Potter & Potter Auctions
Live Auction

Cabinet of Curiosities

Sat, Sep 27, 2025 12:00PM EDT
Lot 6

[AUTOMATON]. Packing a Crate. France, ca. 1860. Standing up...

Estimate: $10,000 - $15,000

Bid Increments

Price Bid Increment
$0 $5
$30 $10
$100 $25
$500 $50
$1,000 $100
$2,000 $200
$5,000 $500
$10,000 $1,000
$20,000 $2,000
$50,000 $5,000
$100,000 $10,000
[AUTOMATON]. Packing a Crate. France, ca. 1860. Standing upon a red velvet-covered wooden base, a papier-mache-headed figure with glass eyes, painted facial features, and?he stands behind a ?fragile" wooden crate, clearly intending to keep it shut, while a leg can be seen trying to escape from a hole in the lower corner. When wound, music plays, and a series of movements take place:?a leg projects and retracts into the crate, the overhanging figure's body raises and lowers, raising and lowering of the right arm with the hammer, and the crate opens and slams shut, revealing a person. Tested, functional. Third-party shipping required. 19 x 13 x 10".