Rare animation art, Christmas and Halloween antiques, antique advertising and toys lead the lineup in Morphy’s Aug. 31, Sept. 1-2 auction
DENVER, Pa. – Morphy Auctions’ Fall sale scheduled for Aug. 31, Sept. 1 and 2, features not only an abundance of late 19th- and early 20th-century toys and banks, but also antique and vintage holiday items, superior-quality original animation art and hundreds of playthings that will take many collectors right back to their own childhoods. As is the standard with all Morphy sales, fresh-to-the-market private collections will be the focal point on all three days, and live Internet bidding will available through LiveAuctioneers.com.
Thursday, Aug. 31:
The opening session presents a special opportunity for collectors of soda pop material, with approximately 200 pieces of early Coca-Cola advertising to be sold. Among the highlights are a mint-condition Coca-Cola bottle lamp (estimate $5,000-7,000), an early-20th century Coke festoon in mint condition and a fine selection of serving trays in original, near-mint-plus condition. Also in the grouping are a number of outstanding cardboard signs, flange signs and highly sought-after Coca-Cola calendars.
Another featured collection in Thursday’s lineup includes approximately 50 Hartland baseball and Western figures, most of them mint with their original manufacturer’s tags. Additionally, for those who like their toys shaken, but not stirred, there is a collection of new/old store stock toys, including several with a TV spy theme. Among these items are a boxed James Bond 007 attaché case, a boxed Man From U.N.C.L.E thrush gun, and several character gun sets, including Bonanza.
Playsets have been a solid hit with collectors in previous Morphy sales. The Fall auction includes around 50 more playsets, all in their original boxes. Around a dozen are still factory sealed. Rarities in the category include Captain Gallant and Jungle Jim. Other “boomer” toys include part II of the Carl Lobel collection, featuring approximately 50 Japanese Superhero figures, many of which are boxed. Rarities include a Masked Rider walking figure and boxed examples of the largest size Ultraman and Mirror Man, both by Bullmark.
Also sure to be of interest to collectors of postwar toys are the 75 lots of robots and space toys. At the forefront are two Masudaya Gang of Five members: a Lavender robot and a Giant Sonic (“Train”) robot. Two other top lots in this section are a rare, boxed Winky robot and a boxed Thunder robot.
Pressed steel – a category whose strength has never abated in the marketplace – is well represented in the sale. Morphy’s will offer approximately 100 lots by premium manufacturers like Kingsbury, Buddy ‘L’ and Turner. A coveted Turner Lincoln is a highlight of this category.
Friday, Sept. 1:
Variety is the keyword in the Friday session. More than 100 tin toys, including many character types, will be auctioned, as will 200+ lots of Disney toys and figurines. Included in the latter grouping are a number of rare bisque and ceramic pieces made in German before World War II, and several very rare celluloid character toys, such as a boxed Mickey Mouse whirligig, Mickey Mouse riding a wind-up jumping horse, Donald Duck roly poly, and a boxed Henry and Swan. Also to be sold are 30 original boxed sets of Britains and other popular brands of toy soldiers.
Collectors of figural cast iron – which has become a staple in Morphy sales – will be well accommodated with part III of the Jan and Watt White collection. The Whites, who are noted authorities in their chosen field of collecting, have consigned doorstops, bookends, doorknockers, bottle openers and other interesting forms of American cast iron.
Saturday, Sept. 2:
The third and final session will open on a colorful and nostalgic note with 250 lots of antique and vintage holiday items from the acclaimed Bob Merck collection. A corporate attorney by profession, Merck began amassing Christmas and Halloween material more than 25 years ago, and his collection reflects the emphasis he always placed on buying with rarity and quality in mind. “Bob is known for having one of the best ‘eyes’ when it comes to buying holiday antiques,” said Dan Morphy, chief operating officer of Morphy Auctions. “He has always been very condition sensitive in what he has bought, always going for the best.”
Within the Merck collection are some of the very finest examples known of belsnickles, candy containers, Dresden ornaments and a rare Santa clockwork nodder. One of the crown jewels of the collection is a Pennsylvania German-style Santa figure, which is expected to fetch $20,000-30,000 – “if not more,” Morphy added.
The Halloween portion of the sale includes around 100 vintage items, among them rare lanterns depicting a witch, skeleton and jester; a pumpkin-head doll and a boxed set of six very scarce celluloid nodders. Early Halloween china pieces of a type very seldom seen in the marketplace include a Halloween pumpkin set and a Santa with zeppelin set.
More than 150 cast-iron mechanical and still banks will be auctioned on the Saturday. Among the top lots is one of the nicest known examples of Kyser & Rex’s Roller Skating mechanical bank, a J. & E. Stevens Boy Robbing Bird’s Nest bank – “in like-new condition with its box” – and a Charles Bailey Chinaman in the Boat. Other leading lots in the category are a Giant in the Tower, a Picture Gallery and a Springing Cat bank.
With heart-stopping prices paid for banks in Morphy’s Spring 2006 sale, it seems the specialty is gathering steam at a rapid clip. “Over the last six months there have been four sales in a row containing mechanical banks, at four different auction houses,” Morphy said. “In all, 800 banks have been auctioned, and the market has absorbed them with no problem whatsoever. That’s a clear indication that there are new buyers out there, because many of the banks that have sold were from the mid range, which would not be of interest to the more advanced collectors out there. That upsurge of interest is probably the biggest headline of this year for toys, and of the last 20 years for banks. It’s a very good sign for the hobby.”
Another category whose stock is rising is European tinplate wind-up toys. Morphy’s Fall sale includes approximately 100 of these types of toys, made by Marklin, Lehmann, Gunthermann and other blue-chip names of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Also up for grabs are European boats and a select grouping of 25 top-tier penny toys. The miniature novelty toys – so named because they once sold for a penny apiece – include three or four ship-related types, a hot-air balloon, Ferris wheel with airships, and a very rare Santa pulling a sleigh.
Other highlights of the third session are a collection of 100 early cast-iron toys, including several beautiful Hubley motorcycles; and a category that is new to Morphy’s – animation art. Many original cels, posters and other art produced by Disney and Warner Brothers staff members have been consigned. A 1940 production cel for Disney’s Fantasia, depicting Mickey Mouse in his single most identifiable role as the “Sorcerer’s Apprentice” commanding the brooms is offered with a $20,000-25,000 estimate. A 1959 Disney Sleeping Beauty production cel in which Maleficent has transformed into a dragon and is breathing fire to deter Prince Philip is expected to fetch $20,000-25,000. Other important Disney lots include Mary Blair’s 1951 concept art for Alice in Wonderland, picturing Alice, the White Rabbit and Mad Hatter at a tea party (estimate $15,000-20,000) and a 1928 one-sheet movie poster for Barn Dance, the first Disney film distributed by Columbia Pictures (estimate $25,000-30,000). The latter poster is one of only 2 or 3 known copies, publicizing a black-and-white Mickey Mouse short that was created by Ub Iwerks shortly after the dawn of talking pictures.
Another exceptional entry is a 29-by-19 inch pen-and-ink artwork by Alex Raymond that was created in 1935 for the Flash Gordon Sunday paper comic strip. One of the earliest-known examples of this classic strip, in rare full-page size, it features Flash and auxiliary characters Dale, Khan, Zug, Witch Queen and Azura, the Queen of Magic. In fine condition, it is estimated at $70,000-80,000.
View the entire illustrated catalog and bid absentee or live online through www.liveauctioneers.com.
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