This lot of 19 early felt and velvet animals, 2 to 6 inches, some marked “Germany,” included a Dismal Desmond dog and earned the sale-high price of $1,506.
Review by Kiersten Busch
HILLSBOROUGH, N.H. — Withington Auction captured the heart of every inner child with its Summer 2025 Auction, which consisted of 240 lots of antique dollhouses, dolls, choice miniatures, early Steiff and other vintage toys. The sale also featured the second part of the collection of Shelley Smith of Bethlehem, Conn., and 100 dolls from a notable Boston collector, who was a member of the Doll Study Club of Boston. Owner Marcia Leizure reported, “The results of the auction were better than the first part of the collection sold in March. All lots in the sale were sold.”
“Back in the fall of 2024, we learned of the passing of Shelley Smith, a long-time Withington doll friend and lifetime collector of dolls, dollhouse miniatures, rare Steiff animals, toys, games and the treasures of childhood,” explained Leizure. “Early in the spring, we agreed to take on the task of bringing the collection to the antiques marketplace. Occupying almost every room in her 12-room cape house, the extensive collection included a dozen or more large doll houses as well as hundreds of miniatures! […] We have spent many months reliving our version of Christmas morning — unwrapping each individual package to reveal our next present. There was no rhyme or reason to the boxes, just one surprise after another!”
A lot of 19 early felt and velvet animals, ranging from 2 to 6 inches in height, led the day. The menagerie contained furry friends such as a Dismal Desmond dog, numerous cats, a rabbit, a cow, a pig and two elephants. Some of the dolls were marked “Germany,” and all were in “played with” condition, according to catalog notes. After 23 bids back and forth, the animals were finally wrangled for $1,506.
Two 12-inch teddy bears and one 24-inch-long red panda made up this lot of three Steiff animals that crossed the block for $915.
Leizure shared, “There were a lot of Steiff mohair animals in the collection, and the ones that sold were the earlier, uncommon examples.” The German toy manufacturer’s well-known stuffed animals made up 19 lots, led by a group of three items which sold for $915. The lot included two 12-inch teddy bears — one blonde and the other golden, both with button eyes — as well as a 24-inch-long red panda with a Steiff button attached to its ear. One of the bears had a crier, but it no longer functioned. Several Steiff lots featured pull-toy animals on wheels, including a 15-inch mohair bear ($649), a blonde mohair elephant ($319), a 9-inch-long wool-covered cat ($307), a 30-inch brown mohair bear with a pull growler ($93) and a three-color ride-on horse ($45).
Animals were not only represented by the cuddly and plush variety, a lot of nine vintage animal-form candy containers, some marked “Germany,” earned the second highest price of the sale at $1,358. The group included four dogs, a white tiger, a cat, a jaguar, a gazelle and a bird with a nest, and ranged in height from 4 to 10 inches.
Four Sally Smith Cutts artist dolls led all things doll-related, selling together for a fashionable $1,273. Ranging in height from 4 to 7½ inches, the porcelain dolls were made in the years 1996, 1998, 2004 and 2006 and had “elaborate hair styles and sheer outfits,” according to catalog notes.
Dating from the years 1996, 1998, 2004 and 2006 and ranging in height from 4 to 7½ inches, this lot of four Sally Smith Cutts artist dolls in sheer outfits made $1,273.
Artist dolls were popular with bidders, as all 45 lots on offer went to new homes. Excluding the lot of four Cutts dolls, the artist dolls ranged in price from $35 for a 4½-inch-high porcelain-headed doll with a teddy bear body made by Ingris Schmid (Canada) and Bears N Company, to $797 for a Kestner AT model named Annelise, who came with her lift top trunk and eight additional outfits. The latter had green glass eyes, a blonde mohair wig, cloth body and bisque arms, and came dressed in a tan and red plaid traveling outfit.
A bisque doll dressed as a bunny, complete with an egg-shaped presentation basket, led 23 lots of bisque dolls at $1,210. The 5-inch-tall toy had brown glass eyes and a brown mohair wig. Other notable finishes included $916 for a lot of nine bisque dolls in varying outfits, including two dressed as boys, and $826 for an 11-inch-high 183 Belton child doll dressed in a white blouse and patterned skirt.
German dollhouse displays and accessories were not in abundance, but all five that were offered sold, with a German dollhouse antique kitchen leading the group. Framed with fluted columns done in gold and blue paint, the display’s wallpaper was a faux blue pattern, and its floor was decorated with white Delft tiles. It was furnished with approximately 50 pieces of dollhouse miniatures, including kitchen items, furniture and even a small bulldog. After 13 bids back and forth, the kitchen earned a clean $790. Leizure added, “Room boxes and dioramas did better than dollhouses — the larger ones were difficult to sell. A Gottschalk mansion sold for around $450.”
Part three of the Smith collection and a large selection of yellowware and country furnishings will be sold in September, with a date forthcoming. Prices quoted include buyer’s premium as reported by the auction house. For information, 603-478-3232 or www.withingtonauction.com.
