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Simpson Junior

R. D. Simpson Co., Columbus, OH, c. 1920's?, 12". This is a small cast iron peanut vendor that's cuter than a bug's ear. Silent Salesmen Too says the lid is made of "formed metal," but my Simpson advisors think this is wrong and that all Simpson Jr. lids were cast iron. The original finishes I've seen have all been red paint, making this one of the few models Simpson made that wasn't chrome- or nickel-plated.

This model isn't rare, but it's uncommon and is considered quite desirable. I bought this one in 1999 after looking for several years and finding those available to be too expensive....or so I thought. We all have perceptions of what certain models should cost, and my perception of this model was that it should cost about $200 less than it was selling for at time. In fact, I'd thought that for several years, during which time prices of Simpson Jr.'s were increasing rapidly. I was always behind the curve. When they were selling for $700, I thought they should be $500. When others were paying $900, I was willing to pay $700. When the fair market value was $1100, I thought that $900 was about right. I wasn't being a tightwad; I truly thought that the high prices represented a transient spike and that prices would soon settle down to what they should be.

Finally, in 1999 I saw this at the Chicagoland show, priced (you guessed it) $200 higher than I thought it should be. But by that time I was tired of swimming upstream, and I'd also begun to suspect that my perception might be wrong. This is a very nice example and I hadn't had much success finding one at a "right" price, so I just bit the bullet and bought it. Actually, I didn't buy it that Friday but then thought about it all night, unable to sleep well because I'd decided I wanted it and was afraid it wouldn't be there Saturday morning. It was. The dealer wasn't there right away so I wrote "SOLD" on his price tag and saw him just before the public doors opened so he'd know who he sold it to. I also paid him, which he appreciated.

I've not regretted the purchase. Prices kept going up, so even though I "overpaid" for this it turned out all right. These are still selling for more than I think they're worth, but I don't give that much thought anymore since I'm not looking for one now.

The example above is 100% original. I've seen more of these since 1999 and have come to appreciate this one more as time has passed. It's an exceptionally nice example.