Jeepster Toy Cars, ca. 1940
GUEST:
These are two cars from my grandparents' house, and I just remember playing with these when I was a little kid. They've been there for as long as I can remember. I used to stick my other toy cars in them, drive them around, you know, play with them. These were kind of the parent cars, and all my other little cars were the kids. And as you can see, they're kind of a little worse for wear. They've survived many grandchildren and many car crashes and all sorts of good stuff. People were asking me, they said, "Well you're going to the ROADSHOW, you know. What will you bring?" And I said, "Well, I think I'll just bring those two cars I used to play with." They were just the first thing that popped into my head. I thought they were neat and I never expected this but. thought I'd bring them in and get them checked out.
APPRAISER:
Well, I'm sure glad you brought them in, because these are among two of my favorite toys, this particular model. Tell you a little bit about them. They're made by a company called All Toy, and they were made in the '40s, right after the war, and of course they were inspired by the Jeep, the famous GI transport-vehicle in World War II. They're classic American designs. What I like about them is, these were all, not only toys, but these were also used by the Jeepster Company as promotional pieces. They would actually have these on display in the showrooms, and you can tell that because the level of detail is so perfect. It's curious as to whether they were first made as promotionals or as toys, but they were toys. And I can understand why, uh, they might have survived pretty well because they weigh a ton, even though they're made out of aluminum. What's remarkable here is you have a pair, and while you might think these have been banged up a little bit, these are really in extraordinary condition.
GUEST:
Wow.
APPRAISER:
What makes them great is the quality of the paint, the original decals are still here. They're very collectable, and there are people who collect them as toys. There are also people who love Jeepsters who collect them. The Jeepster touring car is considered the last American touring car, and so it has a following all on its own. So all those things put together... give these some... fairly serious value. I think if we had these at auction, they would bring in the $5,000 to $6,000 range for the pair of them.
GUEST:
Wow. Wow. I never expected that. (both chuckle) I just played with them.
APPRAISER:
Well, you weren't too rough with them, which is great.
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.
