American National Buick barber shop chair for children, used in 1920s, marked “Koken Co. Chicago.” Estimate $12,000-$15,000.
VINELAND, N.J. (ACNI) – The March 2009 auction debut of the Donald Kaufman Collection set a new house record for Bertoia’s at $4.2 million. Collectors who enjoyed the blue-chip offerings in the March sessions will find a similar second helping awaits at Kaufman Part II, slated for Sept. 25-26, 2009 at Bertoia Auctions’ gallery in Vineland, New Jersey. Internet live bidding will be provided by LiveAuctioneers.com, and more than 1,100 lots will be offered with no reserve, including European tin, American cast iron, pressed steel and pedal cars; biscuit tins, postwar Japanese cars and prewar Japanese airplanes.
The sale features a panoramic array of toys by Marklin, the premier name in early to mid-20th century toy production. The bounty includes roadsters, sedans and other auto lines, as well as an example of the toy considered the ultimate in Marklin design: the 1890s live-steam-powered fire pumper. Like most Marklin rarities, the pumper “comes with a platinum price tag,” said Bertoia Auctions’ co-founder and owner, Jeanne Bertoia. “It’s estimated at $40,000 to $60,000.”
In addition to Marklin, the sale will feature many beautiful early-20th-century luxury vehicles by other great designers of that era, such as Carette and Bing. Several of the European cars retain their original boxes, which “adds the exclamation point to the rarity factor,” said Bertoia. French and English cars taking a prominent place in the spotlight, as well. A key piece is a top of the line Bignan blue boat-tail Rolls-Royce roadster.
British and Continental vehicular biscuit and sweets tins wrote their own ticket, price wise, in the first Kaufman sale, and many other outstanding examples await bidders in the September sessions. Leading the group are a boxed Crawford’s red Rolls-Royce limo, a Fry’s Chocolate crane with box, an Italian-made Delser touring bus, ships, racers, large sedans, airplanes and delivery trucks. Joining them is a complete set of six (American) lithographed-tin Mayo’s Cut Plug Tobacco character roly polys.
Another red-hot category in the spring offering was racecars. Many more will be revving their engines come September, several with their original boxes. The field includes Gordon Bennet-style racers, as well as others by Gunthermann and Kingsbury. “I think the racecars are going to knock people out,” said Michael Bertoia, who designed the auction catalog. “They’re as good as, or better than, the selection in the first sale.”
Next up will be a grouping of autos by Distler and Fischer, and some large-scale circa-1905-1910 French and German cars. Also, 10 different models of pre-war Japanese autos will be auctioned. As any specialist collector would attest, that’s a sizable number within this narrow subcategory of collecting.
The futuristic category is led by an Atom Jet Car with a colorful box that may be the only one of its type in existence. Additionally, there will be a selection of 17 Buck Rogers and Flash Gordon toys, including a boxed Police Patrol, helmets, guns, pistols and holsters.
As a teaser of what may be expected when the comic character portion of the Kaufman Collection is auctioned at Bertoia’s next year, the September sessions include a spectacular rarity – the only known boxed example of Tippco’s Mickey and Minnie Mouse on a motorcycle.
A dream assemblage of cast-iron toys includes a very rare red-version Hubley Indian motorcycle delivery van with a factory paper label that says “Flower Shoppe.” Ex Covert Hegarty collection, it is expected to make $40,000-$50,000 on auction day. Additionally, the Kaufman Collection features one of the finest known specialty groupings of Vindex samples, including sedans, coupes, stake trucks and a Fokker airplane.
The cast-iron category continues with transportation and work vehicles; moving vans, airplanes, luxury autos and novelties, like the scarce Hubley Seahorse speedboat with “ocean waves” cast into the design. The collection boasts the only known Dent cement mixer and arguably the nicest known examples of a boxed Arcade White No. 6 bus and Arcade Mack 6 bus.
A huge section of pressed steel awaits collectors, including many outstanding productions by Kingsbury, a brand known for accuracy of scale and detail. Much of the pressed steel is boxed – an unusual bonus. Some of the rarest pieces have a factory pedigree, having come from the Buddy ‘L’ corporate archive. Within the category are more than 100 examples of large-scale pressed steel by Buddy ‘L,’ Sturditoy, American National, Toledo and Keystone. Additionally, there is a prized assortment of old store stock by Smith-Miller, and several Metalcraft trucks, some featuring Art Deco styling and side-panel advertising.
Kaufman Part II will feature nearly 50 pedal cars, highlighted by a handful of museum-quality designs in wood and pressed steel and including a few rare English productions. “Don has the really good ones from the most collectible period of 1905 to 1940s,” said Bertoia’s specialist Rich Bertoia. “Early pedal cars in all-original condition are very seldom seen in the public marketplace, so a collection like this one really brings out the collectors. They know it’s a now-or-never buying situation.”
Donald Kaufman, a co-founder of KB Toys who sold his interest in the company in 1981, is considered a pioneer in the toy hobby, having started his collection nearly 59 years ago. His collection of approximately 10,000 toys is being auctioned exclusively by Bertoia’s in a series of semiannual sales over the next two years or so.
Auction Details:
Bertoia’s auction of the Donald Kaufman Collection – Part II will start at 1 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 25, 2009 and 10 a.m. on Saturday, Sept. 26, 2009. All items will be offered without reserve. Internet live bidding will be available throughout the sale via LiveAuctioneers.com. View the fully illustrated catalog and sign up to bid absentee or live via the Internet at www.LiveAuctioneers.com.
Click here to view Bertoia Auction’s complete catalog.
ADDITIONAL LOTS OF NOTE
Postwar Atom Jet racer by Yonezawa, 26½ inches long with futuristic styling and extremely rare original box that may be the only one in existence displaying this particular design variation. Estimate $4,000-$6,000.
Circa-1905 Torpedo clockwork car attributed to French manufacturer Pinard. Hand-painted tin, folding canvas top, plush canvas-lined seats with button-tufted look, solo headlamp. Estimate $6,000-$8,000.
Tippco tin clockwork Mickey and Minnie Mouse on Motorcycle, early 1930s, the only known example with its original pictorial box. Estimate $40,000-$50,000.
Circa-1930s Hubley Flower Shoppe Indian motorcycle delivery van, cast iron, with original factory paint in red as opposed to the more frequently seen blue. Attributed as a private-label production. Retains original paper label marked “Flower Shoppe Inc.” Ex Covert Hegarty Collection. Estimate $35,000-$45,000.
Clockwork lithographed tin Buck Rogers Rocket Ship and Rex Mars Rocket Fighter, both by Marx and retaining their original boxes. Each estimated at $1,000-$1,200.
Newspaper delivery station wagon, Bandai Japan, friction, 9½ inches long with opening doors, original box. Estimate $250-$350.
William Crawford & Sons circa-1925 Rolls-Royce biscuit tin with hinged roof that lifts open, 11¼ inches long, comes with original box. Estimate $4,000-$5,000.
Bignan (Nain Bleu, France) boat-tail tinplate luxury auto, 18 inches long, clockwork driven with spoke wheels, mounted spare and numerous quality details. Estimate $10,000-$12,000.
1956 Ford flower delivery station wagon, 11½ inches long, original decals, original box. Estimate $1,000-$1,200.
