Mosby & Co. plans May 14 auction of Americana, toys, circus antiques at new D.C.-area gallery Mosby & Co., specialists in antique toys and Americana, will launch their new Frederick, Md., gallery with a May 14 auction featuring circus toys, rare signed documents, toy motorcycles & much more.
News-Antique.com - Apr 23,2011 - FREDERICK, Md. – Following a pattern of buoyant growth in the three years since its inception, Mosby & Co. will make the transition to live auctions with a May 14 sale at its new 4,200 sq. ft. gallery located in the Washington suburb of Frederick, Maryland. With a successful record in the production of absentee and online auctions to serve as his springboard, Mosby & Co.’s principal, Keith Spurgeon, decided the time was right to expand – and this he has done in a big way.
“Our new gallery has 20-foot ceilings, two showcase rooms for previewing, warehouse and office space, and a gallery that seats around 200 people. We’ve needed the space,” said Spurgeon.
“Quality collections have been coming in consistently over the past few years, and storage, in particular, has become a challenge,” Spurgeon continued. “It was time to take the leap and become a full-service auction house.” Along with the new expansion, Spurgeon redesigned his company’s website to make it easier and more enjoyable for visitors to navigate.
Spurgeon’s live-sale debut on May 14 will feature approximately 425 lots of Americana, antique toys and circus-related antiques. The event will open with approximately 200 lots of toys, including 80 motorcycles – many of them from the renowned Malcolm Forbes collection. The motorcycles include tinplate and celluloid types by European, American and Japanese manufacturers. Bikes with Forbes provenance include a prewar Japanese Nomura 3-wheel “Welby” ’cycle, an unusual Ingap 3-wheel example marked Grandi Magazzini (Big Markets), a boxed Tri-Vespa scooter made by La Hotte St. Nicholas, and a near-mint Marusan tin friction “Indian.” A rarity from another collection, an all-celluloid wind-up motorcycle with sidecar, driver and passenger, is the first of its type that Spurgeon has seen in his 25 years as an antique toy dealer.
European toy rarities to be auctioned include a circa-1915 M & K (German) zeppelin carousel, 10½ inches tall and in beautiful, all-original condition; and a boxed Tipp Co. Graf Zeppelin with swastikas on each side.
A colorfully lithographed circa-1915 tin toboggan toy, approximately 16 inches tall, was made by Max Moskowitz of Nuremberg, Germany. “This is yet another toy in the May sale that I’ve never seen before,” said Spurgeon. “It has three cars, each with its original woman rider. Its action is like a roller coaster, and it descends in a spiral fashion.”
Other important toy lots include a boxed TootsieToy Buck Rogers set No. 5460 in “unplayed-with” condition, and a selection of toy cars, molds and spare parts from the Ohio business that traded for many years as “Aunt Fay’s Toys.” The company was known for its replicas of Graham automobiles.
Several salesmen’s sample cooking stoves will be offered, including an Art Deco design that retains its original wood carrying case. The cast-iron and sheet-metal stove is marked “Prosper” and replicates a commercial kitchen range. Another stove, marked “Buck’s Jr.,” is amazingly realistic and displays its original painted decorations. “Opinions are divided on this stove. Some say it is a salesmen’s
