: Dan Morphy and Tom Sage Jr, co-owners of Morphy Auctions, were
not prepared for the $1.7 million result achieved by their recent
sale at Adamstown Antique Gallery, only the second auction
conducted since the firm began business last April with a $1.3
million debut.
The 1,306-lot inventory drew strong prices in virtually every
category, including antique advertising, soda fountain
dispensers, late Nineteenth Century through 1950s toys and cast
iron doorstops and banks.
Leading prices realized was a very scarce pedestal version of J.
& E. Stevens' cast iron Jonah and the Whale bank, made in
1888. Amid a bidding frenzy that came from all directions, the
allegorical money box opened at $85,000 and, within minutes, had
fetched $121,000, a world auction record for that model.
Marbles, which opened the sale, fared better this time than in
the spring sale, according to Morphy, probably because more
affordable examples were included. Attaining an excellent price
for a machine-made marble, a Golden Rebel by Peltier in 9.7
condition brought $2,200.
Perhaps one of the most complete Ives circus train sets around,
$60,500.
In the Friday evening session, a $1,650 winning bid was
achieved by an 8-inch plastic Halloween toy depicting a witch and
rocket, finished entirely in black with orange wheels. The
inexpensively made 1950s holiday novelty was estimated at $300/500.
Exceptional condition combined with rarity to pull
top-of-the-market prices on antique advertising and soda fountain
items. A 13-inch ceramic Ward's Lime-Crush syrup dispenser
estimated at $¾,000 sold to the room for a record-setting $8,800.
One of the star lots of the sale, an 181/2-inch Villeroy &
Boch syrup dispenser, also was taken by a phone bidder for
$38,500. It finished at the top of its estimate range because of
its extreme rarity - "only a few examples are known," said Morphy
- and the presence of its lid, which tends to be missing on this
particular piece.
Among colorful advertising from the late Nineteenth and early
Twentieth Century, a 19-inch round tin example hawking Fatima
Turkish Blend Cigarettes, reached $8,250.
Not long into Saturday's session, a Marklin 20-inch tin clockword
Luzern riverboat cruised to $11,000. Next was a selectin
of tin Popeye character toys, led by an 111/2-inch
strength-testing bell-ringer variation, which sold with its
original box for $14,300.
A Villeroy & Boch syrup dispenser made for Hires Root Beer
sold to a phone bidder for $38,500.
One of the most desirable of all cast iron airplanes, a
Hubley Lockheed Cirrus - with 11-inch wingspan, pilot and co-pilot
- soared to $9,900.
An extensive collection of Hubley horse-drawn Royal Circus vans
included a 231/4-inch farmer van drawn by four black horses
wearing red plumes, which achieved $8,800. Two seldom-seen
giraffe vans sparked fierce competition: a green version
attracted $7,700 and a red variation surpassed it at $11,000.
In addition to the aforementioned Jonah and the Whale example,
the cast iron mechanical bank category featured an uncommon gold
variation of Charles A. Bailey's Springing Cat bank, patented in
1882, which leaped to $30,250. An 1876 J. & E. Stevens
Panorama bank, which displays changing pictures across its front,
was driven by bidders to $38,500.
Prices reported include ten percent buyer's premium.
