FBI agent’s G-men items in John McInnis lineup March 21

AMESBURY, Mass. – A Collector’s Novelty Auction featuring the G-Men and tobacciana collections of the late FBI agent William L. Rosenbaum – plus vintage pinball machines, slot machines, general advertising and novelty lots from other collectors – will be held Saturday, March 21, by John McInnis Auctioneers. The auction will begin at 11 a.m. Eastern time. Bid absentee or live online through LiveAuctioneers.

John McInnis Auctioneers wants everyone to know that it is taking the COVID-19 Coronavirus threat seriously and is taking every precaution possible to ensure a safe and enjoyable auction experience. This includes sanitizing all hard surfaces, handrails and door handles. Hand sanitizer and wet wipes will be available.

The staff has been trained in following the practices recommended by the CDC and is being updated as new information is released. Anyone who is exhibiting cold or flu-like symptoms, or has traveled to an impacted community or has been in contact with someone who has, is asked not to attend the auction.

William L. Rosenbaum served as an FBI special agent in Milwaukee, Indianapolis and Boston in a career that began on November 16, 1970, and lasted until 1995. Along the way, he indulged his passion for the items in this auction that will be passed along to a new generation of collectors.

As an FBI agent, it made sense that Bill Rosenbaum would collect G-Man items. Like the large group of FBI “Wanted” poster copies, including ones for John Dillinger, Clyde Barrow, Bonnie Parker and Osama Bin Laden, being offered as one lot (est. $100-$200); and the framed signed photo of FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover, plus four Hoover and FBI-related items (below).

The G-Man collectibles had a lighter, more whimsical side, too, with items like the following:

– A G-Men tin lithograph friction toy motorcycle, 10 inches long, made in Japan by Hadson and featuring a steerable hard rubber front wheel and G-Men graphics (est. $300-$600).

– A Mustang toy car named the FBI Commander, made in Japan by Bondai, a friction-drive heavy gauge metal scale model with top light, siren and original box (est. $150-$300).

– A Marx Siren Sparkling tin lithograph toy machine gun in the original box (below).

The tobacco-related items in Rosenbaum’s collection consist of vintage advertising labels, packaging and the like; no actual tobacco is being sold. But empty soft packs will be a prominent part of lot 263 – 35 pieces related just to Lucky Strike cigarettes. Included are game cards, paper dolls, magazine ads featuring Amelia Earhart and Dolores Del Rio and more (est. $300-$400).

A framed advertising poster for Old Honesty plug tobacco (“Never Varies, Always the Best”), depicting a bearded man cutting off a piece of plug, plus a plug tobacco bag, should reach $100-$200; while a Mohawk Pipe Mixture box and a Mohawk Chief 5-cent cigar tin with a separated top, the tin measuring 5½ inches by 6¼ inches, will be offered as one lot (est. $800-$1,000).

A Daval Penny Pack trade stimulator, set up for gumball distribution and featuring cigarette packs on the reels, including Lucky Strike, Camel, Chesterfield, Old Gold, Philip Morris and Spud, has an estimate of $300-$600. Also, a Sunset Trail 5-cent cigar tin by the Roby Cigar Company, with multiple graphics of a man and woman on horseback, should hit $100-$200.

The pinball machines, slots and coin-ops from other consignors are generally higher-ticket items. A Mills “Hightop Bonus” 5-cent slot machine and base, in good working condition, is expected to hit the jackpot for $800-$1,600. The three-reel, nickel slot features a cast aluminum front, back door, key and coin box. It sits atop a sturdy oak base with a cast chrome figural emblem.

A tennis-themed pinball machine produced by D. Gottlieb & Co. in 1976, one of 2,900 made, designed by Ed Krynski and art by Gordon Morison, also had an estimate of $800-$1,600. Music lovers will swoon over a Seeburg 100 Select-O-Matic jukebox produced in 1953 that holds up to fifty 45 rpm records and features colorful, light-up columns (est. $750-$1,500).

Miscellaneous items will include an antique barbershop hot towel steamer, 57 inches tall, having a nickel-plated steamer and boiler section with overlaid base and tray (est. $2,000-$3,000); and a four-piece, six-sheet movie poster for the 1962 film It Happened in Athens (20th Century Fox), starring Jayne Mansfield, measuring an impressive 79½ inches by 78½ inches (est. $200-$400).

For details contact John McInnis Auctioneers at 978-388-0400 or mcinnisauctions@yahoo.com.