c.1920 Arnold, No.1000 Inertia Motor "Speedboat"
Early hand painted tin (not lithographed) "Speedboat" manufactured in Germany by Arnold. Sleek hull design features rarely seen inertia motor cranked using the removable handle located on the stern. Handle is original. Crank is pushed slightly into the hull to engage the motor. Securely hold the wooden handle, give it a couple turns, let go, and it'll run for a surprisingly long time. Rudder can be manually positioned. Works great! This example comes with its original single seated figure behind a gold painted ship's wheel. A two seated figure model was also produced. The toy is self standing with a built in support bracket. Deck and hull are white which, over time has yellowed to a creme color. It's striped red around the top rail and green around the hull. The cockpit is yellow or ocher. The figure wears a blue uniform with black cap and brown hair. It originally had a white painted metal flag attached to the bow with the number 22 on it. The only other time I've seen this toy were 3 examples recently sold by Bertoia Auctions from the Dick Claus Nautical Toy Collection (May, 2012). Size: 7¾" not including handle. Sold: Sep. 2012
Price Sold: $ 280
