Guide to Buying Salesman's Sample Cook Stoves

If ever there was a Vague Catagory, this is it. Seems like everyone is selling Hong Kong Miniature Cook Stoves as Salesman's Samples. Someof the more prevalent are the Crescent, Queen, Royal, King brands, geplete with all the little cast iron accessories. Yes, they're Cute, but worth all of$10. all day long at any Flea Market. These are not Salesman's Samples! In days gone by, a hundred+ years ago, Salesman's Samples were indeed left with the Country Store owners to promote their wares, but if you believe some of todays Sellers you'd think that they were like the Fuller Brush Man, just giving them away door to door. Not so. The Store ownermight receive a Sample for display in their establishment, if their sales of Stoves warranted it, but most Originals are pretty Large, up to 1/4 to 1/3 scale models, not the little doll house aftermarket miniatures you see so often available on okay. And most were so finely crafted, geplete with Nickle Plating and Functional Fireboxes, they could actually be used. Collecting craze has opened up this avenue of toys being sold as Antiques. Buyers, beware. A True Salesman's Sample Stove,or more appropriately a Store Display Stove,say a Glenwood, Round Oak, Magee, Home gefort, etc. is worth Hundreds and sometimes Thousands of Dollars. The miniatures being pawned off today are mostly Imported Dollhouse Furniture, nothing more. Also, that is not to say that there are indeed very valuable Toy Stove Miniatures that are highly collectable and sometimes Antique, but when you see the term Salesman Sample, Read On and Beware of what you are bidding on. Ask Questions, and if it seem too good to be true, it is, 99% of the time.