Birds that flap their wings, move their beaks and sing, but can't fly. Airplanes that can taxi and turn, but don't take to the air.

Both items are the subjects for today's What's it Worth? We'll answer questions from readers about a clever birdcage machine and find out if a large toy with a nice price is old; or not.

Q. Both of the little mechanical birds in this wind-up cage move their wings and warble a song. It is marked on the bottom "Germany" and several other marks are there, too. It has been in our family for as long as I can remember. I'm not sure I have seen another one. Is it unusual or perhaps rare and is it very valuable? -- Kathy in Nine Mile Falls

A. This is called an "automaton," a moving mechanical device built to imitate something living. The first were probably made by the ancient Greeks, who cleverly figured out ways to make parts of statues move.

In the late 1400s, Leonardo da Vinci is said to have made a walking lion automaton that was used to honor French King Louis XII. By the mid 19th century, the golden age of these devices had dawned and hundreds of different models were made in Switzerland, France and Germany. A few were manufactured in the United States.

Mass production had taken the place of painstaking hand-work and automatons were now within the average person's budget if they wanted to own one.

The mark on this piece is that of the well-known German maker Karl Griesbaum, who worked in Triberg, in the Black Forest. He started making all kinds of automatons about 1905 and the workshop was in business until at least the 1960s This 12-inch-high singing birdcage dates to the 1920s.

There was a craze for singing bird automatons just after the turn of the 20th century and Griesbaum was among the better German makers. These little songsters are very popular with today's collectors.

With only light wear, no noticeable damage and in full working order, a price in the $500 to $700 range would be expected.

Q. I have had this toy pedal plane for awhile and would like more information and potential value. The propeller turns as the pedals are worked and, while some screws have been replaced and there's light rust, it seems in pretty good condition. I cannot find any information about "AFC Orange County" and can only find replicas on the internet. What can you tell me; restore it or leave original? -- Ruth in Richland

A. In the 1940s, the American National Company, a maker of pedal toys in Toledo, Ohio, sold a child's airplane very similar to this one. They called their design the "Air King."

About 50 inches long, it had an Art Deco look and joined the company's extensive line of pedal cars and trucks.

American National had been a major manufacturer of pedal toys since the mid-1920s and their earlier production pieces make very good prices at auction today. A 1928 model based on Curtis Aircraft's "Moth" airplane sold for nearly $4,000 at a Pennsylvania auction a few years ago. A completely restored "Sky King" model made $1,700 at auction in August.

However, those values have nothing to do with the toy pictured today.

The AFC decal inside the plane's cockpit tells the story

There's a reason you can't find originals and only see what you think are "replicas" by AFC It is because AFC -- Airflow Collectibles Inc. of Orange, Calif., -- started marketing these toys in 1999 -- 12 years ago.

So, all the AFC pedal toys are "originals," although the designs seem based on models made by earlier companies. None are more than 12 years old. That's not to say these aren't high quality toys; they are. Made in China, AFC toys are sold at many big retailers, including Walmart.

Airflow Collectibles is a spin-off venture of China's Jetworld, a company which has been making electronic devices and marketing automobiles since the early 1990s

There are many Airflow pedal toy models today, ranging from cars to fire trucks and tricycles.

The company sells this airplane as its "Custom Sports Racer;" the suggested retail price is $517. Airflow's toys come up at auctions around the country frequently and sell in those secondary market settings in the $200 to $400 range.

-- Terry Maurer, a Tri-Cities personal property appraiser, is a member of the Certified Appraisers Guild of America. Direct questions via email at tchwhatsitworth@gmail.com