The RSL Auction Company's Upcoming 2018 Auction

Monday, April 30, 2018
Cloud with Rain
11 C  51.8 F

The RSL Action Company's

Upcoming 2018 Auction

(Tom & Lori Sage Collection)

Please click here to visit this exceptional American Auctioneer

Yesterday, I was searching out new potential material for posts, 

when I came across the current RSL Auction Company's website.

I had written recently (January 2018) about this great company and had returned 

to see what's up. Sure enough, the website had been updated. Perhaps I 

hadn't been attentive enough before, but the new component

was in being able to download old and new catalogue auctions.

This is great, because I can search through their catalogues

on my computer without using up too much download data on my Internet supplier.

Also, I could see many toys on one page.

Below are the latest 3 auctions scheduled for June 2018

Today's post is about the Tom and Lori Sage auction.

Below is a screen-capture from the very large auction website liveAuctioneers.

liveAuctioneers is a company that manages the presentation and bidding for auctioneers. 

It's one of the largest types of these company's in the world! You register yourself on this website and bid for merchandise.  The actual merchandise delivery is handled by the auction company (e.g. RSL Auction Company) which then ships the winning merchandise to your home or office.

The owners of the RSL Auction Company have known Tom and Lori Sage for a long time, and have become friends with them. As such, the Sages had selected RSL to be their auctioneer.

Below is a screen-capture of the liveAuctioneers website.

Below is a well-written introduction about the collectors, Tom and Lori Sage.

 When you visit the RSL Auction Company, you'll find a web page that

allows you to download the 3 auctions coming up in the beginning of June 2018.

Below is the download place for the Sage collection.

Below is the most expensive mechanical bank in the Sage Collection.

It's called The Mikado Bank.

The next mechanical bank is called the Merry-Go-Round. It also is very expensive.

Interestingly, it was selected for the cover of one of my reference books-

A History of Antique Mechanical Toy Banks. It was published byLong's American, 

and the author is Mr. Al Davidson.

The final bank for today's post is titled "Clown, Harlequin, and Columbine".

I only selected the three most-expensive mechanical banks for this post.

As you can see and read, Both liveAuctioneers and the RSL Auction Company

are excellent websites to research mechanical banks and toys. 

Some people write to me and ask if I can identify a toy for them.

If you ask me to identify a toy, please send accompanying photos of the toy.

The photos should include different angles of the toy, and if there is

any writing on the toy that also.

This helps la lot in helping me help you. The photos should be taken from skylight

entering through your window. Sun is too harsh and contrasty. 

Also, a white reflector opposite the toy and the skylight will reflect

light into the shadows of the toy.

The size of the photos should be at least 4" x 6" 

and about 144 dpi (dots per inch), 

or about 4 MB.

So that's it for today.

Thanks for coming by,

And as always,

Have a great part of the day or night,

Wherever you may be.

Stacey Bindman

toysearcher@gmail.com

he skylight will help to add light into the shadow areas.

A Very Rare and Historic Antique Toy Comes to Market

Sunday, April 30, 2018
Cloudy and raining
7 C   48.6 F

A Very Rare and Historic 

AntiqueToy Comes to Market

www.bertoiaauctions.com

Manufactured by Jerome B. Sercor

Bridgeport Connecticut, U.S.A.

Circa 1880

"Less than known examples still exist in what has come to be considered one of the 

best known historically important banks ever made.The front panel of this exceptional 

museum quality piece reads "Freedman's Bank", which gains its inspiration from

the Freedman's Bank for newly freed slaves as established by the U.S. Congress.

The added detail of the seated black man able to thumb his nose and give a jeering look

at all depositors when the clockwork is activated is so amazing in concept, it must

be seen to be appreciated. The provenance is just amazing. It was discovered in a market in 

Mexico and sold to an antiquities dealer who was diligent enough to distinguished collector, Andrew Emerine's wanted ad, and the rest is history, and here documented with the 

actual letters of this bank's incredible journey.

Provenance: Andrew Emerine to Edwin H. Mosler Jr. to Stanley Sax

to Max Berry Collection.

Minor repair repair to head, and redressed using original cloth material.

(Excellent Condition)

                              Estimated:  $ 100,000.00 - $ 200,000.00 USD

History of the Freedman's Bank

At the end of the American Civil War, the poor economic conditions of the formerly enslaved freedmen was aggravated by the economic devastation of the Southern states. The newly freed African Americans had few economic resources or capital and even less exposure to private enterprise. Many soon turned to sharecropping and forced labor in the South. To help alleviate their socio-economic conditions, the Republican-controlled U. S. Congress established the Freedmen's Bureau, passing an act of incorporation and a charter for the Freedman's Saving and Trust Company, which was signed into law by President Abraham Lincoln on March 3, 1865. Originally headquartered in New York City, the first branch of the company opened in Baltimore, Maryland. By 1866, the bank had established 19 branches in 12 states, mainly in the South. The national headquarters was moved to Washington, D.C. the following year.^]*

The company had been created specifically as a depository for African-American veterans, as well  as former slaves and their families to build their savings. However, it also enabled numerous community organizations to increase their financial strength and expand their activities. The company attracted a large number of societies, churches, charities, and other private organizations that opened accounts and established trusts with the company. With the assistance of the company, numerous hospitals, schools and institutions, such as the St. Elizabeth Home for Colored Children and the St. Francis Xavier Church's Orphan Aid Society, were established. Noted community leaders and civil rights activists served as the management of several trusts and held other important positions in the bank. A large number of African American soldiers and veterans of the war opened savings accounts in the banks; the management of their funds was organized through an allotment system supervised by the officers of the various army regiments.*

*Courtesy of Wikipedia

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedman%27s_Savings_Bank

 (The above web address will redirect you to Wikipedia for further reading 

on the Freedman's Bank)

Toys of Times Past Latest Auction

Friday,  April 27, 2018
Sunny with clouds
10 C  50 F

Toys of Times Past

Latest Auction

Please click here to visit this fine auctioneer's latest auction

The recent trend in toy sellers has been to use large-sized auction companies to sell their toys.

Toys of Times Past has now decided to use Invaluable as their auctioneer to auction their toys. When you press the "please click" line, you will in fact be redirected to the auction on the Invaluable website.

I've selected only toys from a Japanese company by the name of ALPS. Like many toys companies in Japan, after WWII, the Alps company was founded in 1948. The company was founded by a man by the name of Mr. Kuramochi Shoten, who had been an employee of another company by the name of CK.The ALPS company produced mechanical tin plate toys such as toy cars, space toys, and moving wind-up animated/clockwork animals. These toys were very popular in North America. Later on, many of the ALPS company were designed as battery-operated toys. Eventually,

the company abandoned their toy business in the 1970's and chose to concentrate  on their other division of manufacture - consumer and industrial electronics.**

**Please click here to visit this interesting and informative website

Although I rarely write about toys from the 1940's and 1950's, time and years advance. I was born in 1948, and I'll soon be 70 years "young". Time does fly by faster than you think!

So that's it for today - short and sweet.

Thanks for dropping by,

and you ever have any questions, or would like to

be on my blog, please feel free to write me.

My name is (Mr.) Stacey Bindman

and I can always be reached at:

toysearcher@gmail.com

An Interesting Antique Fire Station Toy

Friday, April 20, 2018
Unseasonably Cold 
and Overcast
+4 C  39.2 F

An Interesting Antique

Fire Station Toy

I was searching for a toy company by the name of J.H. Co. The toy is an antique hay loader.

Unfortunately I couldn't find any information on the toy. I've asked the person who wrote me to send me photos of her toy and a close-up of the name, and I would write a blog post for her.

If you have a J.H.Co toy, or have any information about the company, please write to me.

One of the great places that I visit periodically is Antiquetoys.com

As I was searching their data base of toy manufacturers, I came across a nice fire station toy.

The toy is made of wood ,possibly mahogany, and cast iron.

Please click here to visit this excellent website

Toy Description:

Ives Fire House and Horse Cast Iron

Materials:  

Primarily made of wood ,possibly mahogany.

The windows, moldings, doors, front face, and horses

are made of cast iron.

Wind-up mechanism.

When a lever is pulled (upper right hand of the station house),

the toy chimes about six times, and the fire house doors open,

and the pair of horse run down an inclined plane.

Circa: 1893, patented 1891

Size:

Depth x width x height:

15.5" x 8"  x 12"

39.5 cm x 20.3 cm x 30.3 cm

There is also a fire cart, but it is not shown in the photos.

 This toy is quite rare, and Antique Toys is offering the toy 

at $ 7000.00 U.S.dollars.

Have a visit to this seller, as it is a great resource to 

read up on, as well as selling all kinds of toys.

Thanks for dropping by,

And have a great part of the day or night,

Wherever you may be.

Stacey Bindman

toysearcher@gmail.com

Two Fine Cast Iron Mechanical Banks

Monday, April 16, 2018
Overcast with freezing rain 
and snow pellets
-2 C  28.4 F

Two Fine Cast Iron

Mechanical Banks

Please click here to visit Dan Morphy's website

Please click here to visit Dan Morphy's Auction on Liveauctioneers

Auction date:  May 16, 2018

Beginning 09:00 AM EST

The reason that I've added two links above is for a reason. The photographs on liveauctioneers are larger. On the Dan Morphy website, the written details of the toys are much more elaborate.

The weather certainly is not springlike up here in Montreal (Quebec, Canada). It's been raining freezing rain on us, followed by snow pellets. This is spring in Quebec. Fortunately, I haven't yet changed from winter tires to summer tires.

Yesterday, I mentioned that Bertoia Auctions had increased the size of their photos. Today, as I was perusing through liveauctioneers, Dan Morphy had also increased the size of his photos. Not only that, but he (his photographer of course) had placed toys against a white background. That's most certainly helped me out, since I no longer have to use Photoshop to remove other backgrounds.

I just selected 2 fine cast iron mechanical banks for today's post. It's difficult to find different ones from the ones I already have on my blog. However, the two banks today were photographed superbly with lots of nice and detailed photos.

Cast Iron Indian (Native American) Shooting Bear Mechanical Bank

This bank was manufactured by J.& E. Stevens of Cromwell, Connecticut.

Pull the trigger under the Native American, place a coin on the gun.

When the trigger is pulled, the Head of the Native American drops, and the coin 

is shot into the slot of the bear's stomach.

Circa: 1883

Length x Height:  10.5" x 7.75"   26.7 cm x 19.7 cm

William Tell  Mechanical Bank manufactured by J. & E. Stevens

Pull the coin launcher back (on the top surface of the gun) until

it is in the locked position. The figure lowers his head as if aiming, 

A coin is placed on the rifle the shooter's right foot is pressed, 

and the coin is fired into the slot above the head and the apple falls

off the boy's head.

Circa 1896

Length x Height:  10.5" x 6.75"   26.7 cm x 17.2 cm

There are a lot of nice toys included in this auction, so have a look 

at both the websites and see if there is anything that you like.

An Upcoming Exceptional Auction by Bertoia Auctions

Sunday, April  15, 2018
Overcast with freezing 
0 C  32 F

An Upcoming Exceptional

Auction by Bertoia Auctions

Please click here to visit this fine auction

Please click here to visit one of the largest and fine auction websites in the world

Auction Date:
Friday, April 27, 2018

Yesterday, I already posted a nice collection of Popeye toys for sale. These toys are from the same auction that I'm posting about today. The reason for my calling this auction "exceptional", is that many of the toys from this auction are toys that I have not seen before, or that I think I've not seen before. What also is great about this auction is that the photos of these toys are extra-large, so that you can see the fine detail of the toys.

Citroen Au Louvre Delivery Van

Detailed features such as nickel radiator, hand crank for starting the motor

and front axle with functioning steering knuckles.

Hand painted and clockwork driven.

Length:  15"  38 cm

Pinard Open Touring Car

Hand painted clockwork touring car, with

wonderful pin striping, brass door handles, cast metal headlamps and horn.

Length:  14 .5 "  37 cm

Rico Auto-Cars-Turismo Tour Bus

Spanish tour bus, clockwork driven, lithographed driver

and luggage rack on roof. Spare tire missing rubber.

Length:  19"  48.2 cm

Carette Two Seater Car

Classic form of a 1906 German toy luxury auto,

lithographed tin throughout, clockwork driven,

with removeable headlights on the sides. 

Figure and steering wheel missing.

Pinot Boat Tail Open Touring Car

Hand painted French convertible touring car

with large attractive head lamps, detailed fabric

cushions on seats,floral patterns on door handles,

and hand operated horn running from the driver's side to the left fender.

Provenance:  Jack Hubert Collection

Length:  18"  45.7 cm

French Convertible Touring Car

Battery operated head lamps, elaborate brass handles on each of

its two opening doors, a fabric convertible top, glass windshield,

large nickel headlamps mounted on its' hood, Missing front headlamps.

Length:  17"  43.2 cm

Early German Cloth Dirigible

Attributed to Ernest Plank, 

cloth covered body, tin wire frame support, gondola highlighted in red, 

single propeller, clockwork driven.

Circa:  1908

Length:  13.5"  34.3 cm

Tippco (Boxed) Bomber Airplane,

Lithographed tin airplane with bomb graphics

appearing on wings, seated composite pilot, cleverly designed

with lead cap bombs/weights placed under wings and able

to drop when clockwork is activated.

Provenance: Donald Kaufman Collection

Wingspan:  14.5"  36.8 cm

Jep Seaplane with Pontoons

French lithographed tin sea  plane,

Strong clockwork driven motor winds from the cockpit,

features seated composition pilot.

Length:  19"  48.3 cm

Kingsbury (USA) Bi-Wing Airplane

Wind-up motor-driven airplane.

Circa:  1930's

Length:  15"  38 cm

Dent (USA) Tri-Motor Ford Airplane

Includes sample toy tag #493, red paint

with gilt lettering. Second casting.

L x W:  12.5" x 11"   31.8 cm x 28 cm

There are 1,035 lots (items) in this auction, and there are all kinds of toys ranging from motorcycles, airplanes, cars, bicycles, and may interesting items. Due to the high-quality and file size of the images (as well as the  excellent photography), it's well worth it to visit either the Bertoia Auctions website, or Liveauctioneers, where the auction is also listed.

That's it for today.

THanks for dropping by,

and have a grea tpart of the day or night

wherever you may be.

Stacey Bindman

toysearcher@gmail.com