COMPLIMENTARY COPY TM
The Most Widely Read Collector's Newspaper In The East VOL. 45, NO. 46 FRIDAY NOVEMBER 14, 2014
Published Weekly By Joel Sater Publications www.antiquesandauctionnews.net
Bertoia Auctions To Present The Distinguished Max N. Berry Collection On Nov. 14 And 15 Former Chairman Of The Board Of Trustees Of The Smithsonian Institution To Offer A Wealth Of Exquisite Rarities t this point in the evolution of antique toy and bank collecting, it could be argued that there are two basic groups of collectors: those who have had the privilege of viewing the Max N. Berry collection and those who will see it for the first time on Nov. 14 and 15 at Bertoia’s. Over those two days, the family-owned New Jersey company will auction a total of 479 lots of early toys
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The J. & E. Stevens “Preacher in the Pulpit” cast-iron mechanical bank, circa 1876, with provenance including Dr. Arthur Corby, L.C. Hegarty, and Stanley Sax, is estimated at $150,000-$200,000.
and mechanical banks from the distinguished Berry collection, with nearly 100 lots planned for the Friday, Nov. 14, evening session, and the balance to follow on Saturday, Nov. 15. “I don’t know where you would go to top the Max Berry collection for ‘wow factor.’ Max has been astonishing his fellow collectors for decades, with one impossibly rare toy after another,” said Bertoia Auctions associate Rich Bertoia. “Max set his sights on buying primarily from pedigreed collections (with) name values (that) gave the toys and banks automatic
A cast-iron mechanical bank of unknown manufacture and reportedly given away by the American Sewing Machine Co., circa 1880s, is estimated at $12,000-$15,000.
This Ives Cutter Sleigh, circa 1893, 19.5 inches long, considered by many the finest American toy ever produced, has an illustrious line of provenance. The estimate is $100,000-$150,000.
provenance.” Of the nearly 200 mechanical banks to be offered in Bertoia’s November sale, many are so rare, they fall under the heading of “less than a handful known.” A prime example would be Berry’s 1880s “Darky Fisherman” mechanical bank, designed by Charles A. Bailey of Cobalt, Conn. Formerly in the Steven and Marilyn Steckbeck collection, it is one of only two known examples designed with an original fish dangling at the end of the fisherman’s line. Bertoia’s estimate is $225,000-$250,000. Another extraordinarily rare bank in the Berry collection is a J. & E. Stevens “Preacher at the Pulpit.” Patented in 1876 and one of three known, it comes to auction with a long and storied line of provenance that goes back to pioneer collector Dr. Arthur E. Corby. The estimate is $150,000$175,000. The only known original example of a circa-1890s “Target in Vestibule” mechanical bank, ex. Steckbeck and L.C. Hegarty collections, is of unknown American manufacture. In near-mint condition, it is estimated at $30,000$40,000. A rather obscure circa1878 “Rival” mechanical bank with a springing monkey figure could reach $30,000-$45,000, while a circa-1880 C.G. Bush “Clown on Bar” bank, ex. Hegarty collection, is estimated at $60,000$80,000. A horse-theme “Trotter” mechanical bank, purported to be the only surviving example, was made around 1890 by an unknown manufacturer. When a coin is dropped into the saddle, the horse’s front leg paws the ground. “There is a mold for a still bank that has a similar appearance, but being nonmechanical, it does not have a moving leg,” Bertoia noted. The horse bank is entered with an $18,000-$25,000 estimate. Other prizes include an 1882patented “Shoot That Hat” mechanical bank, est. $40,000-$60,000; an American Mechanical “Sewing Machine” bank, est. $18,000$22,000; and an 1884-patented “Presto Penny Changes to Quarter” bank that magically converts a deposited penny to a quarter. It will take much more than 25 cents to own this intriguing bank, which is
estimated at $40,000-$55,000. At the top tier of mechanical banks in the Max Berry collection are two original models, both made of lead, formerly in the Hegarty collection. One is a “Wishbone” bank in which two figures pull on a wishbone that comes apart; the other is a circa-1881 Charles A. Bailey-designed “Old Aunt Dinah and the Fairy.” Both of these patterns will be auctioned with an $80,000-$100,000 estimate. Collectors of tin banks will find many exciting rarities in the Berry collection, as well. The only known example of a Weeden clockwork “Chinese Ball Tosser,” with its original box, is expected to make $70,000-$90,000. Also featured are two Saalheimer & Strauss Mickey This Saalheimer & Strauss Mickey Mouse money boxes in very fine Mouse mechanical tin bank, circa condition, est. $15,000-$30,000 1930s, is estimated at $15,000(Continued on page 2)
$18,000.
The Ives Flying Artillery, circa 1890, is a classic American firefighting toy. It measures 21 inches long and is estimated at $2,500-$3,500.
This Marklin (Germany) oversize hansom cab, 28 inches long, is estimated at $15,000-$18,000.
About Max Berry:
A Christmas morning bell toy brass pattern of unknown manufacture with provenance from the collections of Edwin H. Mosler Jr. and Al Davidson is estimated at $8,000-$10,000.
A Washington, D.C., resident, Max N. Berry has practiced international trade law since 1967. He represents industries and countries throughout Europe, as well as U.S. corporations and trade associations that export various products abroad. In addition, he has been active in national and local politics and served on the Business and Finance Council for national parties. Berry has also been significantly involved with nonprofit organizations in Washington, D.C., and throughout the United States. A longtime patron of the arts, he has participated on the boards of many cultural organizations and recently served as the chairman of the board of trustees of the Smithsonian Institution. He is also on the board of trustees of the Metropolitan Museum of Art and serves/has served as trustee to countless other fine art institutions. Over the years, Berry has also been an actively involved member of both the Antique Toy Collectors of America and Mechanical Bank Collectors of America, for which he has served with distinction as pro bono legal adviser.