Amazing! I love going to Brimfield, but occasions of finding true treasures digging through boxes in far corners happens less and less and less. But then this, and a second early mechanical valentine also listed today--the sort of lucky finds that keep me ever-hopeful. This is quite a rare one, an early mechanical valentine, published by Riedel in Nuremberg, Germany, for English export, c. 1830s I believe.
My first photo shows both "before" and "after" views--pull the tab at bottom and the doors of the birdhouse open to reveal this lovely young woman surrounded by her flock of suitors--aptly described here as "birds of prey." All hand-colored, with green thread stitches holding the doors of the birdhouse in place.
3 3/4" x 2 7/8" including tab. Good condition. A little manual nudge can help in opening the doors, but it works pretty much as it should and pushing back up on the tab gets them closed again.
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