Date: Fri 29-Jan-1999

Publication: Ant

Author: JUDIR

Quick Words:

Friz-Sotheby's-Anderson-Toy

Full Text:

Sothebys Auctions Anderson Estate Toy Collection

(with 15 cuts)

By Dick Friz

NEW YORK CITY -- Sotheby's Carol Anderson Estate Toy Auction on December 12

marked one of the seminal sales of the last decade.

From this daunting motherlode of 538 lots, many of the top-shelf entries -- of

impeccable pedigree -- were gleaned from the hobby's most memorable auctions

of Nineteenth Century clockwork tinplate and lithographed wood toys of our

time. This includes Bertoia & Barrett's Atlanta Toy Museum in '56, Alex

Acevedo's Pressman Toy Museum and Bernard Berenholtz glorified tag sales in

'58 and '59; Noel Barrett's Tom Anderson Collection Auction in '91; and Bill

Bertoia's "Something For Everyone" Auction in '93.

Lancaster, Pa. dealers Bob and Marianne Schneider sold some 70 percent of the

toys comprising this collection to the late Carol Anderson, who, as a member

of the Anderson Window family, spared no expense in amassing the assemblage.

Bob recalled that back in 1988, when she first got the toy bug, "Carol and her

husband flew into Philadelphia from their Michigan home and we took them to

the Perelman Toy Museum. She was absolutely delighted with the toys and kept

repeating, `I'll take this one and that one.'"

The Schneiders had to explain that the toys were part of the museum's

permanent collection, and not for sale. Ironically, only a few months later,

following a break-in, Leon Perelman elected to close his museum and the toys

subsequently became available at Acevedo's so-called "Great Grab of '88."

A standing-room-only crowd, many of them new faces, packed Sotheby's East 76th

Street salesroom in Manhattan in December to see a collection displayed in its

entirety for the first time. Anderson passed away seven years ago following a

long illness, and the graphically compelling items had been kept in storage

and never shown.

Previewers at Friday evening's festive reception thus took in the full

spectrum of viscerally appealing French posters, target games, exotic platform

toys, enchanting roundabouts, large wood carousel figures and stuffed animals.

Despite auctioneer William F. Ruprecht's snooze-inducing cadence, there were

full lulls and little need for wake-up calls as many toys, even the less

rarefied examples, went ballistic at two and three times beyond high

estimates. The final tally was a rousing $1,203,532, including ten percent

buyer's premiums.

In fact, many in the gallery could empathize with the mournful young lad with

empty pockets inside-out, depicted in a whimsical 1920s polychrone French

die-cut sign: lotted with a Sailor-boy sign, it brought $3,450.

Anderson's largess of Nineteenth Century clockwork tinplate platform wheel and

platform toys evoked the hallowed names of Ives, Secor, George Brown,

Automatic Toy Works, Henry Brower, and Stevens and Brown.

The "mother of all Christmas stocking stuffers" proved to be Sotheby's final

entry on Saturday, a superb George Brown Walking Doll with hoops patented in

1872, ex-Blair Whitton Collection. The bisque headed patriotic flag bearer

almost doubled estimates at $29.900, going to an anonymous collector.

Rounding out the big three, an engaging circa 1928 near-mint Lehmann Lo & Li,

with original box, pulled out all the accordion stops at $21,850. Noted

Pennsylvania collector/dealer Judy Lisle bagged the trophy Schoenhut entry, a

circa 1912 "Teddy [Roosevelt] Adventures in Africa" boxed set for $19,950.

A 1918 large size Schoenhut Humpty Dumpty Circus with side banners soared to

$16,500, a feat comparable to a high-wire aerialist's "triple." Greeted with

undertones of stunned disbelief, it was quite possibly a record.

Also by Schoenhut, an Arab chieftain made $7,150 despite missing his sword,

while an elusive glass-eyed hyena, though restrung, had the last laugh at

$5,500.

Perhaps the sale's major surprise was a seldom-seen, ingenious, circa 1911

French La Charrette a Gros Jean by J. Roullot, comprised of a wooden wagon

with tinplate driver. By releasing the pull string, the flywheel mechanism

transforms the vehicle into a wondrous, almost surreal monoplane with fold-out

wings and tail fins. The toy, which -- not surprisingly -- won first prize at

the 1911 Lepine Paris Toy Exhibition, nearly doubled high estimates at

$11,500, with the trade prevailing.

An unusual cymbal-clanging "Jester" on wheels platform toy, bearing the label

of Au Nain Blue, a post Paris toy store, far surpassed expectations at $5,462.

Another stunning French specimen, a painted composition 30-inch high "Punch"

Figural Ball Toss Game, circa 1895, was on target at $3,950.

The crowd obviously agreed with our assessment that the sale's most colorful

and fetching skill game was a 1910 French "Le Dirigible" ball toss entry with

charming little composition passengers aboard the gondola. It was chased to a

lofty $8,337.

Anderson obviously had a soft spot for cuddly Steiffs, as display-sized

stuffed jungle denizens loomed tall at preview. A five-foot-tall, glass-eyed

giraffe sold at $1,430; a pair of post World War II, docile-looking lions

readily found favor: the standing 39-inch-high lion brought $2,185; a

reclining version, a little the worse for wear, managed $1,380. A

beanie-wearing blonde bear on wheels attributed to Steiff added $2,100, and a

1958 Steiff Frog foot-rest leaped to $1,200, double its high estimate.

The real killer, however, was a circa 1913 Steiff Ninepins Skittles Set

featuring several dogs, a cat, a monkey, a rabbit, sheep, a pig, an elephant

and Royal Bear as "kingpin," in felt and leather on wood platforms, with two

wood balls. It bowled over a lot of viewers at $17,250.

Auctioneer Bill Bertoia, on a "busman's holiday," couldn't resist a set of

circa 1890, hand-painted, smartly dressed composition dog skittles at $6,037,

seven times estimate.

Among some 70 motorcycle and automobile toys, many offered in bulk lots, a

child's gas-powered Porsche 936 Junior Race Car, circa 1985, took the high

road at $6,335. A Lehmann "Echo" cyclist scooted to $2,070, as did the circa

1925 Halloh. A 1930s Action Limousine by Rico tooled to $3,335.

Also piquing interest, an elusive cast-iron sales room model Tetra in midnight

blue, by Czech designer Hans Ledwinka, braked at $2,750.