FREDERICK, Md. – “This is going to be a sale full of surprises,” said Keith Spurgeon, owner of Mosby & Co. Auctions, in describing the big absentee Internet auction that closes for bidding through LiveAuctioneers.com on May 20. “We’ve brought in not only a couple of very choice collections, but also architectural contents from a fine Frederick, Maryland estate. This is definitely our most diverse sale to date.”
The highlight of the toy section is part II of the Dave Stoermer prewar Japanese celluloid collection. “Dave had held back some of the toys in his collection when we sold part I,” Spurgeon said, “but he later decided he would sell the remainder, including the rare and outstanding Three Pigs toy that was featured in a past issue of Antique Toy World.” The category is rounded out nicely with European, American and comic character toys, plus a selection of outstanding 19th-century games, from additional private consignors.
After the success achieved by the previous offering of coveted Aurora monster model kits, Mosby & Co. will present a second installment from the same collection. The kits are in all-original, sealed condition, just the way collectors like them.
Many examples of original cartoon art from the estate of California artist Mickey Bach will be auctioned. Bach created the long-running (1946-1979) syndicated newspaper feature titled “Word A Day.” A highlight of the collection is a signed artwork featuring the characters Barney Google and Spark Plug, which was a gift to Bach from Barney Google cartoonist Billy De Beck as thanks for filling in when De Beck was ill and could not draw his famous comic strip.
Whether one finds them grotesque, fascinating or both, there’s no denying the collectibility of early carnival sideshow banners illustrating physical curiosities. The May auction will contain yet another assortment of these original banners of the mid-20th century from the late Bob McCord’s collection. Artists represented in the well-known collection include Snap Wyatt, Johnny Meah, Mark Frierson and Fred Johnson, whose depiction of the “Human Mockingbird” made $6,000 in Mosby & Co.’s last sale. This time the top Johnson-related lot is expected to be his banner depicting “The Anatomical Wonder.” Another noteworthy banner features “Major Debert – Tiniest Man,” which was created in the studio of Millard & Bulsterbaum, Coney Island, New York.
Mosby & Co. is based in the heart of Civil War country, a mere 28 miles from the Antietam Battlefield. As a result, the auction house has been able to source many excellent artifacts from the War Between the States. The May auction contains an original 1864 Confederate States of America Fayetteville rifle, fully marked and in original condition. It is one of only 5,000 that were made. Also to be sold is a Confederate “corn pone” sword and a “Stars and Bars” flag sewn in 1861 by a Confederate corporal detained in a Union military prison.
A special inclusion to the sale inventory is the sizable selection of architectural fixtures and accessories obtained from an estate in Frederick, Maryland. Among the key pieces are several Victorian bathroom fixtures, including a complete, circa-1910 Standard “ribcage” shower, a beautiful and complete flow blue sink, a J. L. Mott cast-iron pedestal sink and a rare and fancy 1888 W. S. Cooper Brass Works embossed toilet on marble base. Accessories to be auctioned include pieces produced by Art Brass Co., Sternau Mfg. and other makers.
The same estate was the source of a number of handsome Aesthetic Movement accessories and stands, an example being a very rare, all-original, circa-1875 safe concealed inside a mahogany wood cabinet with a wonderfully carved front door. Additional selections include a pair of 19th-century monumental bronze and iron andirons; and decorative stick-and-ball door arches.
Another focal point of the sale is the array of antique advertising and country store articles. A premier lot is the exceptional walnut cabinet advertising Lorillard & Co. Tobacco.
Mosby & Co’s Spring 2010 Auction will close bidding at midnight, Eastern Time, on Thursday, May 20 (early Friday, May 21). Absentee bids may be placed online through www.LiveAuctioneers.com.
For additional information on any lot in the sale, call Keith Spurgeon at 781-771-3998 or 301-304-0352; or e-mail keith@mosbyauctions.com.
ADDITIONAL LOTS OF NOTE
