Althof Bergmann Tin Carriage with Doll aka Gig *SOLD*

Althof Bergmann Tin Carriage with Doll aka Gig

We have the pleasure of offering a consigned carriage steeped in rich toy collecting history.  The present owner of this Althof Bergmann tin gig received it from the Bertolia collection years ago.

It is an original American dual horse drawn gig circa the 1870’s.  Condition is quite incredible, as the doll, lace, and paint are in very good original condition.  Paintwork is hand stenciled for embellishments and the windup mechanism is in beautiful condition.  It is difficult to stress how challenging original American painted tin is to find in this condition.

What makes this so special is that it is quite unusual to find two horses on these oversized doll gigs.  Normally there is just one horse, and normally the toy is smaller.  Here Althof Bergmann pulled out all the stops in showcasing the company’s talents.

Paintwork was expensive, so here we have an extra luxurious use of red, yellow, blue, black, gold stenciling, and white paints.  Then the doll has black hair, light blue eyes, black eyebrows and pupils,  flesh tones, pink blush, and red boots.

The wheels appear to be (per original practice) outsourced and made by J.E. Stevens.  The heart shaped design was a wonderful creation that was costly, so often early toy makers would purchase wheels from other companies like this instance.  Here the tin maker Bergmann concentrated on the tin work and painting.

This Bergmann toy was privately purchased over 25 years ago at a higher price.

The toy is an incredible oversized 17″ long and 11″ high.