Clown train, Santa car toys roll to victory at Bertoia

Tippco lithographed tin Santa car, 12in long. Ex Curtis and Linda Smith collection. Sold to a US buyer for a record-setting $60,000 against an estimate of $12,000-$18,000. Image courtesy of Bertoia Auctions
Very rare and important Marklin Fidelitas clown train, 37in long, complete with all original paint. Provenance: UK collection where it has resided for the past half-century. Sold within estimate for $84,000. Image courtesy of Bertoia Auctions

Very rare and important Marklin Fidelitas clown train, 37in long, complete with all original paint. Provenance: UK collection where it has resided for the past half-century. Sold within estimate for $84,000. Image courtesy of Bertoia Auctions

VINELAND, N.J. – Bertoia Auctions concluded a memorable year of high-profile events with a $2.7 million sale of toys, banks and Christmas antiques held on November 17-18 at their New Jersey gallery. The 1,179-lot selection presented on November 17-18 was steeped in toy-collecting history, with an abundance of exquisite, well-provenanced pieces coming from the lifetime collections of Bob Brady, Jack White, and Curtis and Linda Smith.

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For centuries, toy soldiers have carried on the fight

This set of German-made American Revolutionary War toy soldiers, hand-painted and having engraved features, sold for $375 plus the buyer’s premium in September 2020. Image courtesy of Old Toy Soldier Auctions USA and LiveAuctioneers
This set of German-made American Revolutionary War toy soldiers, hand-painted and having engraved features, sold for $375 plus the buyer’s premium in September 2020. Image courtesy of Old Toy Soldier Auctions USA and LiveAuctioneers
This set of German-made American Revolutionary War toy soldiers, hand-painted and having engraved features, sold for $375 plus the buyer’s premium in September 2020. Image courtesy of Old Toy Soldier Auctions USA and LiveAuctioneers

NEW YORK – Depicting fighting soldiers as tiny, easy-to-move figures has been a mainstay of military planning since medieval times. What started as a serious strategy-building tool ultimately evolved into the icon of childhood now known as the toy soldier.

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Potter & Potter tests new waters with successful Historic Memorabilia sale

Trio of British World War I medals, $1,320
Trio of British World War I medals, $1,320
Trio of British World War I medals, $1,320

CHICAGO – Potter & Potter Auctions held its first Historic Memorabilia & Americana sale on November 17. It contained nearly 700 lots and posted a total of $340,000.

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French president and first lady give Bidens Christofle centerpiece

President Emmanuel Macron and his wife, first lady Brigitte Macron, gave President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden a Christofle silver centerpiece on December 1 to mark their state visit. The piece, known as the Transatlantique Coupe, was created in 2012 and evokes the lines the company was commissioned to create in the early 20th century for the famed French ocean liners the Ile-de-France and the Normandie. Image courtesy of Christofle
President Emmanuel Macron and his wife, first lady Brigitte Macron, gave President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden a Christofle silver centerpiece on December 1 to mark their state visit. The piece, known as the Transatlantique Coupe, was created in 2012 and evokes the lines the company was commissioned to create in the early 20th century for the famed French ocean liners the Ile-de-France and the Normandie. Image courtesy of Christofle
President Emmanuel Macron and his wife, first lady Brigitte Macron, gave President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden a Christofle silver centerpiece on December 1 to mark their state visit. The piece, known as the Transatlantique Coupe, was created in 2012 and evokes the lines the company was commissioned to create in the early 20th century for the famed French ocean liners the Ile-de-France and the Normandie. Image courtesy of Christofle

WASHINGTON – For the occasion of their state visit to the White House on December 1, French President Emmanuel Macron and first lady Brigitte Macron selected a Christofle centerpiece as a gift to American President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden.

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Collectors of vintage video games play on another level

This Nintendo N64 (1999) Super Smash Bros game achieved $11,800 in November 2022. Image courtesy of Hake’s Auctions and LiveAuctioneers.
This Nintendo N64 (1999) Super Smash Bros game achieved $11,800 in November 2022. Image courtesy of Hake’s Auctions and LiveAuctioneers.
This Nintendo N64 (1999) Super Smash Bros game achieved $11,800 in November 2022. Image courtesy of Hake’s Auctions and LiveAuctioneers.

NEW YORK — It all started with a primitive video game called Pong and the Atari 2600 console for at-home gaming, which debuted in the 1970s. Though its games had simple graphics, Atari revolutionized the gaming industry. Video games are now light years better, smaller and more complex. Legions of players collect them, and anything related to them, driven by childhood nostalgia and the desire to preserve cultural touchstones. There is also profit to be made.

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