COMPLIMENTARY COPY
A “Tour De Force” Cincinnati Carved Cabinet Becomes A Family Affair FRIDAY DECEMBER 23, 2016 • VOL. 47, NO. 52
Fine European Toys Dominate At Bertoia’s $1.9 Million Annual Fall Auction Marklin Steam-Powered “Amerika” Liner Sails To $59,000
This circa 1920-30 Marklin “Amerika” Series II steam-powered liner, retained for generations by original owner’s family, exquisitely detailed, was the top lot of the sale, selling for $59,000. Bertoia’s Annual Fall 2016 Auction had been publicized as one of the company’s most diverse to date, and over the long weekend of Nov. 11, 12, and 13, that promise was fulfilled. Bidders paid aggressive, above-estimate prices for rare toys from dozens of popular categories, pushing the total to $1.9 million, inclusive of buyer’s premium. The glossy, full-color auction catalog was the thickness of a good-sized city’s telephone book, a testament to the huge variety of toys, banks, and holiday antiques Bertoia’s had carefully selected for the 2,194-lot sale. There were buyers for everything, from diminutive penny toys to hefty steam plants, but it was premium-quality Marklin boats that sailed to the top of prices realized. A Series II steam-powered “Amerika” liner was absolutely fresh to the market and consigned by the grandchildren of the Continued on page 2
This Belsnickle candy container with glass icicle beard, mica “snow” on coat and hood, golden beads around hood, and 16 inches tall sold for $26,550.
The Lehmann Echo motorcycle with rider, early spoke-wheel version with original pictorial box, sold for $11,201.
When Herbert Broadfoot II and his wife, Nancy, called Great Gatsby’s Auction Gallery in Atlanta, Ga., to consign a family heirloom – a tour de force Cincinnati cabinet with exuberant carving by William H. Fry - they knew this piece needed to find “the right home.” In the midst of downsizing, the Broadfoots counted on the marketing efforts of the auction house to find the right audience. The cabinet, which was commissioned as a wedding present in 1876 for Broadfoot’s great-great aunt, The Aesthetic Movement carved cabinet, circa 1876, from Mary Boyd, had been Cincinnati, Ohio, sold for $7,400 at Great Gatsby’s Auction Gallery passed down in Atlanta, Ga. through the family, never appearing on the open market. Ms. Fry is an avid enthusiast and As one of the star lots in its collector of her great-great grandthree-day sale, which ran from father’s work. In the auction indusOct. 14 to 16, the cabinet sold to try, that would be called “keeping it none other than Laura Fry in Tulsa, in the family.” The piece sold for Okla. – the great-great granddaugh- $7,400 (price includes buyer’s ter of William H. Fry. Fry, a curator premium). For additional information, of art at the Gilcrease Museum, was named after William Fry’s daughter, readers may call Great Gatsby’s Laura Anne Fry, who studied carving Auction Gallery at 770-457-1903 or alongside her father. The current email auction@greatgatsbys.com.
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D’Amore Fills Dulles Expo Center For Upcoming D.C. Big Flea on page 2
USPS Stamps In Honor Of Andrew Wyeth Will Be Issued In 2017 on page 11
Fallen Clock Returns It’s back! The fallen clock has returned. Earlier this year the National Watch and Clock Museum in Columbia, Pa., shared a surveillance video of a pair of visitors to the museum who couldn’t resist touching a sculptural wall clock, accidentally knocking the wooden clock off the wall and severely damaging it. The museum posted the video on its official YouTube channel as a reminder to visitors about the danger of touching museum objects. Once posted, the video immediately went viral, resulting in phone calls from media around the world asking for interviews and further information about the accident. Fortunately, the damaged clock was not beyond repair. The clock has just been returned to the museum after being restored by its Minnesota artist and clockmaker James Borden. The nationally award-winning clock had hung in the museum for more than 20 years but is again on display where it belongs. Accompanying its return are a half-dozen more large-scale unique clocks. Together, they form the new exhibit, “Time Shapes: The Artistry of James Borden,” which will be on view through Tuesday, Feb. 28, 2017. The museum looks forward to sharing this collection as they welcome visitors to look, but not touch.
Asian Arts Sell In Lancaster County on page 12
Results From Gateway’s Toy Sale on page 14
The National Watch and Clock Museum is operated by the National Association of Watch and Clock Collectors Inc., a nonprofit 501(c)(3) association with over 13,000 members, representing 52 countries. To learn more or for general museum information, readers may call 717-684-8261 or visit www.museumoftime.org.
In This Issue SHOPS, SHOWS & MARKETS . . . . . . . . . . starting on page 3 SHOPS DIRECTORY . . . . . . . . . on page 5 EVENT & AUCTION CALENDAR . on page 7 AUCTION SALE BILLS . . . starting on page 7
FEATURED SHOW: D.C. Big Flea - Jan. 7 and 8 in Chantilly, Virginia - Page 2
AUCTIONEER DIRECTORY . . . . on page 10 CLASSIFIEDS . . . . . . . . . . . . . on page 15