Heyde, vintage metal German nodding cat with iron rod and has caught a rat

Description

This auction is for a vintage hand painted metal figure of a nodding cat who is holding a metal rod in one hand and an unfortunate rat in the other. The figure is very dark, so it is difficult to get a good picture of it. I tried flash and lightening up the picture, but that makes it look a light gray and it is not, it's dark. He is hollow cast metal and was made in Germany by the Heyde company, some time pre-WW2. He's about 2.75 inches tall to the top of his head.  He came in a large group of other nodding cats doing different activities.   In the last picture I show a group shot of the collection of nodding cats that I will be listing (plus a few other miscellaneous Heyde figures). As far as I can tell, they are all Heyde.  Heyde started in the 1870's and produced a large line of metal toy soldier sets, inkwells, banks, desk items, and novelty figures. They did not make it out of WW2.   For good source material look for the three out of print books that cover Heyde's work:
Mit Heyde Figuren um Die Welt
,
Heyde Hunters
, and
Old German Toy Soldiers
(military, civilian, zoo figure sets). There's also an excellent essay on Heyde by Gisbert Freber (as well as good overall coverage of the maker) in the book, "
The History of Toy Soldiers
"
Please see my other auctions and my eBay store for vintage German and other metal animals, figural desk items by Heyde and other makers, vintage toy soldiers, tin and windup toys, Marklin cannon, and vintage and out of print books on old toys.
Taxes
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Payment
: I accept all the payment methods that eBay offers. Payment is due within four days from the end of the auction.  If your payment is not received within this time period the eBay automated sales tool takes over and starts hounding you.
Shipping
:  My auctions end on Saturday. If you pay by 5:00 E.S.T. on Sunday I'll have them in the mail on Monday. Payments made later in the week or purchases made from my store are shipped as soon as I can get to the Post Office, but that can take several days  and may not happen until the next Monday. I combine shipping on all purchases made and paid for at the same time (unless you're combining a book and toys as books use inexpensive media mail in the U.S. while toys can't).  I use First Class (up to 16 oz) and Priority mail. Books ship media mail. I only charge actual postage - no added fees. I use lots of bubble wrap, peanuts, and good boxes. In a group of multiple pieces each item is wrapped individually. Original boxes or other original paper item go into a plastic bag in case you get delivery on a rainy day.
International Shipping:
I gladly ship international. Please note that there can be lengthy delays at Customs. Per eBay rules, import duties, taxes and charges are not included in the item price or shipping charges -- these charges are the buyer's responsibility.
Return Policy
: Returns are accepted. I use a loupe to examine the toys while I'm listing them and I try and mention the significant condition issues I see. I value my eBay reputation and I'm not knowingly going to put out false or misleading info on a toy. I leave feedback so please do the same. If there is any problem with the item contact me first before leaving feedback, and we’ll work it out.