Bertoia Auctions' April 17-19 Open House sale features blue-ribbon array of private collections Auction headliners include the Delaware Toy & Miniature Museum collection, the late Bob Smith's automotive toys and part II of the fabulous Fred Cannon collection of Christmas antiques.
50 early German autos from the Bob Smith collection. Manufacturers include Distler, Fischer, Gunthermann, Carette, Karl Bub and Bing. Day two also includes early comic character windups, clowns, celluloid toys and an exceptional grouping of prewar Japanese clockwork toys.
On Saturday, April 19, the Schoenhut circus will arrive at Bertoia's gallery, with a Humpty Dumpty Circus Tent and very rare Humpty Dumpty Circus Wagon among the highlights. The latter vehicle is part of the Schoenhut Parade series. Featuring an embossed marquee that says “Humpty Dumpty Circus,” it is the largest of the cage wagons and is very desirable to collectors. Also on hand will be a full crew of performers and a menagerie of animals, many of them glass eyed and rare, such as the cat, zebu, bulldog and a few early examples with cloth manes. Other rarely seen Schoenhut pieces to be auctioned are a Circus Ring, which is even rarer than the Circus Tent, and a pair of wonderful parade show horses. “Ironically, these show horses were made by Schoenhut specifically to accompany their Humpty Dumpty Circus Wagon,” said Rich Bertoia, “but the horses in our sale came from a different consignor. So it's a nice coincidence. If a bidder wishes to do so, they can buy the Circus Wagon and bid later on the show horses.”
Saturday's session also features the contents of a distinguished American institution, the Delaware Toy and Miniature Museum. The spectacular European and American dollhouses, room boxes and shops, dolls, miniature furnishings and accessories represent more than 30 years of discriminating collecting. Jeanne Bertoia said collectors will be spoiled for choice when they see the marvelous array of miniatures. “There are lots of key names of miniatures manufacturers,” she said. “There are literally hundreds of Biedermeier, Schneegas, Tynietoy, and original Arcade room furnishings.”
In the forefront of the Saturday session are a 1916 dollhouse replicating an actual 18th-century Georgian mansion in Philadelphia called Mount Pleasant, and a 28-inch-long German-made Noah's ark with the largest selection of animal pairs ever seen by Bertoia's specialists.
More than 200 dolls of various materials, including wax and composition, will follow, with a highlight being an antique cloth doll by Izannah Walker (Rhode Island). The sale's festive finale will be part II of the Fred Cannon Christmas collection, containing extremely rare and beautiful Dresdens, belsnickles, blown-glass and pressed-cotton ornaments, candy containers and nodding-Santa store displays.
Bertoia's Open House Sale will start at 12 noon on Thursday, April 17; 11 a.m. on Friday, April 18; and 9 a.m. on Saturday, April 19. All items may be previewed during the month prior to the sale; please call to arrange a preview time during this period. The preview will run from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. throughout the week preceding the opening session. On auction days the ongoing preview will start on Thursday and Friday at 9 a.m., and Saturday at 8 a.m.
All forms of bidding will be available at this sale, including live via the Internet through eBay Live
