GUEST:
Santee Claus brought it to me.
APPRAISER:
Santee Claus brought it to you, and probably paid about $5 or $6, which was a lot of money in those days. Back in 1922, '23. Back in '22, that was a hefty sum. Well, this toy today, because of its condition, which is extremely fine, this is the best condition I've ever seen of what is a fairly rare truck being the police patrol. I would say on today's market at auction could bring anywhere between $2,000 and $2,500. That's pretty good appreciation.
GUEST:
Thank you, Santee Claus.
APPRAISER:
Thank you, thank you very much.
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."
Note the date: Take note of the date the appraisal was recorded. This information appears in the upper left corner of the page, with the label "Appraised On." Values change over time according to market forces, so the current value of the item could be higher, lower, or the same as when our expert first appraised it.
Context is key: Listen carefully. Most of our experts will give appraisal values in context. For example, you'll often hear them say what an item is worth "at auction," or "retail," or "for insurance purposes" (replacement value). Retail prices are different from wholesale prices. Often an auctioneer will talk about what she knows best: the auction market. A shop owner will usually talk about what he knows best: the retail price he'd place on the object in his shop. And though there are no hard and fast rules, an object's auction price can often be half its retail value; yet for other objects, an auction price could be higher than retail. As a rule, however, retail and insurance/replacement values are about the same.
Verbal approximations: The values given by the experts on ANTIQUES ROADSHOW are considered "verbal approximations of value." Technically, an "appraisal" is a legal document, generally for insurance purposes, written by a qualified expert and paid for by the owner of the item. An appraisal usually involves an extensive amount of research to establish authenticity, provenance, composition, method of construction, and other important attributes of a particular object.
Opinion of value: As with all appraisals, the verbal approximations of value given at ROADSHOW events are our experts' opinions formed from their knowledge of antiques and collectibles, market trends, and other factors. Although our valuations are based on research and experience, opinions can, and sometimes do, vary among experts.
Appraiser affiliations: Finally, the affiliation of the appraiser may have changed since the appraisal was recorded. To see current contact information for an appraiser in the ROADSHOW Archive, click on the link below the appraiser's picture. Our Appraiser Index also contains a complete list of active ROADSHOW appraisers and their contact details and biographies.
