Tally-Ho Coach & 3-Seat Brake
Watch
GUEST:
I inherited these from a good friend of mine who was a toy collector. This is a Tally-ho and this is a Brake. And I've had them for 14 years.
APPRAISER:
Well, he certainly must have been a good friend because he left you some very nice toys. They're cast iron. They're horse-drawn toys. And this is what we call a 3-Seat Brake. This was made by Hubley in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. And this one was made by Carpenter, who is one of the really classic toy makers of the 1890s. And they're both very, very nice toys. This Hubley 3-Seat Brake, because it has a couple of problems which I'll tell you about, is worth about $5,000 to $7,000. It's had a little bit of work over the years, and some of these old toy collectors, they would fix these toys and make them nicer than they found them. Both side lamps are replaced. Some of the figures might be recast. But other than that, it's in pretty decent shape. And of course it had that great galloping action. This is the way Hubley had these horses gallop so it really gave nice, realistic motion. Carpenter also had a similar galloping action. Theirs was a totally different mechanism with these revolving wheels that would lend a realistic look to the horses. This is probably one of the most complex and most desirable of all the cast-iron carriage toys: the Tally-ho. Very complicated with the double horse hitch, and not a lot of them have survived. This toy I would say, in this condition, would be worth in the $8,000 to $10,000 range.
GUEST:
Oh.
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.
