Historic toy ‘once owned by Queen Victoria’ being sold

A historic pushchair, believed to have once belonged to Queen Victoria, is now up for sale.

A spokesperson for Woolley and Wallis auctions in Salisbury, Wiltshire, said the item was once the property of the Royal Family and could sell for up to £1,800.

Called the galloping gig, Prince Albert, later George VI, is pictured sitting in the toy in the 1890s as a small child.

Mark Yuan-Richards, furniture expert and auctioneer, said the galloping gig was purchased in the 1960s from an elderly couple who had worked at Osborne House – Queen Victoria’s home on the Isle of Wight.

A photo of the late Queen next to it was seen, but not passed on.

The item was made by toymakers G&J Lines, who were creating toys between the 1880s and the 1930s, and does still work.

Mr Yuan-Richards said it has been “very well restored” and would have been an expensive toy at the time.

“We haven’t put any young children in it but we have tried and pushed it in the saleroom. The horses do move up and down. It’s a real talking point,” he added.

“It’s an honour to sell it.”

The auctioneer is hoping the item will exceed its estimated asking price.

The galloping gig is being sold as part of an auction of antique furniture, clocks and art on Wednesday and Thursday, which also includes a piece by a maker who created furniture for French nobility.

The French commode was type of chest of drawers, with this one made Pierre Roussel (1723–1782) and kept in the historic Littlecote House in Wiltshire for some time. It has an estimate asking price of £4,000 to £6,000.