Antiques Trade Gazette 43
Saleroom space exploration
AS the creation of graphic artist Philip Francis Nowlan, spaceman Buck Rogers first appeared in the August 1928 issue of the pulp magazine Amazing Stories but later evolved into a franchise of syndicated comic strips, movies, radio and television: some say the Buck Rogers raygun of 1934 was the toy that launched the era of pop- culture merchandising. A collection of Buck Rogers and related
spaceman toys amassed over 40 years by a Chicago man, the late Wayne Jagielski, brought close to $100,000 at Morphy’s of Denver, Pennsylvania on January 29. A number of these were English-made sets. The Britains’ Buck Rogers series
was made in 1935-1936 as a ‘mail in’ promotion with the cereal Cream of Wheat. All of these figures – a cross- section of alien sidekicks from Mekkano Man to Killer Kane – are scarce and there was plenty of competition for two lots of ten figures each. Estimated at $400-800, they sold at $2250 (£1500) and $2750 (£1835). Cherilea, founded in Kirkham,
Lancashire after the Second World War, made a number of hollow cast lead space related sets before switching over
Marotte collection in Leominster
DOLLS’ heads mounted on turned wooden sticks and containing a musical movement are known as marottes: a small collection of these colourful toys, assembled mainly from German sources in the 1960s, attracted interest at Brightwells of Leominster on January 12. All were in original costumes and in working order. The most ornate, probably assembled in
to production with plastics in the late 1950s. The largest of these is the 14-piece Journey into Space set: the example here showing very little wear with all the components still tied onto the original box marked with the serial number 1002A. It sold at $2750 (£1835), a full price. From another consignor was a set of
24 Johillco die-cast space figures, again still attached to the original cardboard insert. With the exception perhaps of two scarce purple robots, the individual figures aren’t particularly rare, but the original box with its space exploration graphics (and a partial FAO Schwarz price sticker on the side apron) were almost unknown. This set, that had been pictured in the Blast Off!: Rockets, Rayguns, Robots & Rarities from the Golden Age of Space, was probably made specifically for export. Estimated at $1000-2000, the set flew to $7500 (£5000).
France, the parti-coloured satin embellished with silk tassels, sold for £420 with another in cream and blue making the same price. An example with a closed mouth but lacking its hat made £240, with another in a checked outfit making £200. A squeaking version, also in original state, the head made by Heubach, sold for £130. Dolls by the leading French maker Jumeau
provided the top prices – a large pale bisque open-mouthed doll with heavy painted brows and the original costume, so liked by collectors, sold against heavy competition for £1350 – but equally popular was an ornate and colourful German made toy theatre, the stage set with the toyshop scene from the Nutcracker Suite, sold for a good £850. An early but incomplete pack of miniature
18th century playing cards was avidly contested to £650 (estimate £80-120). Every collector wanted this pack because of the single card that advertised Children’s Toys at the Grotto Toy Shop, No 52, St Paul’s Churchyard.
Above: musical marotte with head impressed AM 1909, £420 at Brightwells on January 12.
Above left: 1950s set of Cherilea generic spacemen figures, $2750 (£1835) at Morphy’s.
FRANCE - CHARTRES - GALERIE DE CHARTRES SATURDAY 21st MAI
SATURDAY 9th APRIL FINE TOYS
Behind the Garden Derrière le jardin
MINIATURE FURNITURE
IMPORTANT DOLLS, DOLLS HOUSES,
Y 21st MAY
from a private dutch museum found behind a wonderful garden.
Exclusive collection
www.ivoire-chartres.com and
www.interencheres.com, 15 days before the auctions.
GALERIE DE CHARTRES sarl Société de ventes volontaires (2002 180) Jean-Pierre Lelièvre - Pascal Maiche - Alain Paris auctioneers 10 rue Claude-Bernard - ZA du Coudray - 28003 CHARTRES Tél. (33)02 37 88 28 28 - Fax 02 37 88 28 20 -
chartres@galeriedechartres.com
CATALOG 15€ each on request. Luxury edition for the two 40€
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