Part II of Bonham's Mr. Yoku Tanaka's Toy Collection

Thursday, August 28, 2014
Overcast, windy, and cooler temperatures

Part II of Bonham's

Mr. Yoku Tanaka's Toy Collection

   I received a nice note from Joalien Johnson of Bonhams yesterday. Joalien e-mailed me to say hello, and to thank me for my initial presentation of the  Yoku Tanaka Toy Collection Auction that had occurred on January 16, 2014 of this year. Wow, how time does fly!  I had known about a second part of the auction that had occurred on  August 25, 2014 of this year, but I was very busy writing writing post after post to try and reach my 200,000 page view milestone.  The two auction are a fantastic collection of post WWII toys from the 1950's-1960's with some much earlier entries.

  These will be the great collectibles in 50 years from now, just like I like the 1920's cast iron American toys, and the early 1900's French, German, and English tin toys. The Japanese toys of the 1950's and early 1`960's still are sought after and achieve good returns at auction. They usually have lots of lithographed detail, are larger in size, and have movement (windup, friction, or battery).

Please click here to visit this famous and world-renowned auction house

Bonhams is one of the oldest and long-established auction houses (companies) in the world. They were established 321 years ago, and I always wonder about all of the fine items that have come to auction in such a long and illustrious career.

Not all of the  Yoku Tanaka collection was Japanese-made. 

There were earlier-era (1930's) toys that appear below

Of course most of the toy collection was in fact Japanese-made. What I find personally interesting is that I do remember the actual cars and trucks of the 1950's and early 1960's because I was a "kid" then. But at that same time, I was not a car or truck fan. I was too busy playing outdoors or going to school. 

Most of Bonhams listings consist of a single photo. However, they present each and every image in a large size. As such, it's quite easy to magnify the image to view the small details on any item.

I decided to enlarge a portion of the above image,  as you can see below.

I particularly like the  S-57 and D-196 speedboats for their detailed lithography.

I'd also be curious to know if these toys were able to float and move on water, or were they land-based with wheels?

 These 1950's car look so  "old" to me now, yet in the USA, collectors love to restore the original cars, as ell as to collect them.

If you ever see a modern-era movie taking place in the American South or southwest, you'' inevitably see a truck similar to the one below. Either the old trucks (and you even often see 1950's or 1940's trucks) are the "standard fixture" in these movies or these trucks actually exist and are still going strong after 300,000 miles!

What's interesting about "real" old cars and trucks is that there are so few parts under the hood (bonnet), compared with today's vehicles. One of my friends purchased a 1960's Dodge Valiant from an old lady. When he lifted the hood, you could see a lot of ground underneath the engine. THere was a fan belt and blades the radiator, the engine, the air filter and carburator, and the power steering and brake cylinders.

Today, everything seems to be enclosed with plastic coverings, and there is so much "stuff"

under the hood that I have no idea (not do I care to know) what it is!

One thing that you can definitely say for sure is that these toys have lots of colour.

It helps to cheer you up when you're writing a post on a cloudy or rainy day!

Thanks for dropping by, 

and as always,

have a great part of the day or night,

wherever you may be.

Stacey

toysearcher@gmail.com

Just Like A Museum-Part II -

  Friday, May 16, 2014
 Overcast, warm and heavy rain later today

Just Like a Museum-

 Part II

   Last week, (May 6,), I wrote the first part about Bonham's May 21, 2014 auction. Having been established in 1792, the historic auction house called Bonhams, has been in existence and auctioning 5 centuries now. Saying that, for sure they know what they are doing, and so do their followers. The reason that I titled these posts "Just Like a Museum" is that not only does Bonhams get to present all kinds of fascinating and historic items, but they also are able to present description in depth and thoroughness, - just like the descriptions toy's fine in museums.

Please click here to visit the upcoming auction page

Rare and Large Schmitt Et Fils bisque head Bebe

The beautifully moulded very pale pressed bisque head with fixed blue glass paper-weight eyes, finely painted lashes, feather brows, delicately shaded lids and cheeks, open/closed mouth showing white between lips and double chin, pierced ears and long auburn wig in ringlets, on a good wood and composition fully jointed body with fixed wrists, wearing original white ribbed cotton dress with brown panels to skirt decorated with black embroidered pattern and brown ruffled edging, under garment, socks and marked 'Deposee' shoes, (wig replaced), 92cm (36in) tall.*

* Description Courtesy of Bonhams

The photography is excellent, but so are the accompanying written descriptions.

A nice feature of Bonhams is the ability to magnify the images. You have to wait a bit in order for your ISP (Internet Service Provider) to download the magnified image.

Here is a larger magnification

Here is an ever larger image.

An extremely rare Rock and Graner tin-plate market, circa 1875

The tin-plate market stall with painted yellow and green pierced fencing and steps with painted sign 'Blumen-Obst-genuse-Markt (flowers, fruit, vegetables, market), with central circular display holding various flowers and shelves to rear with further sign 'Geflugel-fisch-wildpret-handlung' (poultry, fish, venison, treatment), displaying finely painted composition hanging meats including wild boar, deer, rabbits, pig and duck, other meats include pigs head and geese, together with scales and two sets of weights, the side shelves and floor with a selection of breads, fruit, mushrooms and vegetables, mostly contained in wicker baskets, two composition lady figures, a tin plate painted rocking chair and two tins containing toy money, (some creasing to main sign and one pole broken, rear shelf loose, figure lacks one lower arm, the other with damage to lower half, wares in good condition but with some minor paint loss damage), base 42cm (16 1/2in) wide, 38cm (15in) deep, 30.5cm (12in) tall.*

* Description Courtesy of Bonhams

An exceptional piece of history.

A rare set of five felt Steiff Musicians, 1912-1915

All having black boot button eyes, printed features and jointed at shoulders and hips each standing on a circular wooden base, the rotund trombone player with a pronounced nose and smiling mouth, black and grey cotton thread hair, black rimmed hat, and with a Steiff button to each ear, wearing a felt red shirt with a further sixteen Steiff buttons in two rows to front, blue jacket, black trousers and leather boots, holding a painted gold trombone, 33cm (13in) tall, the similar contra-bass player having a Steiff button to each ear, round hat with tassel and wearing a cream shirt with black boot buttons in a row to centre, a brown jacket, black trousers and black leather boots, holding a painted wooden stringed bass with bow, 33cm (13in) tall, the slimmer clarinet player with up-turned nose, painted ginger hair and Steiff button to left ear, tall grey hat and wearing a long black jacket with three gold buttons, blue trousers and painted shoes, holding a carved wooden clarinet, 36cm (14in) tall, the older slim violin player with pointed nose and chin, painted grey eyebrows and real shoulder-length grey hair, skull-cap and wearing a white shirt with black bow-tie, jacket and trousers, leather shoes, holding a carved wooden stringed violin and bow, Steiff button to left ear, 40cm (15 3/4in) tall, the tall and slim trumpeter with pointed features, painted ginger hair and flat hat, wearing a black jacket with five buttons and trousers, with white collar and bow-tie, leather shoes and Steiff button in left ear, holding a painted gold wooden trumpet, 43cm (17in) tall. 
(Condition is generally very good and original, a little dusty in places. Contra-bass player with two tiny pin size holes to jacket, some strings loose to instrument. 

Trombone player with small tear to back of jacket. 

Clarinet player has three tiny pin sized holes to trousers. 

Violinist has small hole to left hand, some loose strings. 

Trumpeter with tiny hole to left hand.) 

Please refer to 'Button in Ear, Steiff The history of teddy bear and his friends' by Jurgen & Marianne Cieslik, page 161 (illustration 494), The popular 'village band', this rare group was sold just 146 times. (5)*

* Description Courtesy of Bonhams

I like the way Bonhams has presented this quintet against both a white and black background, with different compositional arrangements. different moods are created and you also get to see how the colouyrs of the musicians appear against light and dark tones.

Huntley and Palmer boxed Tribrek Motor Van tin

Lithographed in royal blue with gold lettering to sides, Huntley & Palmers Ginger Nuts, Tribrek in black to front of roof, lithographed detailed front and driver to sides, HP 1937 number plates, hinged rear door with gold lettering and solid blue hub wheels (G some minor scratches, mainly to roof, box F-G one small tear and some creases) 22cm (8 3/4in) long.*

* Description Courtesy of Bonhams

The above truck is a very rare tin ginger nuts can. Long ago, companies would provide storage containers for their food items, which was an incentive to purchase the product, as well as a convenient way of keeping the food fresher. 

Marklin catalogue No.55562 gauge I electric Crocodile

2-rail electric engine No.14268, brown and black livery, original box and packing, instructions (E box G).*

*Description Courtesy of Bonhams

I enlarged the train to present the fine detail present on the toy. It's amazing how much detail can be seen from the Net image.

I decided to select the "highlights" of the action from Bonhams selection. The set is quite eclectic, but certainly is a fine collection to be presented for this auction # 21748. Imagine having had so many auction over the time frame that Bonhams has been in business.

What I'd like to see is the handwritten documentation of the first several auctions from 1792. 

Now that would truly be "historic".

Thanks for dropping by,

and as always,

have a great part of the day or night,

wherever you may be.

Stacey

toysearcher@gmail.com

A Fantastic and Rare Panoramic Set of Toys

Monday, May 12, 2014
      Cold and Clear @ 5:00 a.m.
   Sun and wearer later in the day

A Fantastic and Rare

Panoramic Set of Toys

 I recently wrote about wonderful lead soldiers composing to auction from Bonhams, the famous and renowned auction house in great Britain, and around the work. 

Here's the link below:

Please click here to visit the previous Bonham post

 I  wanted to resent this remarkable and rare item up for auction buy itself, because of its rarity and its exceptional interest and content of Arctic life.

Please click here to visit the Bonhams webs tie for this unique set

I screen captured the actual listing of this item and let Mr. James Opie,  one of  the specialist of the  toy and dolls department at Bonhams. What fantastic is how the items of the panoramic capture life in the Arctic at that time. What's even more fascinating is that the Arctic (North Pole)  had finally been visited by explorers as early as 1909 by the American Perry.

The written description by Mr. Opie is certainly interesting, but its the breadth and depth of the research that make this item so much more interesting and valuable.

For today's post, I decided to present to you the original screen capture, and what I did to make the images easier to say. I have to say though, that my "improvements" most certainly may not be 100% accurate in terms of colour-balance, contrast and so forth. However, they are easier to view.

 What's mosat intriguing are both the many different animals,and of course the many different indigenous people in the panorama. At that time, the people were called Eskimos", but tosday we call them Inuit, after their own name, rather than the anglicized one.

 That's the company label of the panorama

Here's a close-up (magnification)

Soldats de Plomb" translated into English means "lead soldiers".

Here's the same image as I presented before. I placed it here so that you wouldn't have to scroll all the way up to the top of today's post/

 Polar bears, caribou, penguins, fired fish (halibut) ,and huskies, a cormorant (black bird), and of course the Inuit People.

Please read the  footnote paragraph that James Opie wrote. That is even interesting!

The bottom left side of the panoramic box

A whale, seals, and the Inuit

The bottom middle and right side of the panoramic box.

The detail of the weapons, and of course the landscape compliments this "treasure".

I'd like to go up to the Arctic, of course a great part of it is Canada and the Inuit People. Northern Quebec, Ontario, and the NorthWest Territories are all part of a beautiful and still relatively clean,, and not yet landscaped with oil rigs, and gargantuan mines. 

Even the North though is becoming popular among travellers, 

and if you can you should get to see it.

The fantastic item up for auction is fantastic, but the real" treasure is to be found up North!

If you were able to travel in mid-June (if you can travel at that time) or early July, you'd find that the sun never really sets and the landscapes are lit day and night by the sun and light from the sun.

Of course, you'd want to sleep at some time!

Thanks for dropping by,

and always, 

have a great part of the day or night,

wherever you may be.

Stacey

toysearcher@gmail.com

"Tin Toy Treasures from Japan" Being Auctioned at Bonhams

Thursday, January 16, 2014

"Tin Toy Treasures from Japan"

Being Actioned at Bonhams

  Earlier this week, I decide to revisit Bonhams, the renowned and historic auction house established in 1993.  I hadn't been on their website for a long time, and the site had changed. All of their internationally-located sites are now on  one address. For myself, and I'm sure many others, this is a great change. It allows viewers to go directly from one location to another just buy the click of a mouse. 

   Fortunately for myself, I noticed a  beautiful collection of  Japanese toy cars that will  auctioned on January 27, 2014. The title of the auction is  "The Yoku Tanaka Toy Collection - Tin toy Treasures from Japan".  Mr. Yoku Tanaka collected these beautiful  toys over a long period of time, and they will auctioned at the end of January.  The collection is quite famous, and a book was written about the collection that was exhibited in New York City and elsewhere in 2009. The collection has over 500 cars.

   The items for sale have been excellently photographed at Bonhams, and the photos are large-sized, which is an added bonus. I have been thankful  to Bonhams (Great Britain) and specifically Mr.  James Opie,who has allowed me to write about their toy soldiers that often come to auction.

   I wrote to Bonhams in San Francisco, and the specialist for old and antique toys is 

Mr. Jaynes Friedman. He's very knowledgeable in the area of old and antique toys. When I wrote to him to thank him for permission to write, I mentioned that there is the book that is available about the Tanaka Collection. H enhanced me,and said that he already has one (I should have known),and he thanked me for my research.

Please click here to read Mr. Jaynes Friedman's impressive resume

I'm always happy when I work with excellent-quality photography. 

I didn't have to do much work, but to remove some scuff marks on the white foundation.

The photographers at Bonhams certainly are well-veresed in their profession!

I kept the "Super Jet" toy for last because of its great features.

Lots of details,good colours, and movement.

When you read about the the rebirth of post-war Japan after WWII, the story is certainly very interesting. As a youngster in the 1950's there were many toys that came from Japan,with the "Made in Japan" stamp on them.  Of course, I played more than I read, but with 15 years, the country had "risen from the ashes", and become a manufacturing powerhouse form any things that would come to the USA and Canada.

Thanks for visiting,

and have a great part of the day or night,

wherever you may be.

Stacey

Please feel free to write to me at: 

toysearcher@gmail.com

Bonhams - It's the Fine Detail that Counts!

Saturday, February 2, 2013

Bonhams

It's the Fine Detail that Counts!

   I was ecstatic this week, when  Mr. James Opie,  from the Collectors Department of Bonhams, had given me the permission to use the fine photography of Bonhams, and to write about the fine toy soldiers that they list at their auctions.  I'm going to be writing another post on toy soldiers, but what I want to do requites lots and lots of investigation, and it's not easy to find what I need for the post. So I decided for today, to look at other items in their huge collection of auctions. 

   I came across 2 past listings and 2 to be auctioned on February 12, 2013 - 11 days from now. What caught on today's presentation were several things. One was the hand-crafted items that were recently made (circa 2000 or so), that several people made them,  that they are designed on old original trains, and that there is nice details to the images.

   Of course,you don't always see the fine detail unless the image can be magnified. Bonhams has a feature that allows you to "zoom in" to see a large size of the image.  This feature is fantastic when you want to zoom in to see and cross-reference the image to "the real train" that it was modelled after. Bonhams doesn't necessarily add this feature to all of their actions listings, but those that need the added detail such as fine jewellery, watches, and writing instruments, to name a few, are featured in this way.

http://www.bonhams.com

(Please press on the above address to be redirected to the fine website of Bonhams)

I created a montage (composite image of 3 photos) to illustrate the  magnifications available. It takes a while to change from 1 size to another, but if you have a fast internet connection, the time is short.

You also can move the image around, as it will be much too big for your computer monitor. The largest train above is about 35" x 15" @ 72 dpi   (.888M x .332 M)

I sharpened  the above image in Photoshop, but even unsharpened, the magnification will help viewers see detail, and decide whether to bid or not on the item.

 I also sharpened  the above image in Photoshop.

Don't forget that in Blogger, you can press on each image to also magnify it. You can also view all of the images by themselves without looking at the blog format (text and photos). I change the images to 144 dpi and downsize them as they're too big to view in their original sizes.

So that's it for a Saturday, and I'm off to walk Buddy, my dog.

Thanks for dropping by, 

and have a great part of the day, wherever you may be.

And remember, I'm always looking for people who would have nice toys that can be presented here, and that you can write the narrative if you wish.

Stacey