Märklin Schlitz Beer Train Car, ca. 1906
GUEST: It's my grandfather's train. He used to run it around under the Christmas tree every year, so I know that at one point it worked. And it's been in the family for probably 100 years.
APPRAISER: So, this is a German-made train. Actually, if we turn it over and look on the underside, right at the top here...
GUEST: Oh.
APPRAISER: ...it's marked "Made in Germany." Now, normally, there would also be the company logo, which is an M and a C, from Märklin. Uh, Märklin is the maker of the train, circa about 1906, 1907.
GUEST: Okay.
APPRAISER: Märklin was a producer of children's toys, uh at the turn of last century, and they really made the top, top-quality toys. Trains was sort of the rise to the top. They're actually still a company today. England, France, and the United States were the three markets for exporting their trains.
GUEST: Oh.
APPRAISER: And they designed the trains specifically for those export markets.
GUEST: Okay.
APPRAISER: So in this instance, it's an American beer car. "Schlitz, the beer that made Milwaukee famous." Schlitz started around the mid-1800s. In fact, it's actually still a brewery today, owned by Pabst Blue Ribbon. There's three different variations of the beer cars that Märklin made. There's a Pabst Blue Ribbon and there's also a Budweiser. They're all very desirable. The Schlitz car, in this size-- which is a gauge 1 train car size-- in the past 20 years, there's only been a dozen or so that have come up. So, quite a rare piece.
GUEST: Oh, okay.
APPRAISER: What's also very interesting about these toys, they're tinplate, and they're all hand-painted with an enamel paint, which does hold up really well. And that's why it's still so well-preserved here for being over 100 years old. Uh, it has opening doors on the sides, with a little hinge, and you can even open the hinge roof to get access to the interior load.
GUEST: Mm-hmm.
APPRAISER: This would be a refrigerator car, so this one would be refrigerating Schlitz beer.
GUEST: Oh.
APPRAISER: As is often the case for all of these toys, condition is king.
GUEST: Mm-hmm.
APPRAISER: This is in really nice condition.
GUEST: (gasps) Oh, good.
APPRAISER: It is. It's very sharp, colors are great, all the way around. There's some wear. Your grandfather obviously did play with it, but the paint is really well-kept. It can actually be cleaned up a little bit to really brighten up the color even more.
GUEST: Mm-hmm.
APPRAISER: Now, in valuing the train car, it's a select market.
GUEST: Uh-huh.
APPRAISER: This is an American-focused marketplace.
GUEST: Mm-hmm.
APPRAISER: Do you have any idea what the value is on a train like this?
GUEST: No, no.
APPRAISER: You might want to pour a nice cold glass of beer after I tell you this, but this train car should easily fetch $10,000 to $20,000.
GUEST: Dollars?! Wow. That's amazing. That's wonderful.
APPRAISER: Now, with that said, there have been examples of this car that have sold for $30,000 or even $40,000.
GUEDT: (chuckling) Oh, good-- I'm... S... I'm almost speechless. And you know-- if you know me, that's...
(both laugh)
$10,000 - $20,000 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.
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.
