COMPLIMENTARY COPY
Published Weekly By Joel Sater Publications www.antiquesandauctionnews.net
VOL. 43, NO. 34 FRIDAY AUGUST 24, 2012
Recor ds Tumble At RSL’s Auction Of Antique Toys, Banks n July 1st, Ray Haradin, Steven Weiss and Leon Weiss - known collectively as RSL Auction Company welcomed their biggest auction crowd ever to Richard Opfer’s suburban Baltimore gallery in Timonium, Maryland. The occasion was a 621-lot sale of fine antique toys, train stations, banks and Americana. Numerous world records were set during the event, which grossed $1.3 million, inclusive of
O
Circa-1890 Ives, Blakeslee Santa bank with removable wire tree, $22,050. RSL A u c t i o n Company image.
buyer’s premium. RSL expected a strong turnout for the auction, not only because of its star attractions - the John Jirofsky and Jim Laster collections - but also because the Mechanical Bank Collectors of America and Still Bank Collectors of America were in town for a joint convention. Haradin and the Weiss brothers arrived several days early to assist club members whose homes were to be opened to conventioneers over the weekend. On Thursday evening, June 28, RSL hosted a lavish reception and auction preview for 230 people. Guests were treated to an open bar and grand seafood buffet catered by Baltimore’s famed Michael’s Restaurant. The menu included - amongst other scrumptious delicacies - shrimp cocktail, oysters on the half shell, chicken wings, and of course, Maryland crab cakes. The day after the high-spirited reception, however, the mood was not quite as festive. “On Friday night, some big storms moved in, and by Saturday morning, the storm damage was evident all over Baltimore. There were downed trees and wires everywhere,” said Haradin. “One of the local bank collectors who was supposed to receive club members at his home had lost his power. It was a big scramble bringing in a generator, organizing bathroom facilities and arranging for box lunches to be refrigerated. Our busses had to try three different routes to get to the house, but the only thing that counted was that we pulled it off.” Fortunately, Internet service at Opfer’s gallery had been spared. And in spite of the closed roads and ravaged landscape around Baltimore, around 150 people found a way to get to the
gallery. When the first lot in the sale - a circa-1890 Santa with tree mechanical bank - reached a r e c o r d $22,050, Haradin said he knew the d a y would be a big success. Many of the high-end lots sold to the room, with prices bolstered by the record number of phone bids. “Many bidders came in the morning, then left and bid later
phone,”
of the strong prices, we secured a major collection of black memorabilia. We look forward to offering it in our December sale,” said Haradin. Unquestionably a classic within the realm of early American toys is the “Giant” clockwork locomotive, made around 1885 by Ives, Blakeslee of B r i d g e p o r t , Connecticut. Measuring an impressive 17-1/2 inches long and made of painted tin with cast-iron wheels, the charmingly primitive “Giant” is regarded as the
on by Haradin
George Brown clockwork horse with rider, circa 1880, tin and iron, one of four known examples, $11,635. RSL Auction Company image.
noted. Blackthemed toys showed particular strength. A circa-1915 German spelter bank depicting a European character Marklin threeknown as tiered castle, with “Snowflake” was circa-1895, parade ground that described in the cata- would have been drilog as being the only ven by a Marklin known specimen. In steam plant, mint condition, it $28,175. RSL sailed past its $3,000 A u c t i o n to $4,500 estimate to Company settle at $9,493, a image world record price for the form. A circa-1875 Ives, Blakeslee wind-up toy known as “The Nursemaid” portrayed a black nanny character known as “Old Aunt Chloe” caring for a white infant. One of approximately 10 known examples, it sold for an above-estimate price of $11,638. A third highlight from the category was the circa-1895 “Black Dandy” ball-toss toy of papiermache, cardboard and wood. The German-made toy with a target in its midsection exceeded expectations at $8,575. “granddaddy” of “There was a lot of crossover all American tin trains. interest from folk art and black Americana collectors. As a result
Only four examples of this rare toy are known. The one offered in the July 1 auction was in good working order with only a few areas of minor restoration. It sold for
selection of cast-iron mechanical banks crossed the auction block, as well. A circa-1895 “blue dress” variant of J. & E. Stevens’ Speaking
Ives, Blakeslee “Giant” locomotive, circa 1885, the granddaddy of all American tin trains, $11,635. RSL Auction Company image.
$11,635. Yet another American-made tin and cast-iron treasure was the clockwork horse and rider created around 1880 by the George Brown Company of Forestville, Connecticut. One of only four such toys known to exist, it simulates a galloping horse when activated. It easily surpassed its presale estimate of $7,000 to $9,000, resting at a final bid of $11,635. RSL also presented an outstanding array of building-shape cast-iron still banks in the July 1 auction. A one-of-a-kind “1905 Bank” replicated an old-fashioned bank building with a domed roof and five spires. It led the group at a record $20,825. Several other still banks achieved prices in the same region, including a superbly detailed Ives, Blakeslee Red Palace bank that rang the register at $19,600 against an estimate of $10,000 to
$15,000. An excellent
D o g bank was a popular entry. It boasted especially nice original paint and warranted e v e r y penny of the $14,700 winning bid. A must-have addition to any serious collection of mechanical banks is the circa-1886 Bread Winners bank, manufactured by J. & E. Stevens and based on a design by Charles Bailey. The Bread Winners bank derives its imagery from the controversial debate that raged in the press in the mid 1880s over the negative nature of business monopolies. The bank characterizes workers toiling for their daily bread while a fat cat businessman’s head can be seen emerging from a sack of money. Its symbolism foretells the rise of unionism and the Sherman Anti-Trust Act, which enabled the federal government to break up any businesses viewed as monopolies. The Bread Winners bank in RSL’s auction sold above estimate for $30,940. The coveted Marklin brand kept bidders engaged on both sides of the Atlantic. A US-based Internet bidder prevailed on an all-original circa-1905 1-gauge Café train station with provenance from the revered Ward Kimball collection. It sold within estimate for $18,375. Another choice Marklin design, a circa1895 three-tiered castle with revolving parade ground adaptable to a steam source, went to an overseas bidder for $28,175. RSL Auction Company is currently accepting quality consignments for its December 1, 2012, sale of black Americana and mechanical banks to be held at Richard Opfer’s gallery in Timonium, Maryland. To contact the company, call Ray Haradin at (412) 343-8733, Leon Weiss at (917) 991-7352, or Steven Weiss at (212) 729-0011. Visit the RSL website at www.rslauctions.com.
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