Friday, October 31, 2014
Partly sunny and cold
Who's the Rarest of Them All?
I'm very subjective (opinionated) compared with objective (the facts) when art is involved. I would also say the same for toys. However, it's hard to have a different opinion when objectivity such as demand and rarity are dominant factors at auction. ANd so it is with today;s toy, hence the title "Who's the Rarest of Them All?", without meaning any disrespect or plagiarism to The Brothers Grimm (1812) who of course wrote "Mirror, mirror on the wall, who's the fairest of them all?" in Snow White and The Seven Dwarfs.
I had mentioned in recently earlier posts that I would eventually write about the fabulous mechanical banks from Mr. Max Berry's Collection via Bertoia Auctions, and so I'm starting today with one of the rarest mechanical banks to go to auction in North America, and probably in the world!
One of the words in the lexicon (vocabulary) of auctioneering that one keeps encountering on known and famous toys is the word "provenance".
Full Definition of PROVENANCE
2
: the history of ownership of a valued object or work of art or literature
Examples of PROVENANCE
- Has anyone traced the provenances of these paintings?
- The artifact is of unknown provenance.
Origin of PROVENANCE
French, from provenir to come forth, originate, from Latin provenire, from pro- forth + venire to come — more at pro-, come
First Known Use: 1785*
* http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/provenance
Many famous items that have been passed down from generation to generation or from
person-to-person at auction have as much a history about the people "safekeeping"
the item as the toy, artifact, or piece of art. So if you read the names of these "guardians" of this toy, and search who they are or were on the Net, you will find that they are famous and quite interesting.
It also helps to have an item that is either the only one or only one of two,
as this one is. Perhaps this toy never went to production, and the two were only prototypes. Of course ever since the Net (Auctions) and TV with such programs American Pickers,Antiques Road Show, everyone who collects, buys, or sells is looking for that missing treasure.
The mechanical movements of this toy are quite interesting, as is the caricature of the figure,
and the colourful theme.
The fine texture on the man's blue jacket on his back, and the nice floral and leaf pattern
at his feet certainly add to the allure of this rare toy.
The starting opening bid for this item is $ 69,000.00 (US) with the estimated final price estimated to be between $ 225,000.00 - $ 275.000.00.
Truly, if the facts speak for themselves (objectively), this wonderful toy may enter the record books for one of the highest prices paid for a mechanical American bank toy, and deservedly so.
Thanks for dropping by to visit, and as always,
have a great part of the day or night,
wherever you may be,
Stacey
toysearcher@gmail.com
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