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RARE BUDDY L TRENCH DIGGER ON TRACKS.

Currency:USD Category:Collectibles / Toys Start Price:2,000.00 USD Estimated At:4,000.00 - 6,000.00 USD
RARE BUDDY L TRENCH DIGGER ON TRACKS.
Buddy L created a line of pressed steel toys that emulated the real vehicles of life. Perhaps one of the most complex toys created was this trench digger. Through a series of gears and various cranks, the child could load the trench bucket into the soil and literally dig a miniature trench as the series of buckets proceeded upwards, the soil was dumped onto a canvas conveyor belt that could load the fill directly into a Buddy L dump truck. More amazing are the tracks on which the toy rolled across the ground. So realistic in nature, the steel treads even had a pressure sensitive roller on each tread to keep them tight and intact. Imagine this toy being outside and used in the soil and it's hard to believe that such a remarkable example survived. For all intents and purposes, the piece appears to be all original with the possible exception of two brass worm gears and black hood vent, which appears to have a repair and/or repaint where the payload from the small buckets is dumped. Buddy L had always employed a die cast gear, which was prone to deterioration. A number of Buddy L decals remain intact and are quite legible. This is perhaps one of the nicest surviving original examples known to exist. Normal wear or paint loss is present in heavy use or expected areas. One crank lowers the trencher into the ground as deep as needed to make a deeper trench while the other crank causes the buckets and conveyor belt to be engaged. SIZE: 19" l x 19" h. CONDITION: Overall very good to fine. 1-12610