PHILADELPHIA, PENN. – A rare Marklin Circus train led the way at Noel Barrett’s auction of “The Ward Kimball Toy and Train Collection,” this past Saturday, November 20, selling for an accumulative price of $100,100. Kimball, a renown animator from Walt Disney Studios who worked on such films as Snow White and Pinocchio, began collecting toys and trains more than 60 years ago. Record prices were routinely established throughout the sale with the auction grossing just under $2.5 million against a high presale estimate of $1.75 million.

The Circus train, sold in four separate lots, included a brass gauge I American Outline live steam brass locomotive and tender selling at $11,000, a Moving Van car and wagon $12,100, a Hagenbeck’s Menagerie car and wagon $36,300, and a Circus Oriental car and wagon at $40,700.

The top price for an individual lot was set when a Marklin live steam battleship Boston and a Rock and Graner Nachfolgar painted tin railway station with separate “downside” platform each sold at $71,500. Two other single lot train sets also brought $71,500 including a Marklin Presidential train set, and a Marklin American Eagle passenger set in gauge II.

The highest price for the day for an individual train car was established when an early Lionel crane car brought $46,200. Early tin toys were lead by a Stevens and Brown New York omnibus at $52,800. A complete review will appear in a future issue. -DSS