It didn’t take long on Friday, September 9, for the parking lot at Pook & Pook to fill to capacity and spill over into the lot of the adjoining church property. People seemed to be coming from everywhere to bid on the contents of Merritt’s Museum of Childhood, 1,301 lots featured in a two-day sale. Car plates indicated buyers from Ohio, Delaware, North Carolina, Maryland, Connecticut, New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania had made the trip to buy in person, while many others had registered as absentee bidders and eBay participants.

“We issued over 1,500 bidding numbers for the sale, including some overseas interest,” said Ronald Pook, vice president and auctioneer.

The content of this museum, ranging in size from tiny sewing objects to oversized cigar store figures, represented the lifelong interest of the late Robert and Mary Merritt who, in 1963, moved their collec-tions from an overflowing 16-room house to a building that they opened for the public to enjoy. The doll collection from the museum will be sold over a six-day period in the fall of 2006 and March 2007, by Noel Barrett Auctions.

The sale started with one of the many groupings of things, the first a selection of 22 painted tin animal toys from the early Twentieth Century, $345. All prices in this review include the 15 percent buyer’s premium charged by the gallery.

Ron Pook, left, with Bob Merritt, president of Merritt Antiques and one of the principals of the sale, with a few of the figures from the museum collection.

A German painted tin mechanical bird, circa 1900, 9 incheshigh, went well over the $500 high estimate, selling for $1,725,and a Muhler & Kadater painted tin go-round toy, with zeppelinsand airplanes, 22 inches high, sold for $$5,290, again well overthe high estimate of $1,500. An Arcade Deluxe Andy Gump car, alloriginal, 71/2 inches long, went for $2,185 ($6/800), and a Kyserand Rex cast iron Santa sleigh, 13 inches long, sold to aPennsylvania dealer for $3,910.

Among the mechanical bank collection was a “Dog on Turn-table,” cast iron, circa 1900, by H.L. Judd Mfg Co., 5 inches high and with the original painted surface. The high estimate was $1,000, but interest took this piece to $7,475. Steve Weiss of Gemini Antiques, New York City, said that he had a couple of banks on the same type, but with a japanned finish. “This is the best one I have seen, a rare painted example, and it was still a good value at that price.”

Four cast iron still banks, late Nineteenth to early Twentieth Century, including a military figure, Hubley Boy Scout and Mulligan Police-man, went four times over the high estimate selling for $2,070. Alice in Wonderland, a set of ten characters, litho-graph on wood, sold for $2,300, and an early 2-2-0 Marklin engine, tender and box car with spring loop couplers brought $1,920.

One of the best examples of original paint was a carved tricycle dating from the late Nineteenth Century, yellow and red with black and yellow pinstriping, for $3,680, double the high estimate. A painted pine and cast iron “Reindeer” sled, late Nineteenth Century, 55 inches long with the original paint and decoration, went for $1,495.

There was lots of interest in the old clothing and fabrics offered, and a selection of ladies vintage clothing including satin shoes, wool, velvet and cotton jackets, skirts and hats, sold for $8,050, well above the $700 high estimate. Four wax mannequin lady’s heads by Charles W. Cook, Philadelphia, all in vintage bonnets, went for $4,140 ($200/400), and another grouping of vintage clothing in silk, linen, velvet and cotton, skirts, blouses, and jackets, brought $2,530 ($200/400).

A Victorian cast iron and brass sewing bird with pin-cushion finial and ornate body, together with an assortment including measuring tapes, thimbles and quilt pat-terns, went for $4,850 ($350/500), and a French musical box, 25 inches high and coin operated with three birds, late Nineteenth Century, sold for $4,600 to a phone bidder.

“Has to be a record for a hitching post,” Ron Pook commented after the sale, referring to a cast iron figure of a Chinaman, late Nineteenth Century, 48 inches tall and highly repainted. The high estimate was $1,200; the final bid was $46,000.

Leeds cup plates and coffee pots, Staffordshire children’smugs and plates, creamware, pearlware and Pratt ware were alloffered, with most of the lots going over high estimate. Two largecreamware jugs, one inscribed “Success to the Swimbridge LimeKilns, 1819,” with ovoid body and floral and grapevine decoration,7 inches high, sold for $2,300 against a high estimate of $500.Four mocha shakers, one with brown and tan banding and seaweeddecoration, brought $2,070, while two Leeds cup plates with bluefeathered rim and eagle decoration, one impressed “Wood,” 4 inchesand 31/2 inches in diameter, sold for $2,300.

An educated guess would put the number of Currier & Ives and N. Currier chromolithographs at about one hundred, many grouped in lots of six or seven. For the most part they fell within estimate, selling generally for less than $500.

Among the collection of German glass, circa 1830-1850, was a collection of seven blown clear steins with enamel decoration and pewter lids, 7 to 91/2 inches high, that brought $2,530. A pair of massive ruby cut to clear goblets in an armorial pattern, 12 inches high, went well over the high estimate of $400, selling for $4,830.

A George Washington autograph, signed also by Jonathan Trumbull Jr, with a portrait of Washington, framed and consisting of army discharge papers for Henry Samson, 13 by 8 inches, sold for $10,200 ($5/8,000). A Pennsylvania paper cutout valentine, mid Nineteenth Century, with rows of hearts and vines, 121/4 by 121/4 inches, brought $2,530, and a watercolor and ink on paper fraktur dated 1820 for Maria Kepler with a banner over lovebirds flanking a crown, retaining an elaborate half column painted and blocked corner frame, 121/2 by 73/4 inches, went for $9,200 ($½,000).

On Saturday, the second day of the sale, cigar store figures, shop signs, a selection of hitching posts and some garden items crossed the block. Bob Merritt, president of Merritt’s Antiques and one of the principals of the auction, mentioned, “My father bought these things and if the paint was not good on them, he would have them sand-blasted and the surface repainted.”

Two works by Noah Weiss (1842-1907), Northampton, Lehigh County, Penn., were in the sale. This one, the largest, depicts Civil War General Philip Sheridan’s cavalry charge near Winchester. An oil on canvas and carved wood mural, 76 ½ by 116 inches, sold just over the low estimate of $10,000 at $10,925.

This was the case with most of the pieces offered, from acast iron relief of a 25-inch- high buffalo head dating from thelate Nineteenth Century, that went to a phone bidder for $6,900($800-$1,200), to lot 697, a cast iron and painted tavern hitchingpost from the late Nineteenth Century, with a beer mug finial abovea column surrounded by liquor bottles, above a keg and a baseinscribed “Wm Adams & Co. 960 N. 9th St., Phil.”) With a highestimate of $5,000, it sold for $9,200. One wonders what thesethings might have brought were they in good original paint.

A cast zinc cigar store figure dating from the late Nineteenth Century, attributed to William Demuth & Co., New York City, 81 inches tall, a young squaw with cigar in one hand and the other raised and holding a bundle of tobacco leaves, mounted on a later wood base, brought $27,600 ($7/9,000).

The museum was filled with many collections, including wrought iron rush lamps that were sold in lots of two to four and generally in the $700 range, and cookie cutters that again were sold in lots, up to as many as 12, bringing in under $500.

Snuff boxes in all shapes and forms were sold, followed by a large collection of match safes, sold in lots. One grouping of 23 brass and mixed metal animal-form match safes, including monkeys and elephants, sold for $5,290, well over the high estimate of $400.

Among the furniture lots were a Pennsylvania late Federal tiger maple canopy bed, circa 1820, scalloped head-board and turned posts, at $1,610; a Pennsylvania tall case clock in mahogany, circa 1835, white painted face and eight-day works, $3,680; and a Pennsylvania one-piece architectural corner cupboard in pine, circa 1810, molded cornice over two arched, raised panel doors, 113 inches high, for $5,290.

The Saturday session began with the sale of six composition circus musicians, circa 1930, 53 inches high and display figures from Wanamaker’s Department Store. The six were sold in pairs, ranging in price from $748 to $1,150. The presale estimate was $800 to $1,200 per pair.

Chalkware included a 71/2- inch-high rooster with vibrantyellow, black and red poly-chrome decoration, mid NineteenthCentury, for $4,140 ($500/900) to a phone bidder; a figure of SantaClaus, base signed “Virgil Baldi” and measuring 23 inches tall,late Nineteenth Century, $6,900 ($800-$1,200) to another phonebidder; and a figure of a cat, Nineteenth Century, 151/2 incheshigh, polychrome deco-ration, sold for $7,475, close to twice thehigh estimate.

A massive Great Lakes Indian oval burl bowl with cut-out handles, 91/2 inches high 22 inches in diameter, Nineteenth Century, sold for $6,325, and the same money went for a wallpaper hat box, mid Nineteenth century, vibrant blue and orange foliate decoration, 61/4 inches high and 101/4 inches wide. A George I gate leg table in mahogany, circa 1720, rectangular top with rounded ends over a frame with two drawers, boldly turned legs joined by stretchers, brought $19,550 against a high estimate of $5,000.

The sale ended up with some pieces for the garden, and a number of box lots that included locks, kitchen implements, trivets, corkscrews, eyeglasses and nutcrackers, all making for a “fabulous” sale, according to Ron Pook. “Things went very well, many of the lots did far better than we had hoped, and it certainly was an interesting sale,” he said.

The only glitch in the two-day event involved eBay as the system was down for about ten minutes at the start of the sale on Saturday. “They were down nationally and wanted us to hold the sale until they were up and running,” Ron said. “We declined, as it was not fair to those who traveled to be here and we began at 10 am as scheduled.”