Bid Smart: Antique bell toys possess unmistakable ap-peal

This late 1880s surf boat bell toy by the Gong Bell Mfg. Company achieved $9,500 plus the buyer’s premium in August 2021. Image courtesy of the RSL Auction Company and LiveAuctioneers.
This late 1880s surf boat bell toy by the Gong Bell Mfg. Company achieved $9,500 plus the buyer’s premium in August 2021. Image courtesy of the RSL Auction Company and LiveAuctioneers.
This late 1880s surf boat bell toy by the Gong Bell Mfg. Company achieved $9,500 plus the buyer’s premium in August 2021. Image courtesy of the RSL Auction Company and LiveAuctioneers.

NEW YORK — Toys that make noise are not new. The beeping, squawking, headache-inducing modern renditions are invariably made from plastic, but antique pull toys featuring bells seem (and sound) positively sedate by comparison, and the passage of time has rendered them charming rather than annoying. Examples fashioned from cast iron or tin call to mind the times when such things were handmade, and their craftsmanship and sense of whimsy renders them delightful to collectors.

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