Birds of Prey, Scarce and Marvelous Riedel, Nuremberg Mechanical Valentine c. 1830s hand rake little chairs

little chairs

The tabs on reverse extend about 1" deep

pulled from the personal collection of an artist--and I purchased a few more

13 5/8" across at handle

though I have no idea

Birds of Prey, Scarce and Marvelous Riedel, Nuremberg Mechanical Valentine c. 1830s hand rake little chairsAmazing! I love going to Brimfield, but occasions of finding true treasures digging through boxes in far corners happens less and less and less. But then this, and a second early mechanical valentine also listed today the sort of lucky finds that keep me ever hopeful. This is quite a rare one, an early mechanical valentine, published by Riedel in Nuremberg, Germany, for English export, c. 1830s I believe. My first photo shows both "before" and "after"