RSL's Oct. 17 Bountiful Harvest includes 500 lots of rare banks and toys RSL Auction Co. will conduct its Bountiful Harvest sale featuring approximately 500 lots of antique toys and banks on Oct. 17, 2009 at Opfer's gallery in the Baltimore suburb of Timonium.
Mama Katzenjammer Bank that is widely considered to be the best extant example. “It’s one of the two best, for sure,” said Haradin. Formerly in the Bob Brady collection, it carries a presale estimate of $40,000-$60,000.
Another important mechanical bank, also ex Bob Brady collection, is a Shepard Hardware Picture Gallery bank, estimated at $35,000-$55,000. A very rare Prussian Marksman “shooting” bank of either English or German manufacture comes with provenance through the John Haley collection. One of perhaps only three known examples, it will cross the auction block with hopes of achieving $25,000-$35,000.
Other mechanicals worthy of a shout-out include a boxed, near-mint Stevens Artillery bank, Union version with blue-jacketed soldier, estimate $6,500-$8,500; and a Judd Co. (Wallingford, Conn.) American Giant bank, one of about15 known examples and estimated at $15,000-$20,000.
Around 100 still banks have been consigned, including several coveted spelter banks. A 7-inch spelter Grandpa Cat with large pipe could smoke up a winning bid of $3,000-$5,000; while a Wheat Seller bank depicting a man in a top hat with a sheaf of wheat is estimated at $1,400-$1,800.
Leon Weiss, who is one of three partners in RSL Auction (the other two being Ray Haradin and Leon’s brother, Steven Weiss), explained the company’s philosophy: “We pride ourselves in the way we produce our sales. We’re not a clearinghouse. We’re very selective about what we sell, and we always try to make decisions that are in our consignors’ best interests. For instance, we originally intended to hold this auction in June, but because of the exceptional quality of the consignments, we elected to wait and let the economy start performing better. We knew that in the long run this would be better for our consignors. In retrospect, we think this was a wise decision, because the demand for high-end toys at auction has really heated up. Any hesitations that toy and bank buyers may have had didn’t last very long, and we think October will be prime time for toys.”
RSL’s Bountiful Harvest auction will take place on Saturday, Oct. 17, 2009 at Richard Opfer’s auction gallery, 1919 Greenspring Dr., Timonium, MD 21093. The sale will commence at 11 a.m. A preview will be held on Thursday, Oct. 15 from 2-7 p.m.; Friday, Oct. 16 from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., and on auction day from 8-11 a.m. Complimentary lunch and soft drinks will be served at the auction.
Catalogs will be available one month prior to the sale. The cost is $30 postpaid for softcover and $55 for hardcover, to U.S. addresses. Add $10 for international shipment. Special hotel rates are available at the Crowne Plaza in Timonium, which is a short walk on the same street as Opfer’s gallery. For reservations, call 1-877-270-1393.
For information about any lot in the auction, call Ray Haradin at 412-343-8733; Leon Weiss at 917-991-7352, or Steven Weiss at 212-729-0011. E-mail raytoys@aol.com or geminitoys@earthlink.net. Visit RSL online at www.rslauctions.com.
View the fully illustrated electronic catalog and sign up to bid absentee
