Trio of tin litho windup toys of Popeye, Happy Hooligan and Barnicle Bill, together estimated at $2,500-$5,000
NEW YORK – On Sunday, June 4, starting at 5 pm Eastern time, SJ Auctioneers will conduct a sale titled Luxury Collectibles, Toys and More. Absentee and Internet live bidding will be available through LiveAuctioneers.
Unopened 1952 Topps baseball brick of eight factory-sealed 5-cent wax packs, with each pack containing five cards. Extraordinarily rare and most likely from Topps’ first series. Authenticated by Steve Hart, owner of Baseball Card Exchange. Sold above high estimate for $873,300 to a private collector
DENVER, Pa.- Star Wars fans and diehard sports buffs called the shots at Morphy Auctions’ February 1-3, 2023 auction, which attracted head-spinning prices and closed the books at nearly $3.1 million. The sale featured both a phenomenal single-owner collection of early Star Wars action figures and a vintage sports card selection that included one of the most sought-after treasures of the “unopened” realm: an intact 1952 Topps baseball wax-pack “brick” that sold for a staggering $873,300. Absentee and Internet live bidding was facilitated by LiveAuctioneers.
Circa-1930 Popeye the Pilot tin wind-up toy plane by Marx, estimated at $1,000-$1,500
BROOKLYN, N.Y. – SJ Auctioneers’ first major event of 2023 will be an online-only sale titled Winter Watch for Wanted Collectibles, slated for Sunday, January 29 and beginning at 4 pm Eastern time. Absentee and Internet live bidding will be available through LiveAuctioneers. Of the 244 lots, two stand out: a 1930 Popeye the Pilot tin wind-up toy plane and a 1934 Popeye pocket watch in excellent working condition.
Original Yonezawa (Japan) 10in tin windup Diamond Planet Robot, rare variation with blue body and red arms, 100% original, with high-quality repro box. Sold within estimate for $33,210. Courtesy Milestone Auctions
WILLOUGHBY, Ohio – Nearly 880 lots of high-quality antique and vintage toys crossed the auction block at Milestone’s December 10 Winter Toy Extravaganza, chalking up $750,000 and making many collectors’ Christmas dreams come true.
Kingsbury pressed-steel clockwork wrecker truck, 13in long, all original, very hard-to-find toy. Excellent condition. Estimate $1,000-$1,500
WILLOUGHBY, Ohio – If anyone wondered whether new collectors were still entering the antique toy hobby or not, they got their answer last spring when Milestone Auctions closed the books on their headline-making Antique Toy Spectacular. Toy fans worldwide are still buzzing about the Popeye and Olive Oyl Tank that brought a record $105,000 at that sale. On September 24, Milestone will roll out a fresh offering of outstanding vintage toys from the Mark Smith Collection, with high-quality additions from other consignors.
Super-collector Ozzie Bilotta with some of his prized robots, space toys and movie posters, which will be on display at The Bilotta Collection, a soon-to-be-opened museum in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida. Image courtesy of Ozzie Bilotta
PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. – Ozzie Bilotta collects rare vintage toys and is set to open a museum of vintage toys, arcade machines and related memorabilia called The Bilotta Collection. It will open this fall from a purpose-designed venue in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida.
Linemar Japan battery-operated Popeye and Olive Oyl Tank, 11 inches, with extremely rare original box. Very clean and bright, by far the finest example known. Excellent/Near Mint. Sold for a world record auction price of $105,000 against its pre-sale estimate of $30,000-$40,000
WILLOUGHBY, Ohio – Popeye toys haven’t seen an appreciable downturn in the collector marketplace at any point in the past 25 years. In keeping with that trend, vintage toys depicting the punchy sailor were “strong to the finich” at Milestone Auctions’ April 9 Antique Toy Spectacular, which grossed $650,000. Powering its way to the top of prices realized, a Linemar Popeye And Olive Oyl Tank with its original pictorial box sold for an astonishing $105,000, a new world auction record for a Popeye toy.
Circa-1932 Tippco (Germany) Mickey and Minnie Mouse motorcycle, tin wind-up, 9in long. Provenance: Donald Kaufman collection, Doug and Pat Wengel collection. Sold for $222,000, a world auction record for any Disney toy, against an estimate of $25,000-$45,000
VINELAND, N.J. – One of the most exciting events ever to be held at Bertoia Auctions’ New Jersey gallery took place on March 11-12 with the sale of the spectacular Monique Knowlton antique toy collection. The globally publicized auction of mostly 20th-century European, American and Japanese toys kept collectors riveted as examples with stellar provenance commanded unheard-of prices. After the hammer fell on the last of 628 lots, Bertoia’s president and principal auctioneer Michael Bertoia confirmed to the media that the single-owner collection had achieved a grand total of $2.16 million, inclusive of 20% buyer’s premium. Absentee and Internet live bidding was facilitated by LiveAuctioneers.
Linemar Japan battery-operated Popeye and Olive Oyl Tank, 11 inches, with extremely rare original box. Very clean and bright, by far the finest example known. Excellent/Near Mint. Estimate $30,000-$40,000
WILLOUGHBY, Ohio – That swaggering, wisecracking cartoon sailor Popeye has been depicted on countless toys and memorabilia since first appearing in the Thimble Theatre comic strip in 1929. With his spinach-powered superhuman strength, he was an immediate hit with readers of all ages, gaining an even higher level of visibility in his own cartoon series that launched in 1933. Ever since his debut, Popeye – with his girlfriend Olive Oyl and their motley crew of sidekicks in tow – has been an entertaining figure in the public’s consciousness, and vintage toys designed with Popeye’s image have only continued to rise in popularity and price.
A rare unpainted original casting of a Popeye Patrol motorcycle originated in Hubley’s Lancaster, Pennsylvania factory and was later professionally painted in the correct color palette for the toy. Note anchor tattoos on Popeye’s arms. Sold for $1,800 plus buyer’s premium at Morphy Auctions on Dec. 10, 2016. Image courtesy of LiveAuctioneers and Dan Morphy Auctions.
NEW YORK — Among the most beloved characters to emerge from a comic strip is Popeye the Sailor Man, who transcended the printed page to become a pop-culture icon. A star of the comics page, a television cartoon series and a 1980 movie starring Robin Williams, Popeye is famous for his love of spinach and his lanky girlfriend, Olive Oyl, as much as his intolerance for bullies.
Milestone Auctions
Milestone Auctions