Lot 295 — Wind-Up Tin Alligator with Red Eyes
Lot 295 — Wind-Up Tin Alligator with Red Eyes - Image 2
Lot 295 — Wind-Up Tin Alligator with Red Eyes - Image 3

Lot 295 — Wind-Up Tin Alligator with Red Eyes

A green tin alligator with red eyes, a row of painted teeth, and a wind-up key in his side.

Artist
Unknown maker
Dimensions
Not yet measured
Materials
Lithographed and pressed tin, clockwork with key

Pickup only, South Loop dockNo shipping on this piece. Ye collect it at the dock in Chicago’s South Loop, and ye pick a pickup time once it’s paid for.

On the block, friend

Open bidding

Opening bid

$
Name the most you'd pay. We bid for you, just enough to stay in front, like eBay. Nobody sees your max, not even Captain Nemo.

How the bidding works (the short version of the Articles)
  • The first bid starts a 13-day clock. When it hits zero, the top bidder wins.
  • Enter your max. The price only climbs as far as needed to keep you in front, so you may win for less.
  • Each bid has to beat the price by a small step. Ties go to whoever bid first.
  • Some pieces carry a reserve, a minimum price kept secret. If bidding ends below it, the piece doesn't sell. The box tells you if it's met.
  • A bid in the last 5 minutes resets the clock to 5 minutes. No sniping.
  • Win, and we email a pay link. You have 3 days to pay. Free pickup at the South Loop dock (recommended). Smaller pieces can ship, quoted before you pay.
  • A bid is a promise to buy. Please bid only if you mean it.

Read the full Articles

The Deckhand's soundings

What's it worth?

Taking a squint at it...

An estimate from the photos and description, not an appraisal and not a reserve. Bid what it is worth to you; the sea sets no prices and neither do we.

SKU: WW-295 Category:

Description

A long green alligator made of pressed tin, with the scales stamped into his back, red eyes outlined in yellow, and a zigzag of white teeth painted along a red mouth. Four pale yellow legs stick out at the sides and a brass-coloured winding key sits in his flank.

The film shows him in the hand, which gives a fair idea of his size. He has some scuffs along the jaw and tail. Whether you wind him for the mantel or for the bathtub of an unsuspecting crewmate is your affair.

Dock pickup in the South Loop is the plan. It is small enough to ship, so ask if you need it sent.

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