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Buddy "L" Sand & Gravel Truck, ca. 1927

Value (2008) | $3,000 Auction – $3,500 Auction

GUEST:
I got it from my uncle. He was born in 1922. It was my favorite toy when I went to my grandmother's house in Ida Grove, Iowa. And when my grandmother moved, my uncle, of course, is an adult, and didn't really have a place to put it. So, uh, because he knew it was my favorite thing to play with, he gave it to me. So I'm only the second owner of this truck.

APPRAISER:
And you discovered what kind it is?

GUEST:
Yes, it's Buddy "L" Sand and Gravel Truck. I got the dust off of there, so I could read the decal and found out it was a sand and gravel truck. I always just liked the little doors on it.

APPRAISER:
Uh-huh.

GUEST:
That's one of the things I liked.

APPRAISER:
And you did a little research. What did you-- found something on the Internet like it?

GUEST:
I found that there's a Buddy "L" Museum. Saw similar trucks, and I never saw a sand and gravel truck. I think some of the truck were in the neighborhood of $400 to $600.

APPRAISER:
Yeah. Well, this is a nice truck. It is sand and gravel, which makes it a little rarer than the average.

GUEST:
Okay.

APPRAISER:
Most kids wanted a dump truck.

GUEST:
Right.

APPRAISER:
Because you could haul it out in the sandbox and throw sand in it. You could dump it and do all that.

GUEST:
Yup.

APPRAISER:
Sand and gravel, it's just not quite the same... pizzazz as a dump truck. These were made in the mid-1920s. The condition you have-- the decals are intact, which is very nice. Of course, sand and gravel means it has these little doors that open up so that the gravel goes out the sides. And that makes for a little rarer, and little more complex, little more expensive, 'cause it had all these four doors. Now, you said you saw some truck similar for $400 to $600.

GUEST:
Yeah.

APPRAISER:
Well, curiously, this truck if you notice has this divider in here.

GUEST:
Right. I've always wondered about that.

APPRAISER:
Which is often missing.

GUEST:
Okay. Yeah.

APPRAISER:
So a serious Buddy "L" collector who had a really super example of this truck, he'd pay $500 just for this.

GUEST:
Really?

APPRAISER:
Yes.

GUEST:
Oh, my gosh. Good for me.

APPRAISER:
Isn't that amazing?

GUEST:
That is amazing.

APPRAISER:
That's always missing.

GUEST:
Yeah.

APPRAISER:
This has had some play-wear,

GUEST:
Oh, yes, it has.

APPRAISER:
But it is still all original. And like all Buddy "L" trucks, operating steering.

GUEST:
Right.

APPRAISER:
Original decals, all the doors are original. At auction, I would expect, even in this condition, which as I say is played with, bring at least $3,000.

GUEST:
No kidding?

APPRAISER:
And maybe $3,500.

GUEST:
Oh, you're kidding? I had no idea. I probably, I shouldn't admit this, but I used to put a pillow here when I was quite small, I think I was five or six. Put your legs over here, reach under and steer. And go down the brick sidewalk next to my grandmother's house. And, of course, with those steel wheels, it was quite a ride.

APPRAISER:
Oh, I'll bet. Well, I hate to hear such stories.

GUEST:
I know you do, but I tell you, I think I only did it once.

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Appraisal Details

Appraiser
Noel Barrett
Toys & Games
Noel Barrett Antiques & Auctions Ltd.
Carversville, PA
Appraised value (2008)
$3,000 Auction – $3,500 Auction
Featured In
Wichita, Hour 3 (#1309)
Event
Wichita, KS (July 12, 2008)
Category
Toys & Games
Period
20th Century
Form
Truck
Material
Steel

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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.

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More on This Appraisal

Collection
Collection: Buddy "L" Toys
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