German Nodding Rabbit, ca. 1900

Appraised on: July 29, 2006

Appraised in: Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Appraised by: Richard Wright

Category: Toys & Games

Episode Info: Milwaukee, Hour 3 (#1119)

Originally Aired: November 12, 2007

IMAGE: 1 of 3  

Appraisal Video: (2:49)

GUEST: I brought this rabbit that I was given for my first Easter, which would have been in 1932. My baby book says that I received a brown rabbit that was a nodder. And I assume this is it. And as you can see from the picture, which was taken a couple years later, with myself and my brother, I've had him all my life.

APPRAISER: All right, well, I'll give you a little background on him. He's German. He's clockwork. He nods, if we just do a little thing like that. You'll see his head nods and his mouth moves. Can't really tell you who made them. Sometimes you'll see a label on the bottom-- "made in Germany"-- but as to the company that produced it, I really don't know. They were made for quite a few years. This could have been made around 1900. I don't think it was made in 1932. It might have been your dad's.

GUEST: That's what I wondered. My dad was born in about 1909. I wondered if it could have been his, and then they just gave it to me.

APPRAISER: It's sort of hard to date it exactly. By the '30s, this type of thing was sort of going out. This is more of an early 1900s type piece. It's got a couple little condition problems here. There's a missing little foot there…

GUEST: Right.

APPRAISER: One ear's torn there. And you mentioned something...

GUEST: He had a bottle at one time.

APPRAISER: A baby bottle. Okay. These ears are a little bit loose, but that's no big deal. It's charming. It's in fairly
decent condition. Did you ever have it appraised at all?

GUEST: I did take it to a local antique shop. Many, many, many years ago.

APPRAISER: Mm-hmm.

GUEST: To a toy dealer.

APPRAISER: Right.

GUEST: And he said to the right person at the right time, at an auction, for somebody who collected this kind of thing... it could be worth $5,000 to $6,000.

APPRAISER: Okay, well, he's a little high on that because of the condition.

GUEST: Right, right. Well, he was in better shape 25 years ago.

APPRAISER: Okay, all right. Rabbits are very, very popular. Santa Clauses are popular-- all holidays. In the condition it is now just like this, I would probably sell it for around $4,000. Once this is repaired, which it can be repaired, say you put another $500 in it-- on today's market, restored, he probably would bring between $5,000, $6,000 and maybe... even $7,000. Rabbits are very, very, very popular. Everybody likes them. The history's great.

GUEST: Have you ever seen another like it?

APPRAISER: A friend of mine has one, he bought it in Milwaukee years ago.

GUEST: Really? Just like this one?

APPRAISER: Just like that one. So it's the second one I've seen. So thank you very much.

GUEST: Well, it was a pleasure to be here. I'm sure the rabbit enjoyed it.

APPRAISER: I'm sure he did, too. He's still nodding his approval.