1 00:00:02,466 --> 00:00:05,100 GUEST: I bought it at an estate sale in Minneapolis, approximately 40 years ago. I brought it home, 2 00:00:07,000 --> 00:00:11,233 and we ran it for about... I'd say one summer, and then took it down. 3 00:00:12,666 --> 00:00:14,733 APPRAISER: You were afraid it was going to get damaged? 4 00:00:14,733 --> 00:00:19,433 GUEST: Yeah, it... it looked sort of fragile, so we, uh, we just put it away, and it sat 5 00:00:20,300 --> 00:00:22,366 for 40 years in the garage. 6 00:00:22,366 --> 00:00:26,433 APPRAISER: This started out with somebody making something for pure entertainment, just 7 00:00:26,433 --> 00:00:31,433 to put it out in the yard and let the wind hit it. And the reason things like this are 8 00:00:33,433 --> 00:00:38,033 somewhat rare is because they fall apart if you leave them out in the weather too long. 9 00:00:40,133 --> 00:00:43,566 It's a nice, articulated, very compact form. But the thing I like the most is this figure. 10 00:00:48,533 --> 00:00:53,500 His coat is nicely sculpted. You can see his face. You know, he looks a little bit like 11 00:00:55,600 --> 00:00:59,100 Abraham Lincoln, but as far as I know, Abraham Lincoln never wore a, a derby hat. (laughs) 12 00:01:01,200 --> 00:01:05,466 Well, no conversation about a whirligig is complete without some action. From here, you 13 00:01:06,333 --> 00:01:07,966 need to show us how this works. 14 00:01:07,966 --> 00:01:11,033 GUEST: Well, if the wind's blowing, and it will get going, it'll... 15 00:01:11,033 --> 00:01:12,866 APPRAISER: I love that. 16 00:01:12,866 --> 00:01:14,733 GUEST: He'll start cranking. 17 00:01:14,733 --> 00:01:16,800 APPRAISER: What'd you pay for it when you got it? 18 00:01:16,800 --> 00:01:21,500 GUEST: Not very much. At the absolute most, it would have been five dollars. I wouldn't 19 00:01:21,500 --> 00:01:23,066 have paid more than five dollars. 20 00:01:23,066 --> 00:01:24,066 APPRAISER: Well... 21 00:01:24,066 --> 00:01:26,133 GUEST: Back then. 22 00:01:26,133 --> 00:01:28,666 APPRAISER: It's got all the things that you look for in something like this, and some 23 00:01:28,666 --> 00:01:33,033 people might think, "Well, the figure is very well done. The rest of this is very simplistic." 24 00:01:35,066 --> 00:01:39,033 But I actually think the juxtaposition of those two things makes it more interesting. 25 00:01:41,066 --> 00:01:44,433 And the other thing is, when you start taking things like this and putting them in your 26 00:01:44,433 --> 00:01:49,400 house, you have to think about how much room they take up. And this is a very compact form. 27 00:01:51,333 --> 00:01:54,066 GUEST: The age you said was about 100 years old? 28 00:01:54,066 --> 00:01:59,033 APPRAISER: Yeah... I would say first quarter, um, of the 20th century-- about 1900, 1925. 29 00:02:01,800 --> 00:02:06,800 Those nails that are in there, they probably wouldn't have existed before 1890 or 1900. 30 00:02:08,800 --> 00:02:12,633 Just in fabulous condition. And I wish that we could say for sure who made it. My guess 31 00:02:14,600 --> 00:02:18,633 is it was made wherever that estate was. Was that estate in Minneapolis? 32 00:02:19,366 --> 00:02:21,433 GUEST: Yes, it was. 33 00:02:21,433 --> 00:02:24,300 APPRAISER: It takes a village to build a consensus sometimes on where you think values would 34 00:02:24,300 --> 00:02:29,300 be on something like this. But the fact that it is so simple, and the fact that the figure 35 00:02:31,233 --> 00:02:34,433 is done so well, we feel like, in a really good retail setting, that this would be $2,000 36 00:02:35,033 --> 00:02:37,100 to $3,000. 37 00:02:37,100 --> 00:02:40,533 GUEST: (chuckling): I find... I find that hard to believe, but... that's great. Earlier 38 00:02:42,166 --> 00:02:44,033 today in the parking lot, we really had him going with the breeze. 39 00:02:44,033 --> 00:02:46,933 APPRAISER: Well, he's still working. 40 00:02:46,933 --> 00:02:47,933 GUEST: Yup, works good, yup.