GUEST: Well, I bought them from a dear friend, an antique dealer who lived in Kannapolis, which is just down the road from where I live. And he was the best thing because he would teach while he was trying to sell you something. And he came across these and he called me up and said, "I think I've got something you might like." So I went over and I got one of each kind that he had.
APPRAISER: How many did he have altogether?
GUEST: About 40.
APPRAISER: About 40?
GUEST: Mm-hmm.
APPRAISER: And you bought eight, plus the one without the box.
GUEST: I didn't buy it, it was free.
APPRAISER: Oh, it was free, threw that one in, okay. And what did you pay for them?
GUEST: Three dollars each.
APPRAISER: Three dollars each. Oh, okay. Well, these are made by Louis Marx, and of course they were one of the great tin toy makers of the '20s, '30s, '40s and into the '50s. And they were famous for their beautifully lithographed tin. And Marx was great for decorating the boxes so that the kid or the parent would see it and just like the box. And that would be a major advertisement for the piece. This was just a lovely little set that came out in the '20s and well into the '30s. Basically two sets here, you have the newlywed rooms-- the kitchen, the library, and over there, the dining room. And then they had another series that were these little Main Street stores. And I think there might have been about ten in each series. But they're really charming. When I first got in the business, they weren't thought too highly of because they were sort of... they didn't wind up or anything like that. They recycled some of the parts from their other toys in these things. And it's really quite a treasure. And it's the first time we've ever seen these on the Roadshow.
GUEST: Oh, good.
APPRAISER: I'm really glad you brought them to share. I guess, you know, as far as the value, you say you paid three dollars apiece, that's eight, that's... $24?
GUEST: $24.
APPRAISER: Well, I think you did well. You did make one mistake, though.
GUEST: What'd I do?
APPRAISER: You should have bought every single one.
GUEST: Oh, I know.
APPRAISER: But that's all right. Because I would say this whole group here is worth easily $2,400.
GUEST: Wow. Really?
APPRAISER: Yes. So call him up, see if he has any left.
GUEST (chuckling): Thank you.
