1929 Buddy "L" Velocipede Prototype
GUEST: This is a pump cart that was manufactured by Buddy L toys in Moline, Illinois. And my father-in-law's uncle was a toy designer there. And this is a prototype. It was never put into production, we're guessing because it's pretty dangerous. (chuckles):
APPRAISER: Okay.
GUEST: It's very tippy, and when the handle gets moving at any speed, it's difficult to control. It's just the right length where you could smack a child under the chin.
APPRAISER: Right. Frederick A. Lundahl. His company started in 1910. He actually made auto parts. He worked with the farm machine companies. In about the 1920s, there was a downturn in needing the parts. And so he had a five-year-old son...
GUEST: Hm. ...
APPRAISER: and decided to take some of that scrap metal...
GUEST: Mm-hmm.
APPRAISER: ...and make a good, sturdy toy that was educational...
GUEST: Mm-hmm.
APPRAISER: ...in that it had working parts that the kids could learn from, they could have fun, and it wouldn't fall apart. His son's name was Arthur, but he went by Buddy.
GUEST: Oh, okay.
APPRAISER: And the L, of course, for Lundahl. This toy is made out of the heavy pressed steel...
GUEST: Oh.
APPRAISER: ...which Buddy L was known for. On the bottom, we have a patent number. It was given to Frederick Lundahl for a velocipede.
GUEST: Oh!
APPRAISER: And a velocipede is just a human-powered land vehicle. When you pull up the patent information, the illustrations show that while this probably is a prototype, this is not the first. This is a slightly different product.
GUEST: Oh!
APPRAISER: They had a rectangular base instead of a shaped base. It was four wheels rather than three wheels.
GUEST: All right.
APPRAISER: And it had two handles.
GUEST: Oh.
APPRAISER: So if you think this is dangerous for one child, can you imagine... (laughs) ...one child on each end, with one going backwards down a hill?
GUEST: No, I can't imagine.
APPRAISER: So there were some changes that were made. This piece actually did go into production.
GUEST: Oh, it did?
APPRAISER: This piece would have been made in 1929. Your family probably were the test for this particular piece...
GUEST: (laughs) Could be.
APPRAISER: ...as they went flying down the hills and tipping over.
GUEST: Yeah!
APPRAISER: The actual pieces that went into production and were sold were over a foot wider at the base...
GUEST: Mm, mm.
APPRAISER: ...and the handle was actually four inches shorter. I would put an auction value on this piece of somewhere between $6,000 and $8,000.
GUEST: (gasps, laughs) W, whoa! (both laughing)
APPRAISER: So hopefully nobody got their teeth too badly cracked with this one.
GUEST: (laughs) I have to say, I am really amazed.
APPRAISER: What were you expecting?
GUEST: I thought maybe $500 or $600. Yeah, yeah.
$6,000 - $8,000 Auction
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Understanding Our Appraisals
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.
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