Blasting off to the highest price of the sale was this 1963 ATD Tetsuwan Atom (aka Astro Boy) tin wind-up toy with its original manga art box, 9½ inches high, which rocketed to $122,000 ($40/60,000).
Review by Kiersten Busch
LAMBERTVILLE, N.J. — On January 28, Landry Pop took us back to Twentieth Century Japan with its Shōwa Era Icons, Curated by Joshua Fraser” auction, which offered 200 lots of collectibles from the golden age of toy design selected by Fraser, lead designer for Saucony and a lifelong collector of vintage Japanese toys. The auction realized $417,507, with a 99 percent sell-through rate.
“Overall, we were ecstatic with how the sale went, everything of importance performed exceptionally well,” Travis Landry, founder, told Antiques and The Arts Weekly. Landry shared that bidding interest was primarily in the United States and Japan, with the majority of US collectors hailing from New York City for the East Coast, and Los Angeles for the West Coast.
Working with Fraser was, for Landry, also an extremely important part of the experience. “I was very excited to be able to work with Josh,” he said. “He is someone I have observed and followed in the collecting community since I was 12 or 13 years old. When it comes to this particular niche in the toy collecting world, he is one of the top authorities.”
The sale was led by a 1963 Asakusa Toys & Dolls Co., (ATD) tin wind-up toy of Tetsuwan Atom (also known as Astro Boy), which rocketed past its $40/60,000 estimate to achieve $122,000. “Talking with Josh, we are confident to say the $122,000 for the Astro Boy is a new all-time record for a Japanese character tin toy,” Landry noted. The toy, which included its original key and tie, was the first to be offered in the modern era with its original box, which featured manga art of the character from Manga Shōnen magazine No. 1 (Konbunsha, 1952). Its rarity came from its absence in the toy market, despite Astro Boy being at an all-time high in popularity when it was released. The reason? Most likely the fact that the toy’s tin connector tabs folded outwards on its arms, legs and torso, which may have been a safety hazard for children. Nine additional lots featuring Tetsuwan Atom were sold, ranging in price from $214 for a version of Operation featuring the popular character, to $3,146 for a tin friction bus by ATD.
This 1964-65 Bandai tin remote control Corvette containing Astro Boy’s competition, Space Ace, complete with its original box, was the first of its kind offered at auction; it received the second-highest price of the day, zooming to $54,900 against a $20/30,000 estimate.
Ironically, a 1965 tin toy of Astro Boy’s number one competitor, Space Ace, earned the second highest price of the sale, zooming past its $20/30,000 estimate to park at $54,900. The 1964-65 tin remote control Corvette was manufactured by Bandai and was the first example of this toy offered in its original box at auction. While some of its rarity was attributed to the toy’s excellent working condition, most of it came from the inclusion of the car’s box. The same bidder who took home the top lot also claimed this one, but they preferred to remain anonymous, said Landry.
A newly discovered vinyl figure of Booska — from the 1966-67 children’s series Kaiju Booska by Eiji Tsuburaya — with unknown origins and no known maker attracted plenty of interest from bidders. “Some experts suggest that it could be a low-numbered pachi due to its lack of markings or manufacturing information. Another theory proposes that it might simply be a sales sample that never progressed beyond its initial stages,” auction catalog notes explained. With an estimate of $3/5,000, the vinyl figurine exceeded expectations, earning $7,320.
“For me, almost every lot is just as exciting as the next because this is hitting me in my personal interests — what I collected as a kid and what brought me into this career,” explained Landry. Though if he had to choose, a flesh-toned Ghidorah standard vinyl by Bullmark, which flew to $7,320, stood out to him. The toy “would typically have significant paint wear, potentially damage or losses to high areas,” said Landry. However, “this was a great example. The majority of the vinyl was in near mint condition.”
Landry Pop’s next auction, on March 12, will be an online-only sale titled “The Merc with a Mouth: The Ultimate Deadpool Collection.” Prices quoted include buyer’s premium as reported by the auction house. For information, 508-470-0330 or www.landrypop.com.
