Hubley Orange "Harley-Davidson" Toy Motorcycle, ca. 1930
Appraised Value:
$2,000 - $2,500
IMAGE: 1 of 1
Appraisal Video: (2:16)
Appraised By:
Andy Ourant
Toys & Games
Village Doll and Toy Auctions
Appraisal Transcript:
GUEST: Well, this was my great-grandpa's when he was a kid. And then once he got too old he gave it to my grandma and it's just been sitting on a shelf.
APPRAISER: Now she is going to give it to you?
GUEST: Yeah.
APPRAISER: Well, that's great.
GUEST: Family heirloom.
APPRAISER: Well, what do you think it is?
GUEST: A Harley-Davidson.
APPRAISER: And how do you know it's a Harley-Davidson?
GUEST: Because the "HD"...
APPRAISER: Yeah, I'll point it out. "HD," right there, Harley-Davidson. Harley-Davidson started in the early 20th century and probably the most famous American motorcycle company. It's called a "hill-climber" and hill-climbing was a competition. It has a racing number, he has a number two on here. In the real sport of hill-climbing, Harley-Davidsons and the other motorcycles in the time, in the '20s and '30s, would go to these giant hills and they would race up the hills to see who get up the hill the fastest. They show the typical molding of the V-twin motor, two-cylinder motor, just like the real one, and it came in multiple colors, and orange is a very nice color. Now, it was made in the early '30s in Lancaster, Pennsylvania and it was made by a company called Hubley. Hubley started a line of toys that they called, "They Look Real" and they made a lot of Harley-Davidsons. They made Elgin street sweepers and all these tie-ins with real companies. You always had it on a shelf, correct?
GUEST: Actually my grandma always had it on a shelf and I was only allowed to hold it, but not play with it.
APPRAISER: Yeah, well, that's good. Do you have any idea, any guesses on value or any of that kind of thing?
GUEST: I'm giving a guess about $1,000.
APPRAISER: About a $1,000. Now what makes you think is was worth $1,000?
GUEST: Because at the time Harleys were so popular and how it was to promote and all that other stuff.
APPRAISER: Well, I think it's a little higher than that. It would easily be about $2,000 to $2,500 and that's a, you know, a fair-market value, an auction estimate.
GUEST: Wow.
APPRAISER: Yeah. So what are you going to do with it now that it's yours?
GUEST: Play with it carefully. Like just go around on the carpet in circles.
