Who'd have thunk???

Tonight's blip is courtesy of an earlier cleansing of my father's garage space. Probably 10 years ago he gave me a brass car that he bought at a garage sale in Southern Ontario, Canada. I had just bought an art-deco style house and he thought this would be an appropriate space.

Since arriving in NS it has sat on the mantle, collecting dust, and getting randomly moved around as new trinkets are found and added/subtracted to the space. Tonight I decided to give it a little rub with some Brasso and make it my camera's subject. What I found is quite amazing.

There is a faded stamp in the metal of the trunk that reads Betel Motor Car Patent No. 75086. There is also a button in the middle of the grill. I pushed the button and the roof hinged open. Inside were 5 little pots covered by a lid that looked like it might be a potpourri oil burner, but there didn't appear to be any soot, and the car's roof would be very close to the flame.

So I set about to ask the Gods of Google to find me some info. I was not disappointed!!

Brass Water Colour Car

It is a ca. 1930's children's water colour set. The paints and brushes are long gone, but it seems like everything else is intact. The website also values the little trinket at ~$400. As my father has always said "you can ask any price you like, you just have to find a person that thinks its worth that price."

I highly doubt this is worth $400, but the next time the Antiques Road Show comes through Nova Scotia it might be worth standing in a long line to get on PBS!!!