The Hubley Monkey Wagon

[Pierre Tavlitzki]

What makes the price of a toy? Its brand, condition, rarity, the ingenuity of its mechanism.

We would also like that its fun is taken into account by the market. After all, what is the purpose of a toy?

In any case, I am amused to detail the monkey wagon from the catalog of Bertoia. The sale already started on the web, and ends in Vineland, New Jersey, March 19.

It is a circus cage pulled by two parade horses. Inside the cage, the monkeys are perched on a tree. When you pull the wagon, the mesh wires of the cage revolve.

This toy 40 cm long in mint condition is estimated $ 30 K. It was made around 1920 by Hubley Manufacturing Company, which operated in Lancaster, west of Philadelphia.

The history of the toy is not enough documented: this company known for its miniature cars, trucks and motorcycles in cast metal has only two lines in the English Wikipedia.

[Pierre Tavlitzki]

This toy seemed important to me. Far above estimates, it reached nearly a six-digit figure: $ 97.7 K inclusive. As I said above: for toys, the condition of the piece is a paramount consideration.