In a classic episode of Antiques Roadshow, a guest showed expert Bunny Campione a toy rollercoaster he had purchased in America. The tin-plate toy included three “grannies” sitting in a toboggan which zoomed down the rollercoaster. Bunny said the item was “the most unusual” toy she had come across in a “very long time” before leaving her guest stunned when she valued it.
After watching the toy work, Bunny laughed: “That is fantastic. That is probably the most unusual toy I’ve seen for a very long time.
“It’s so amusing, and so who are the figures?”
The guest said he wasn’t sure who the three figures in the toboggan were meant to be, but he thought they looked like “grannies“.
“I can’t really understand why grannies would be on a toboggan or a rollercoaster,” he added.
READ MORE: Emmerdale legend Kim Tate thrown out of Home Farm as old faces return?
“It’s in very good condition, I mean it’s working for a start,” Bunny added.
“And the fact that all the paint is all there – it’s obviously been played with – but it’s still in very good condition.”
Bunny then revealed to her guest how much she thought it would fetch if it was for sale.
She explained: “I suppose I’ve got to put a price on it for you and I would say that a collector in this country would be looking at £1,000 to £1,500.”
He replied: “Wow, gosh, that’s good.”
The guest decided to wind the toy up again so they could watch the “grannies” go down the rollercoaster one last time.
Tin toys originated in the latter part of the 19th century, and a rare steam-propelled toy tin-plate battleship sold for an eye-watering £76,000 in 2012.
Antiques Roadshow episodes can now be watched on BBC iPlayer.
Published at Thu, 27 Jan 2022 20:17:00 +0000
‘It’s so amusing’ Antiques Roadshow expert blown away by ‘most unusual’ toy rollercoaster
