Antiques Roadshow

HOST

At the Providence Roadshow in 2005, collectibles expert Simeon Lipman encountered one of those sometimes iffy tupperware treasures.

APPRAISER

I remember a gentleman coming over yet his arm in a sling, and he was holding a tupperware container. And you never know when they got a Tupperware container and it opens up. You don't know what's going to be in there, you know what it's going to smell like. So I kind of took a step back. But when he opened this guest's container, he was elated by what he saw inside. He opens it up and my heart skipped a beat. I'm looking at two faces. I've seen my entire life. Rudolph and Santa Claus from the beloved 1964 special. Whenever you see something iconic like that, immediately you think, OK, these probably aren't the actual puppets. But once he told his story, things got interesting. My aunt worked at Rankin Best Productions for about 10 or 15 years in the 70s and early 80s, and she acquired all of them. And they were the production puppets from Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer. He had a very, very good story of provenance, especially back then. People didn't really think about these things as being collectible objects. So somebody wanted them after the production was over, they needed the space. And like with any other any other crop in a production, there's usually more than one. There has to be because something can happen. So I wasn't sure if these were the only ones, but I had a pretty good idea that these were real. So what we have here are the actual original puppets, as far as I know. When you open the box and took these fellows out, it was like I was seeing old friends. Yeah, exactly. As I'm sure it is the case with millions of our viewers, this is a Christmas tradition. 1964 is when the film was made. And it's definitely has a warm spot in all of our hearts. So to actually meet them in person, it's really exciting. In this particular case, that puppet that that appeared at the road show was the young Rudolph and Santa is the Santa. We see toward the end of the program,

GUEST

Including Rudolph and Santa we had you know, Cornelias, Herbie the Misfit dentist, and a few others, including assorted reindeer that got melted in our attic, thanks to my mom. We used to have them around the Christmas tree, you know, growing up and just used to having them around.

APPRAISER

The puppets did not fare well over time. But like a Christmas miracle, only Santa and Rudolph survived in the attic. They're not in perfect condition. The nose has been replaced. I guess the bulb broke. Santa's whiskers are missing there. If I were to estimate it at an auction. I wouldn't estimate it less than eight to ten thousand for the pair. What it would go for at auction that's anyone's guess. About a year or so after the show aired, George, the original owner, sold them to a gentleman named Kevin, who had them painstakingly restored with Santa's getting his whisker back and Rudolph getting a light bulb back in his nose. And they look great. Those puppets were then sold to a big time collector named Peter. As the years went by, I had a different opinion of what the value was. Now that they've been restored and things from our childhood, the nostalgia surrounding them, certainly in this day and age, these things have taken on tremendous value. I wouldn't be surprised if it sold well over 100,000 dollars, maybe more. I believe they are that iconic. They're that important. I look at antiques and these pieces as time travelers. This is part of their journey and this is part of their story.

HOST

But Rudolph and Santa's journey didn't end there. A few months later, we caught up with Simeon again to hear about the latest chapter in the life of these beloved Christmas characters.

APPRAISER

Since we last spoke during the summer, we've had some exciting news regarding our friends, Rudolph and Santa. And boy, what a perfect ending they they had. So in November 2020, Peter decided to place Rudolph and Santa in in an auction. And it went to profiles in history in California with a presale estimate of $ 150 to $250,000 dollars. And we have an opening bid of one hundred and fifty thousand dollars, looking for one hundred and sixty thousand next. This is the screen you Santa and Rudolph, from the beloved story of Rudolph the red nosed reindeer, where at one hundred and ninety thousand two hundred forty thousand ladies. But on the phone and back to the Internet. Two hundred and fifty thousand. OK, we have a bid now split at two hundred and sixty two thousand five hundred. After frenzy of online bids and live bids going once, twice oddone. And sold with the buyer's premium that brought the total for Santa and Rudolph to three hundred and sixty eight thousand dollars. The next chapter for these wonderful pieces, which made me so happy. The buyer, an anonymous bidder, donated them and they will have a semi-permanent home at the Center for Puppetry Arts in Atlanta, which is just a fabulous museum devoted to puppetry, the art of it, and the puppets themselves. For the past 15 years, I've been kind of sort of attached to these things kind of publicly to actually get to be a part of this saga. And this story, along with the Antiques Roadshow, has been a real pleasure for me. And for it to end up in this place is like the best possible ending for any holiday story. Somebody's generosity has factored in to these. Now being available to the general public to enjoy is is a real pleasure, and I'm really thankful for that.