Metalcraft Toy Trucks
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APPRAISER:
So, Andy, you've brought us some toys made in St. Louis.
GUEST:
Yes, I did, they were my father's toys. The company that made them, MetalCraft, was here in north St. Louis, and my father lived on the same street as the factory, and he was interested in that St. Louis connection, so he started collecting everything MetalCraft.
APPRAISER:
It looks like, from the picture, he's got quite a collection.
GUEST:
Yeah.
APPRAISER:
Well, one of the main reasons they did so well with their trucks is they made them in conjunction with companies as promotional things, like the Heinz pickle company, and Goodrich Silvertown Tires. It was like an early kind of tie-in.
GUEST:
Okay.
APPRAISER:
The other thing I always like about them, is the ones that have the headlights.
GUEST:
Yeah, and I think this, it works. I think you put a battery in here and it'll turn the headlights on.
APPRAISER:
Some of the most obscure ones are some of the most valuable ones.
GUEST:
Mm-hmm.
APPRAISER:
There's one called the Samarkand Ice Cream truck, which has sold for as much as $3,700.
GUEST:
Oh wow.
APPRAISER:
Because they made short runs for a small company, unlike Heinz, which they would make thousands of, or Goodrich, they might get commissioned to make 200 of a certain truck, and those are the ones that are really prized. But these are some of the relatively common ones, probably the Heinz pickle truck is the most common. These both are worth around the $450 to $500 in this kind of condition.
GUEST:
Thank you, thank you very much.
APPRAISER:
Thanks for coming by.
Appraisal Details
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