Huge collection of rare robots, superheroes leads Milestone’s May 27 auction

Yone/Yonezawa (Japan) 12in battery-operated 8 Man remote-control Thunderbird car. All original and complete with retractable roof and steerable remote control. Sensational graphics on toy and original box (some restoration). Estimate $3,000-$5,000
Fantastic Nomura (Japan) battery-operated Walking Batman. All original, complete, and appears never to have been played with. All functions in working order when tested. Clean original box with great graphics of Batman, Robin and Batmobile. Estimate $6,000-$8,000
Fantastic Nomura (Japan) battery-operated Walking Batman. All original, complete, and appears never to have been played with. All functions in working order when tested. Clean original box with great graphics of Batman, Robin and Batmobile. Estimate $6,000-$8,000

WILLOUGHBY, Ohio – Today, many nations and private companies are engaged in the Space Race, but there’s no contest as to who the winner is when it comes to space toys. Japan has been the clear and unchallenged leader in the manufacture of robots and space toys since the end of World War II. The imaginative designs of Masudaya, Yonezawa, Nomura and scores of other Japanese firms of the 1950s-1970s are revered by collectors who love the toys’ fanciful looks and quirky actions, not to mention the wild artwork on their boxes. Milestone Auctions, the home of great toy collections, will offer a treasure trove of sought-after robots, space toys and dozens of other types of vintage playthings at their big May 27th Spring Premier Toy Sale. Absentee and Internet live bidding will be available through LiveAuctioneers.

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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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