“Donald Kaufman’s rare and bountiful antique toy collection created what many believe was the most well-attended auction of its kind,” stated Jeanne Bertoia in her typical reserved fashion during the days following the landmark sale. In fact, the Kaufman Collection at Bertoia Auctions, March 19′1, will most probably come to be regarded as the most exciting and comprehensive auction of its kind.
Taking the lead once again, Bertoia’s, founded by the late Bill Bertoia, “etched yet another chapter in the history of toy collecting,” a trend Bill began more than three decades ago and one that his wife, Jeanne, and his brother, Rich, continue to follow today. The sale edged out the previous record sale for the 20-year-old auction firm, the 1998 Stan Sax bank collection.
Close to 1,500 lots crossed the auction block during the first three sessions of Bertoia’s Kaufman sale, and notable prices were posted, literally, from start to finish. Bertoia’s termed the Thursday evening session a comprehensive “sampler” of all categories to follow in the full-day sessions on Friday and Saturday. The “sampler” proved to be a sample of things to come, as the first ten lots sold set an imposing tone for the entire weekend, grossing more than $215,000. Even more impressive was the three-day total, coming in at $4.2 million.
The sale attracted international attention; it was even featured on Bloomberg News’ website, where it was declared prior to the auction that Kaufman “may be the Yves Saint Laurent of the antique toy world,” alluding to the late designer’s record-setting sale at Christie’s in Paris this past February.
Kaufman, now 78, reportedly showed signs of becoming a consummate collector at the age of 3, when he began amassing bottle caps and matchboxes. Kaufman’s father and uncle started a candy business in 1922 that, through the aid of Donald, later became KB Toys, further expanding into a 1,300-store chain. He sold his share of the company in 1981.
In the years that followed, Kaufman amassed the quintessential collection of more than 7,000 antique toys of all varieties. Cast iron vehicles ranked high on Kaufman’s collecting list, and a host of those examples were considered to be “one-of-a-kind” or “one of a handful known.”
The first lot to be offered in the Thursday evening session was a Hubley circus band wagon in near mint condition that carried a presale estimate of $12/15,000. It listed a provenance of the Hubley “factory showroom” where examples of the toys were on display and used to aid in obtaining orders for the company. Purchased early on by a former Hubley storeroom supervisor, and later acquired by Kaufman, it was one of the first nine lots to be offered †each listing “showroom” provenance.
It soon became apparent that the rare circus wagon would set the tone and pace for the three-session sale as a flurry of bids were executed, with the lot more than doubling the high estimate, going out at $29,900.
Other lots with “showroom” provenance included a Hubley calliope circus wagon ($5/7,000) that sold at $17,250; a Royal Circus mirrored van ($4/6,000) at $20,700; and a Hubley giraffe Royal Circus wagon ($7/9,000) that realized $19,550.
It was the last of the Hubley “showroom” toys that created the most excitement, however; a rare Hubley revolving monkey cage wagon. Also listing a provenance of the Perelman Toy Museum, it carried a hefty presale estimate of $30/40,000. “Considered the most elusive in the famed circus menagerie on wheels,” the toy depicted monkeys perched on a tree inside of a wire cage. As the wheels moved, the tree and swinging monkeys revolved.
“The colors are striking,” stated the catalog, with bright red wheels on the ornate orange and gold wagon. The wagon was pulled by two black parade horses and a driver dressed in red. Bidding on the monkey wagon was intense, with it becoming the second highest grossing lot of the auction as it hammered down after a prolonged bidding battle at $97,750.
The top lot of the auction also crossed the block on Thursday evening, coming from the extensive selection of Marklin toys. The German-made Fidelitas clown car train featured seated clowns with a variety of props in their hands †a hoop, a flower carrier and a sign. Finely hand painted, the 37½-inch toy has been little seen outside reference books.
Estimated $30/40,000, the toy was listed as being in excellent original condition with the exception of one clown face repainted, one head replaced and a replaced cart sign. Bidding on this lot was also spirited, with it selling at a record price paid at auction of $103,500, going to an anonymous buyer from Europe.
Kaufman’s collection of cars was obviously the most popular classification of the sale. Leading the way was a “stunning luxury European limousine” that was thought to be the largest produced limo ever made and was “regarded by the world’s most advanced collectors as a true masterpiece.” Not produced by any of the highly regarded makers of tin automobile toys, the unmarked limo was thought for many years to have been made in France. Recent scholarship, however, has placed the toy as Spanish in origin, produced by Hispania, circa 1907. Measuring just under 2 feet in length, the clockwork car was meticulously detailed with pin striping, ornate luggage rack, glass windows and rubber tires.
Estimated at $50,000-plus, the exquisite Hispania limo was knocked down at $80,500.
Another of the rare limos offered in the sale was a large clockwork-driven Carette in cream with blue accents that measured 16 inches in length. In excellent condition, the car ($18/23,000) also saw a flurry of bids, selling at $39,100.
A rare Gunthermann open Phaeton with passengers was another of the lots to soar past estimates. The rare clockwork auto, in excellent condition, was painted in a blue and white color scheme and featured a dramatic-appearing spare white rubber tire mounted to the top of the curved bonnet. Estimated at $20/25,000, the car sold at $62,100.
Also in a blue color scheme, a hand enameled Marklin two-seated open roadster was cataloged as being in pristine condition with the exception of an added driver and brittle white rubber tires. Estimated at $25/30,000, the lot handily exceeded predictions, selling at $57,500. A Marklin open roadster, called “one of the most imposing early toy roadsters ever made,” also captured the attention of collectors. In a hand enameled gray finish with black trim, the car was listed in pristine condition ($20/22,000), and sold at $57,500.
A Bing taxi, considered to be one of the most luxurious models produced by the manufacturer, was in a rich maroon paint. Cataloged as one of the “premier” examples from the Kaufman collection ($18/20,000), the rare example sold at $46,000.
Race cars did exceptionally well, with a Bing clockwork-driven open racer, circa 1904, attracting a great deal of attention. The powder blue car was cataloged as “very rare and possibly the finest example known,” with but a couple of minor imperfections listed, including the addition of a composition driver. Several in the crowd chased the lot on its way to a final selling price of $36,800.
A classic Gunthermann Coupe Gordon Bennet racer in white with a four-leaf clover decorating the top of the bonnet also elicited a strong bout of bidding. Driven by a midsection clockwork mechanism, the car featured a chain-driven rear axel neatly exposed on the right side of the car. “This is by all standards one of the most sought-after toy racers ever made,” related the catalog of this sleek 12-inch-long example ($15/20,000). Collectors duked it out for the car, with it hammering down at $29,900.
Trucks also performed well, with a Kingsbury Parcel Delivery panel van, thought to be the rarest of the vehicles in the Kingsbury line, leading the way. In blue, with orange disc wheels and white rubber tires, it carried a presale estimate of $6/8,000, yet hammered down at $32,200.
A rare Hartwig and Vogel-UV biscuit delivery truck, cataloged as “one of less than a handful known to exist,” was another of the trucks to do well. The classic French-made delivery van was also said to be one of Kaufman’s “prized possessions.” Estimated at $12/15,000, the truck sold for $19,550.
A Hubley cast iron “Flowers” clockwork motorcycle in blue paint also caught the eye of toy collectors. Considered to be the “Holy Grail” of finds, the “Say it with Flowers” embossed delivery cycle carried a provenance of the Hegarty toy collection. Although selling for less than anticipated, the cycle brought $59,800.
Another “Say it with Flowers” delivery cycle in good condition, without the clockwork mechanism, sold at $34,500.
A classic “Hill Climber” cast iron Harley Davidson motorcycle with rider, said to have been a Hubley “factory sample” was in mint condition with a black leather-clad rider atop his bright orange steed. Measuring just over 8 inches in length, it sold at more than double estimates, bringing $34,500.
A Lehmann tin litho Quex motorcycle and rider with clockwork mechanism, the rarest in the series of Lehmann cycles, shot past the $7/8,000 estimates as several in the crowd chased the lot to a selling price of $27,600.
Two rare biscuit tins in the form of cars did well, with a Gary Dunn racer selling for $25,300, while a clockwork Alpha Romeo motor car brought $23,000.
For a big kid’s little kid, a 6-foot-long child’s battery powered “Baby Bugatti” from the 1930s, owned by Bill Harrah and sold during the Harrah’s Museum sale in 1985, was offered with an estimate of $20/25,000. The race-ready car more than likely pleased one of the young-at-heart bidders, while breaking the hearts of numerous others. Topping estimates, it went out at $36,800.
Part II of the Kaufman collection auctions at Bertoia’s will take place September 25 and 26. For further information, contact Bertoia Auctions at 856-692-1881 or www.BertoiaAuctions.com .
