This four-piece Märklin Fidelitas clown train, 37 inches long total, earned the highest price of day one and both days overall at $75,000 ($60/90,000).
Review by Kiersten Busch
VINELAND, N.J. — Bertoia Auctions’ Annual Fall sale was conducted November 21-22, offering 840 lots between the two days. The first day focused on European and American trains and accessories in various gauges, German boats, French Martin figures, German WWII figurines and comic character toys. The second day highlighted space and robot toys, German wind-ups and automobiles, mechanical banks, doorstops, cast iron toys and pressed steel. While a total was not divulged for the auction, its sell-through rate across both days was nearly 99 percent, with only about 10 lots going unsold.
A Märklin Fidelitas clown train wheeled its way to the highest overall price, landing at $75,000. The toy featured four cars with clowns at the helm of each. Catalog notes explained, “We first heard of this toy turning up in Argentina five years ago, but shortly after some correspondences, it vanished. It had looked too good to be true from photos, but when the owner decided to sell it, they actually flew to the US to hand deliver it to us.”
A few other Märklin models, specifically gauge III examples, earned top prices on day one, including a hand-painted postal car, which sold for the third-highest price, $52,500. The 17-inch-long model had cast iron trucks and wheels and was featured in Count Giasanti Coluzzi’s book Trains On Avenue De Rumine. A red passenger car with later trucks and wheels, most likely circa 1915, made $42,500, while an ECF 4023 Bavarian Atlantic windcutter locomotive with live steam chugged to $28,750.
This 17-inch-long Märklin gauge III hand-painted postal car rolled to a stop at $52,500 against a $7/11,000 estimate.
A Schoenner gauge IV Wainwright locomotive earned the second-highest price of day one, pulling into the station for $55,000 against a very conservative $6/9,000 estimate. Documented as the “largest Wainwright locomotive made by Schoenner” at 16 inches long, the circa 1904 model was hand painted, had a decorative lining and included its original headlamps.
While locomotives and train cars were popular, a handful of more unusual models from Märklin also drew bidder attention. A Rheinurferbahn tram set was bid far past its $8/14,000 estimate at $23,750. The gauge I set of three trams — including one powered unit and two un-powered cars — were all hand-painted and cataloged as “scarce and very desirable,” most likely due in part to their excellent condition.
Only one zeppelin was offered on day one, which was also manufactured by Märklin. Cataloged as an “Incredible largest Märklin zeppelin,” due to its 17½-inch in length, the wind-up model was fresh-to-the-market from an Ohio estate. The zeppelin had multiple tail fins, four small propellers on its sides and two baskets underneath. The lot came complete with a “multi-language instruction sheet which was folded up inside one of the gondolas,” according to catalog notes, and flew away for $22,500.
At 17½ inches long, this Märklin zeppelin was considered the largest made by the company, and it was fresh-to-market from an Ohio estate; it flew to $22,500 ($8/16,000).
A handful of ocean liners crossed the block, led also by a Märklin Mauretania live steam powered ocean liner from the UK collection of Tony Cuff. According to the auction catalog, this example was “the largest produced of the ocean liner series” at 40 inches in length. With professionally restored and aged paint with a heavy gel coat applied on top, the liner docked for $22,500, the same price as the zeppelin. A Fleischmann ocean liner display model ($9,375), a “charming” Märklin ocean liner with a clockwork motor ($6,875) and a Carette four-stack ocean liner ($4,688) also found new homes.
A more casual boat came in the form of a Mickey Mouse Fun-e-Flex Boat, Number 28, made by George Borgfeldt Company (US), which was accompanied by its original box. With provenance to the Richard Mueller collection, the “extremely rare Disney toy” was cataloged as such due to its early Disney licensing, the addition of its box and its near mint condition. Sailing far past its $2,5/5,000 estimate, the boat made $15,000.
“This is an incredible opportunity, as this is believed to be the only example known,” the auction catalog explained of a Kenton Coca-Cola stake-bed delivery truck, which was most likely made by Kenton “prior to holding an official licensing agreement with the cola company.” The notes continue, “presumably, a deal was never reached and as a result, this Coca-Cola truck was never formally put into production.” Still in pristine condition, the truck’s previous owner, collector Dale Burchardt, kept the toy wrapped in a towel and hidden in a chest of drawers; still attached was the Kenton 1930 showroom tag. The truck sailed past its $20/35,000 estimate to achieve the highest price of day two, at $45,000.
Thought to be the only known example, this Kenton Coca-Cola stake-bed delivery truck was hidden away by previous owner, Dale Burchardt, for years, preserving its quality and 1930 Kenton showroom tag. The truck earned $45,000 to lead day two ($20/35,000).
Around five more lots of Kenton toys sold, ranging in price from $688 for a Jaeger cement mixer truck, to $17,500 for a sample room example of a 1936 Nash Lafayette coupe with a house trailer, which had provenance to the Dick Ford and Tony Lasala collections. The latter was the only example of its kind observed outside of the Kenton Museum in Ohio and measured 12½ inches long.
More than 50 mechanical banks were offered, with a J&E Stevens Company bank of a girl skipping rope hopping to the highest price of the category: $16,250. Noted as the “lovely blue dress” variation, this example was one of the few clockwork activated banks on the market and was purchased directly from known mechanical bank collector Steve Steckbeck by FH Griffith, its consignor.
Two other top prices went to mechanical banks, including a Bing trumpet herald bank ($12,500) and a J&E Stevens Company Panorama bank ($11,875). The former was hand-painted in Germany and was a very early example. The latter had 100 percent original paint and was free of any “typical roofline cracks or repairs,” which may have helped raise its final price.
Additional mechanical banks that caught bidders’ eyes included a circa 1882 springing cat example by Charles A. Bailey that had belonged to the same family for more than a century ($8,750), a J&E Stevens Company example of a dentist pulling a tooth ($8,750) and a circa 1890s bank depicting Atlas holding up the globe, which had no known manufacturer ($7,500).
Complete with all-original colorful lithographed graphics, this Golden Bat racecar by the Japanese toy company Yonezawa, 16 inches long, drove across the finish line for $12,500 ($7/13,000).
A Yonezawa Golden Bat racecar led the selection of tin toys by the Japanese toy brand at $12,500. In “fabulous condition,” the friction-driven car contained all-original colorful lithographed graphics and measured 16 inches long. The additional Yonezawa lots ranged in price from $688 for a Japan Racer Special #8 racecar, to $5,313 for a boxed Atom racer #8 with just two intact rubber tires. Only one Yonezawa toy was not a car: a battery-powered and motor-driven Modern Robot toy complete with its “very scarce” original cardboard box, which was bid to $1,375.
A few unique cast iron toys attracted bidder attention on day two, including a Pratt & Letchworth hose reel fire toy made in Buffalo, N.Y., circa 1895. This early version of the toy had characteristic wide-spoked wheels and all-original paint, as well both of its white horses. It was also featured in John Olshefski’s book Cast Iron Horse Drawn Toys — Fire and Police Wagons. Blasting past its $3/6,000 estimate the fire toy blazed for $11,875.
Two Hubley cast iron toys followed closely after, with a 9-inch-long Panama shovel with “distinctive blue painted housing” and provenance to the Larry Sieber collection earning $11,250, while an Elgin street sweeper cleaned up for $10,625. The latter was noted as “a collector favorite” in the auction catalog, partially due to its detailed casting and complete Hubley decal on its side. This example also had provenance to both the Sieber and Bob Brady collections.
Bertoia will sell tin toys, biscuit tins, European trains and other items from the Maloy Collection on December 13. Prices quoted include the buyer’s premium as reported by the auction house. For further information, 856-692-1881 or www.bertoiaauctions.com.
