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Steiff Camel & Monkey, ca. 1908

Value (2020) | $2,500 Auction – $3,000 Auction
Watch  

GUEST:
I bought them at an antique shop probably about 25 years ago. I think I paid between $125 and $150 for the camel.

APPRAISER:
Uh-huh.

GUEST:
And around $75 for the monkey.

APPRAISER:
Well, you've done a little research on these.

GUEST:
A little.

APPRAISER:
And tell us what you found.

GUEST:
Um, found a picture of the camel from a museum site, I believe, in Switzerland.

APPRAISER:
Uh-huh.

GUEST:
The monkey I didn't find.

APPRAISER:
Mm-hmm, so you found this and you identified the maker and the year, right?

GUEST:
Steiff, and the one that I saw was 1908.

APPRAISER:
1908, yeah. Now, what did you want me to tell you about it?

GUEST:
He had some bad hole damage.

APPRAISER:
Mm-hmm.

GUEST:
I did a little bit of repair. There's a lot that I didn't repair. I want to know how that helps or hurts.

APPRAISER:
I see.

GUEST:
I added these tassels.

APPRAISER:
This is original.

GUEST:
This is original.

APPRAISER:
Yeah.

GUEST:
These are original.

APPRAISER:
Came with it, yeah, yeah.

GUEST:
These little gold ones were added.

APPRAISER:
Okay. These kinds of repairs don't really affect the value-- they actually help stabilize the toy. I generally would leave small holes alone. But anything where you have a large hole does not hurt the value. The tassels-- definitely leave them, they add to it. If anybody was upset with them, they could remove them. You're absolutely right about the age, 1908, and it is Steiff. And we've had Steiff on this show before. But generally, what we see are Steiff teddy bears. But the non-bear-type Steiff is also very, very desirable. And particularly when you get into this kind of size. This is probably the largest of the camels that they made in that era, with the cast-iron wheels, and basically, he's in pretty darn good condition. Most Steiff animals do have buttons in their ear.

GUEST:
Right.

APPRAISER:
Everybody's looking for the button. And you can see on the monkey, there was a hole where he did have a button. I'm not so sure that he had a button in his ear. There's no remnant of it, and I'm not 100% sure that they put buttons in the largest animals like this. I would say on today's market at auction-- and also, I think a retail dealer would probably ask about the same-- around $4,000 to $5,000.

GUEST:
Really? All right.

APPRAISER:
So, uh... I mean, I think it was a good buy for about $100...

GUEST:
Is that together or the camel?

APPRAISER:
Oh, no, that's just the camel.

GUEST:
Okay.

APPRAISER:
The monkey-- I think they called him Jocko the Monkey-- he's also quite early, quite large, with the very large arms. He has some condition problems.

GUEST:
Pretty bald, yes.

APPRAISER:
He's losing some, getting bald here on the back. But I would say he'd be in the $1,200 to $1,500 range.

GUEST:
Oh, that's nice.

APPRAISER:
So I think you did very well. I think they go great together.

GUEST:
Yeah.

APPRAISER:
And I'm really glad you brought them in.

GUEST:
Thank you so much.

APPRAISER:
Thank you for bringing them in.

Support provided by: Learn more

Appraisal Details

Appraiser
Noel Barrett
Toys & Games
Noel Barrett Antiques & Auctions Ltd.
Carversville, PA
Update (2020)
$2,500 Auction – $3,000 Auction
Appraised value (2007)
$5,000 Auction – $6,500 Auction
Featured In
Spokane, Hour 1 (#1210)
Vintage Spokane, Hour 2 (#2509)
Event
Spokane, WA (August 04, 2007)
Category
Toys & Games
Period
20th Century
Form
Animal , Toy
Material
Cloth

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.

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