Antiques Roadshow expert Elaine Binning left one couple feeling disappointed when she pointed out a flaw with an item they’d hoped might be worth more than they had paid for it.
The classic 2024 episode will be repeated on BBC One on Sunday, giving viewers the chance to see what Binning managed to spot in the Disney item during a valuation at Leeds’s Roundhay Park.
A pair of Disney fanatics had brought along what they’d hoped was an original Mickey Mouse doll, which furniture specialist Binning was tasked with valuing.
Emphasising the classic nature of the traditional Disney icon, she commented: “When I look at this Mickey Mouse toy or doll, I think of what Walt Disney said, ‘We must remember, it all started with the mouse.’
The Mickey Mouse doll was unfortunately not worth as much as the guests had hoped
BBC
“And that’s where Disney kicked off, in 1928, when Steamboat Willie came out, the first cartoon with synchronised sound.
“And of course, everybody then wanted a Mickey Mouse doll. In came the moment of merchandising.”
Turning to the guests, she probed: “How do you feel when you look at this?”
One replied: “I think there is so much to feel because Disney’s a really big part of our life.”
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Elaine Binning admitted she felt ‘nervous’
BBC
She went on to detail: “We got engaged at Disney and our entire house – every different room is a different Disney story.”
Feeling the pressure, Binning admitted: “Well, gosh – I feel rather nervous at this point, but I’m just going to leap in.”
Offering her expertise, the expert replied: “All of the materials are the right kind of material – made from cloth.
“But I think that what you’ve got here is the bare bones of a 1936 Knickerbocker Toy Company Mickey Mouse doll.
“Knickerbocker was based in New York and they started making Mickey Mouse dolls in 1934. How much did you pay for it?”
“So we paid $400,” one of the guests answered, seeming uncertain about the decision.
“$400 – okay, you’re looking rather worried with that,” replied an unsurprised Binning.
“No, it’s just admitting it to the parents, but there we are!” the owner of the doll joked.
“Your secret is out!” Binning quipped before elaborating on the differences she had spotted.
“So there have been little changes along the way definitely. I think the whiskers are probably later. I think the original whiskers were slightly thicker string and slightly longer.
“Probably for me, the biggest thing is the hands.
“Those 1936 hands were like little stylised flowerheads with four petals on.
The Antiques Roadshow couple were huge Disney enthusiasts
BBC
“The fingers were not joined together at all, and then the original shoes were made of like a formed cardboard,” she continued as she highlighted the flaws in the item.
Nevertheless, the guests awaited a valuation and Binning obliged – albeit rather underwhelmingly: “Now you paid $400, so you’re on pretty safe territory – I think probably this would be worth around what you paid for it.”
Concluding her thoughts on the item, Binning remarked: “You have the heart of an original Mickey Mouse there.
“Thank you so much for bringing along the first Knickerbocker 1936 Mickey Mouse doll that I’ve seen.”
