36 28th July 2012 international events


Made to be played, bought to be treasured


THE sale at Bertoia’s (15% buyer’s premium) on March 23-24 was titled ‘Made to Be Played’ but, of course, in the toy market there is a premium to be added for those few survivors that were scarcely played with at all. Coco, a Lehmann string-pull toy (number 185) depicting a


Above: Märklin Deutschland battery-powered ocean liner – $46,000 (£30,650) at James D. Julia. A case of post-Claus syndrome?


AS all Märklin boats were available with a variety of names and flags (trade buyers could choose these details prior to placing an order) it seems safe to assume this ocean liner named Deutschland was made for the home market. At 3ft 10in (1.17m), it ranks as the largest model


produced by the Göppingen factory and, with four propellers powered by electricity, was doubtless among the most expensive when sold around 1912. With a freshly charged battery a tinplate


boat could run for up to six hours, which is why electricity rather than clockwork or steam was always the more costly option when ordering from the Märklin catalogue. Fairfield, Maine auctioneers James D. Julia


(15% buyer’s premium) offered Deutschland for sale on June 22 on behalf of a Southern gentleman who had purchased it in 1961 from F.A.O. Schwartz in New York City (at the time, the famed toy store had an antique toy department, a venture they repeated for a short time in the early 2000s. The auctioneers considered it to be in all-original


condition, accompanied by 24 lifeboats, three mammoth smokestacks, twin anchors at the bow and a host of other features with, as expected, some ‘alligatoring’ to the paint and a heavy accumulation of dirt, which would only add to its charm and desirability. Accordingly they were surprised to see it sell


to an “ecstatic” Pennsylvania bidder for $46,000 (£30,650) against a pre-sale estimate of $50,000- 75,000. Was this a case of post-Claus sale syndrome?


Certainly, with some would-be bidders choosing not to participate, the auctioneers thought it was the bargain of the sale and they were probably right. This auction also contained one of the best and


most diverse selection of dolls Julia’s had offered in many years. Running the gamut of genres and materials,


from the earliest period was a rare 2ft (60cm) English wood and gesso doll c.1750. Despite some paint wear on the forehead, nose tip and upper lip, the condition was described as remarkable for a doll that was approximately 250 years old. She was also admired for a stately countenance


Right: English wood and gesso doll c.1750 –


$34,500 (£23,000) at James D. Julia.


aided by a piercing black pupil-less glass eyes and a wig of upswept brown human hair, delicately carved elongated fingers, a shapely jointed wooden body and a two-piece costume in gold silk and brocade. She sold towards the middle of expectations at $34,500 (£23,000).


stereotypical African native climbing a palm tree to retrieve a coconut, is not common in any condition, but the example here was pristine. It retained both its pictorial box and the paper leaves to the tree that are so often missing and were scrapped in later versions of this early 20th century toy. It was part of the European tin toy collection of Grover Van


Dexter, who owned an antique toy shop in Greenwich Village called Second Childhood. Estimated at $1500-1800, it was bid to $7500 (£5000). Like many admirers of toys by Ernst Lehmann, Van Dexter also


favoured the ingenious clockwork creations of Lehmann’s French contemporary Fernand Martin. Among Les Bonhommes Martin offered here was a c.1905, 8in (20cm) figure of an English soldier with a realistically moulded


and painted tin face and a red and blue felt uniform. It had a classic Martin ‘action’, appearing to present arms as the clockwork mechanism turned. It showed some signs of early


repainting and resoldering to the gun but, in relative terms, it was in very good overall condition and an unquestionably rare toy. It soared to $5500 (£3665) against an estimate of $1000- $1200. “Collectors love oddities”


said associate Rich Bertoia and that certainly described a German-made tinplate deep- sea diver, a 7in (18cm) high tin-litho character in an early diving suit with full helmet. An internal clockwork drive turns the propeller blades that allow it to move in the water. It was the first time


Bertoia had sold this toy (the manufacturer is unknown) but it found many admirers at its $1200-1500 estimate and claimed a winning bid of $5000 (£3335).


Above: German-made deep sea diver lithographed tinplate wind-up toy –$5000 (£3335) at Bertoia.


SEPTEMBER 13-15, 2012 • 2pm UK Time •


2000 N. Reading Road Denver, PA 17517 USA Tel: 1- 717-335-3435


morphy@morphyauctions.com


Online catalog & internet bidding available at: morphyauctions.com


Catalog: $55 PPD, INTL


European Tin Toys


Over 55 Lots —


20% Buyer’s Premium 2% Discount Cash or Check


AH001884


The Jack Matthews Toy Soldier Collection


Over 375 Lots —


The Ed Sanford Die Cast Superhero Collection


Over 515 Lots —


Antique Dolls


Over 550 Lots —


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52