1880s IRON TOY FIGURAL BALANCING SCALE POSS J&E STEVENS Start Price USD 12,999.99 Current Price USD 12,999.99 Time Left - Bid Count 0 Buy It Now Price - Reserve Price - Start Time Tuesday, September 23, 2008 End Time Saturday, November 22, 2008 Location Pennsylvania See more about '1880s IRON TOY FIGURAL BALANCING SCALE POSS J&E STEVENS' Description Original circa 1879-1890's cast iron toy figural balancing candy scale. The toy is marked in the casting under the bottom "Patd April 8 1879". An amazing & wonderful iron toy figural scale featuring a young boy riding in the center, a young girl at one end, & a basket weave designed cup at the other end. The kids sit on tree limbs. Each side of the base has a hat & school books cast into the design like the kids have dropped them on the ground. Also, there are leaves & vines & other ornate designs on the base.This toy was intended to function as a candy & coins toy balance scale. You would place jelly beans or other candy in the basket weave designed cup on the one end. Then you would place coins in the basket of the little girl on the other end. Then you would try to achieve a balance between the coins & the candy.This toy was probably made by the J. & E. Stevens Toy Co. of Cromwell, Conn. But, we are not entirely certain. The reason that we are guessing J. & E. Stevens was the maker is that the design work looks very much like it could have come out of the workshop of Charles A. Bailey.There is certainly a good chance that the toy was designed by Charles A. Bailey the great master designer of many mechanical banks & toys as the design of the toy looks indicative of his very detailed work. The toy measures 9 3/4" long by 4 7/16" tall by 4 7/16" wide.The example that we are offering here is in very pleasing original condition. There are just two tiny points of little consequence that we will mention. The small screw & nut on the viewer's right side the tree limb is very old & the patina on the head matches the toy but the screw & nut are not original. The rivet underneath the girl holding the girl on to the tree limb is original but was slightly re-peened around 15 years ago.This is not evident at a glance as the rivet shows patina with age. I know that this rivet was re-peened as the girl was slipping loose from the tree limb when I found the toy around 15 years ago. So, I had the original rivet carefully & professionally tapped very slightly to hold the girl onto the tree limb. The girl is still a little loose. But, as she sits on the toy o. k. now & does not fall off when the toy is handled. I would not personally have anything else done to the rivet.The toy has a light coat of dust which was on it when I originally found it. I have left the dust on the toy just like I found it many years ago. This is just like it has sat in my collection for all these years. This dust could easily be cleaned off if desired. I will leave that option up to the buyer. The base has lots of the original dark transparent varnish still present. The figures have lots of their original paint present. The cup has some of its original dark transparent varnish finish present. The cup shows a good bit more wear than the rest of the toy.All of the paint & varnish finish on the toy is original in all respects. There is no touchup & no repaint of any kind to the paint. There are no breaks, no cracks, & no chips to the iron. All of the cast iron components are entirely original in all respects. The toy is in working order. Included with the scale is a group of six old coins to put in the girl's arms to help balance the candy. Included are 1859 CN Indian one cent V.F.,1863 CN Indian one cent V.G.+, 1864 CN Indian one cent Fine, 1883 NC Liberty 5 cents Fine, 1911 Liberty 5 cents Abt. Fine, 1912 Liberty 5 cents Fine.Few examples are know of this rare & wonderful iron toy figural scale. Fewer yet are known with the original iron cup & all the other original iron components intact. A wonderful & exciting item to collect on it's own. But, an additionally appealing item to collect with a group of mechanical banks as you have your coins prepared for bank operation resting in the cups on the scale. Certainly one of my alltime favorites out of the items from my longtime collection that I am selling. The pics clearly show the pleasing & attractive toy.We guarantee this item to be original as described & we offer a full & prompt refund if you are not satisfied & if the item is returned in the same condition within 3 days of receipt. If you have any additional questions please don't hesitate to ask.Buyer pays $50.00 for U.S. Mail insured. PA residents add 6% sales tax or provide a valid resale number. Immediate shipment upon receipt of money order or cashier's check. Allow 10 days to clear prior to shipment on other checks. Shipping to other countries will be more & will be buyer's responsibility. Of course, multiple purchases at the same time will save on shipping as they can be combined. We adhere to all U.S. customs laws on foreign shipments. We do not over or underlist values on customs slips. Place a Bid!