Ives Uncle Sam clockwork perambulator. Based upon their research, Bertoia’s believes it is one of only two known examples, the other being the one depicted in Blair Whitton’s book. Perhaps a once-in-a-lifetime buying opportunity. Estimate $20,000-$40,000
VINELAND, N.J. – Say hello to spring with the most anticipated auction of the season: Bertoia’s March 24-25 Signature Sale featuring two blockbuster collections and many additional high-end toy consignments. Rows of gleaming showcases at Bertoia’s New Jersey gallery are filled to capacity with exceptional mechanical banks and bell toys from the Rudd Trowbridge collection, and Phil and Joan Steel’s wonderful collection of French Martins and other tin windups. Bid absentee or live online through LiveAuctioneers.
The only known H.C. Evans Man in the Moon shooting gallery target achieved $15,000 plus the buyer’s premium in September 2020. Image courtesy of Soulis Auctions and LiveAuctioneers.
NEW YORK — With antiques, condition is everything, but when it comes to cast iron shooting gallery targets, what’s known as “original surface” is most important.
Boxed Yonezawa Atom Jet Racer, est. $20,000-$30,000
VINELAND, N.J. – Those who were immersed in the toy-collecting hobby as far back as the 1970s, ’80s or early ’90s – a golden era for toy buying – have fond memories of that time and often can recall exactly where and when they acquired certain prized pieces for their collections. The fun was not just in the acquisition of the toys, but also the friendships that developed. That sentiment certainly applies to the individuals whose blue-chip collections are featured in Bertoia’s November 17-18, 2022 Annual Fall Auction, which welcomes absentee and Internet live bidding through LiveAuctioneers.
Hubley cast-iron ‘Say It With Flowers’ delivery motorcycle, 10in long, the book example depicted in Bill and Stevie Weart’s ‘Cast Iron Automotive Toys’ (2000) reference book. Rare all-original toy in excellent to pristine condition. Estimate $15,000-$25,000
VINELAND, N.J. – On September 8-9, with absentee and Internet live bidding through LiveAuctioneers, Bertoia’s will auction the antique toy collection of the late Bill and Stevie Weart, a couple whose contributions to the toy hobby were immense. Anyone who ever had the privilege of visiting the Wearts at their magnificent home in Allentown, Pennsylvania, was left with the impression that they had witnessed something exceptional for these times. Their grand three-story residence, which was situated in a tranquil parklike setting, visually reflected what was most important to them in a home: fine architecture, tasteful furnishings, a garden that beckoned wild birds, and most of all, an interior design plan that prioritized the display of their spectacular toy collection.
I.Y. Metal Toys (Japan), tin friction Harley-Davidson motorcycle, 15in, all original and super clean with rich, true colors. Estimate $3,000-$4,000
WILLOUGHBY, Ohio – Antique and vintage toys played a major role in Milestone Auctions’ success in 2021. Their October 2nd toy event rocketed to $768,000, a house record for the suburban Cleveland, Ohio, company. Milestone is on track to keep that positive momentum going in 2022 with an 867-lot Winter Antique Toy Spectacular on January 29, which offers absentee or Internet live bidding through LiveAuctioneers.
Late-19th-century German tin clockwork ‘Woman Blowing Bubbles,’ in working order, sold for $9,900 against an estimate of $1,000-$1,500
WILLOUGHBY, Ohio – Even the best-connected toy buyers in Europe surely would have been surprised by the contents of the Margaret and Joel Weissman antique toy collection, which was offered by Milestone Auctions on June 26. The couple’s beautiful assemblage of German, French and English toys included examples of clockwork and hand-painted toys; automobiles, boats, airplanes, go-rounds and penny toys that are seldom seen on either side of the Atlantic. Absentee and Internet live bidding was available through LiveAuctioneers.
Great Northern Railway porcelain sign with mountain goat graphic. Sold above estimate for $6,600
DENVER, Pa. – Morphy Auctions’ gallery was a hive of activity prior to the company’s May 11-15 marathon auction series that grossed $5.4 million. The attraction was a 3,400-lot array of rare antique and vintage items that ran the gamut of American amusements, from 19th-century railroad memorabilia and coin-op machines to mid-20th-century petroliana and automotive signs.
A hybrid game of sorts, this circa-1955 United 5th Inning shuffle alley machine combines the action of baseball, target and shuffle games. It realized $2,250 plus the buyer’s premium in October 2020 at Dan Morphy Auctions.
NEW YORK — Skee-Ball games are a fixture at amusement parks, seaside boardwalk arcades and carnivals. This classic game — part skill, part chance — was invented in 1908 and is still bowling over fans today. Many collectors are on the lookout for a vintage Skee-Ball arcade game to their game rooms or man caves.
