For sale, and never offered on the market before is a fabulous "Le Petit Culbuteur" Somersaulting Boy Automaton in near perfect condition, made in 1908 in France by the renowned toy manufacturer, Fernand Martin, and is complete with the Original Illustrated Box. The clockwork / wind-up mechanism works just fine as the boy with his synchronized stiff arms performs his somersaults. The literal translation from French for "Culbuteur" is "Head Over Heels", just to put it into some kind of ...literary context. It is 100% original in every detail, with hardly any wear whatsoever - Remarkable, considering its 111 years of age. The original factory catalogue number is 213, and the toy itself measures 22 cms tall. Also worthy of note is that this is the only Fernand Martin toy to have an independent key, the original of which is included in this sale. Previous examples of this toy in much poorer condition than this have sold for over $4, 000 at public auctions in the United States. The extra-large pictures really do speak for themselves and give an accurate description of the condition. Please disregard the camera flash light reflections which appear in some of the pictures which form part of the description. Please also take a look the other eclectic toys I am selling on eBay right now........................... Payment by either PayPal or IBAN/BIC Transfer within 3 days of the end of the sale please.