Bidspirit auction | Rare Mechanical Santa Sleigh

Rare Mechanical Santa Sleigh - Althof-Bergmann Company New York - Circa 1880 - 19 3/4” Long From the Steve Steckbeck Collection Reindeer and Sleigh are both Excellent (Santa's head replaced with an Authentic Ives head) This magnificent and magical mechanical sleigh is as rare as hen's teeth. During the century long pursuit of antique toys by collectors, only four specimens of this exquisite plaything have ever been discovered. This particular example was the second to surface. It was found in an old home in the Midwest and eventually passed into the collection of Steve Steckbeck, who was more of a bank collector than a toy collector. The third unearthed example was also a fresh find and was sold into the prestigious Steve Scott Collection. A fourth, but very inferior specimen, was discovered relatively recently, but disappeared quickly into a collection. When the toy was wound up, it was able to run forward on the parlor floor some distance. The reindeer (which, in truth are goats, cleverly disguised by the manufacturer) appear to gallop up and down as they hurtle