Two rare clockwork toys, which are working condition despite being more than 100 years old, are attracting interest from prospective bidders in the run up to a fascinating toys and interiors auction on the 17th September.

Believed to have been made by Parisian toymaker Louis de Cante in 1880, the clockwork figure of a black bear playing a drum has been consigned by a local vendor and is expected to sell for up to £900.

The figure is composed of wood and cardboard covered in rabbit skin with carved bone teeth and plush tongue. When the clockwork motor is wound, the bear strikes the drum and moves its head with its mouth opening and closing.

Research by Toys specialist Stewart Orr has found a similar example in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum, London. Another unusual find by Halls is a 1910 tinplate clockwork carousel attributed to German toymakers Hoch and Beckmann and valued at up to £700. The key-wound operational motor revolves a base with four horses and riders.

Click for details on free, no obligation auction estimates for Toys Art at Halls Fine Art