Steelcraft Pedal Airplane, "Spirit of America", ca. 1927
Appraised Value:
$7,000 - $8,000
IMAGE: 1 of 2
Appraisal Video:
Appraised By:
Noel Barrett
Toys & Games
Owner
Noel Barrett Antiques & Auctions Ltd.
Appraisal Transcript:
GUEST: My mother and daddy must have given it to me for Christmas when I was a little girl.
APPRAISER: So you're the original owner.
GUEST: I'm the original owner.
APPRAISER: And that's you there, right?
GUEST: That's me.
APPRAISER: From the looks of that picture, it looks like you had some time behind the steering wheel of this.
GUEST: Played with it a lot.
APPRAISER: It was given to you... Do you remember what year?
GUEST: No, not really.
APPRAISER: Well, you've certainly taken good care of it. Now, who's the other girl in the picture?
GUEST: That's my sister.
APPRAISER: And so, you got the plane, and she got the car.
GUEST: Right.
APPRAISER: Well, you're the lucky one.
GUEST: Uh-huh, I thought so.
APPRAISER: This is a wonderful airplane. It was made by Steelcraft.
GUEST: Uh-huh.
APPRAISER: You can see the decal in the seat.
GUEST: Uh-huh.
APPRAISER: And it looks like it had some use, but it's an amazing survivor. Well, let me tell you. I think this is a marvelous plane. I want to show a little detail here. The realism of it is wonderful. This is a radial seven-cylinder engine, just like the ones of that era.
GUEST: Uh-huh.
APPRAISER: I think it's kind of neat, too, that they... they call it the "Spirit of America."
GUEST: Mm-hmm.
APPRAISER: Which, of course, related to Lindbergh flying across the ocean in 1927.
After he flew his plane, they called anything "the Spirit."
GUEST: Right.
APPRAISER: That's just a sales gimmick to sort of cash in on the Lindbergh phenomenon. Now, you did some research on this, didn't you?
GUEST: Just saw it in an antique book, is all, and then I...
APPRAISER: Uh-huh. What did they say it was worth?
GUEST: Uh, about $2,700 in 1991.
APPRAISER: $2,700 in '91. Probably... about right. So, I think, at auction in today's market, this would easily bring $7,000 to $8,000.
GUEST: Good.
APPRAISER: Your sister's car, which she still has-- probably only worth about $4,000.
GUEST: Really?
