The Brian Ayer Collection Of Banks Deposits Good Prices At Auction

Editor's note: This article was amended on Feb. 10, 2008.

TIMONIUM, MD.: The Brian Ayer collection of still and mechanical banks, dime register banks, cap guns and cast iron toys was featured among numerous collections and consignments that attracted bidders to the Richard Opfer auction facility on November 12. Competition, however, not only came from those seated in the gallery, but also from a plethora of phone bidders from throughout the country and one of the largest number of absentee bids ever recorded by the auction house. The auction total for the day was an impressive $648,000.

Ayer's collection, formed over the past 15 years, comprised a small but select grouping in the sale. Ayer, a former vice president and branch manager for RBC Dominion Securities, fondly remembered purchasing his first mechanical banks, Spise A Mule and Eagles & Eaglets, at the MBCA Convention in Buffalo, N.Y., in the late 1980s. Presently the Ayers are downsizing their collection in preparation to a move to new residence.

"We are pleased to offer this collection, the second bank auction conducted by RSL Auction Co.," Steve Weiss, one of the partners, said. He is one of the specialists, along with his twin brother Leon, and Ray Haradin of Pittsburgh. The Weiss brothers are well known at antiques shows, selling under the name of Gemini Antiques.

The sale started out with a good number of still banks, many with silver or gold, and brought average prices ranging from $200 to $500. The first bank to break into five figures was The Trust Bank, an exceptionally fine example, for $13,000 hammer or $14,900 with premium. All prices quoted in this review include the buyer's premium. The Indian Family, one large Indian face in the center with headdress, with an Indian on either side, near mint condition, cast iron by J.M. Harper, sold for $2,070, above the $1,500 high estimate.

There were a number of left bids on lot 117, Hippo, a cast iron bank in very fine condition. It sold for $3,335, just over the high estimate. Jubilee, a small building bank by US, fine condition and very scarce, was estimated at $400/600 and opened at $900, selling for $1,840. The Jarmulowsky Building, "an excellent example of this highly sought-after bank," cast iron by Stevens, went slightly over the high estimate selling for $6,555.

The Tower Bank, very fine condition, Kyser & Rex, opened at $2,200 and advanced only one bid to sell for $2,300, hammer, or $2,645 with premium. The Penthouse, another D rarity and in very fine condition, A.C. Williams, went to a phone bidder for $1,725, just over the high estimate of $1,200.

Twenty-eight lots of dime register banks, some of the lots with more than one example, brought as low as $20 and as high as $375, hammer bids. Featured on the banks were Popeye, Little Orphan Annie, Uncle Sam, an astronaut, Donald Duck, Superman, a clown, and Davy Crocket, among other childhood characters.

Cap guns took up the next 73 lots, with some of the lots going for as little as $30 to a high of $3,565 for an Ives Punch and Judy in pristine condition. A Bulldozer and a 1776-1876 cap guns, both in excellent condition and by Ives, went just over the high estimate, selling for $460.

Among the cast iron toys, a Chevy Coupe, Arcade Toys, eight inches long, circa 1925, sold for $1,725, while the Acrobats Bell toy, Gong Bell Mfg, circa 1890, six inches long, "very scarce," went for $1,840. A Ding Dong Bell toy - Pussy's Not in the Well, Gong Bell Mfg, excellent to pristine condition, circa 1890, went over the high estimate of $3,500, selling for $4,370.

"Now comes the fun," Richard Opfer said as he began the section of the sale devoted to the mechanical banks. Lot 469, Elephant and Three Clowns, J&E Stevens, excellent condition, "a little gem," had a high estimate of $2,800 and sold for $3,910. A few lots later Frog on Round Base, red lattice, J&E Stevens, pristine condition, went slightly over estimate selling for $2,990.

The Lighthouse bank, possibly by H.L. Judd, very fine to excellent condition, sold for $4,025, over estimate, and "talk about clean," Richard commented as he knocked it down. A high estimate of $6,500 was on the Mason Bank, Shepard Hardware, but it opened at $9,000 and finally sold to a "slow to make up his mind" phone bidder for $13,800.

A very rare and highly coveted bank, Owl Turns Head-White Owl, J&E Stevens, pristine condition, had a high estimate of $7,000 and was hammered down to a bidder in the gallery for twice that amount; with premium, $16,100. "Talk about paint," the auctioneer said as lot 535, Punch and Judy by Shepard Hardware, large letters, excellent condition, came on the block. It went to a room bidder for $4,250. Lot 569, Volunteer bank, John Harper & Co., a scarce bank in pristine to near mint condition, went to a phone bidder for slightly more than the high estimate, selling for $5,175.

At the end of the sale Richard Opfer said "I think it was a good, strong sale overall. As usual, great paint sells and mixed in were some bargains, as there should be at auctions."

His auction schedule at 1919 Greenspring Drive includes weekly sales on Thursday nights, along with a good number of specialty sales during the year. "We have sales of toys and related things, antique advertising and black memorabilia, about four to six good antique and paintings sales, and we just ran a sale of military and firearms," Richard said.

Ray Haradin said, "We were pleased with the sale, all went well and some strong prices were achieved." Leon Weiss noted, "The auction was successful, with a good percentage of the pieces going retail." He also mentioned that their company has been contacted by a couple of other collectors who are looking to go to auction. "There is a good chance that we will be able to pull two collections into one auction, possibly as early as summer but definitely before the end of the year," Steven Weiss said.

RSL Auction Co can be contacted at PO Box 1752, Bridgehampton NY 11932 or 631-726-4411.