Old Toy Soldier Auctions issues a call to muster for June 2-3 sale of major collections On June 2-3, Old Toy Soldier Auctions will present a 1,200-lot sale featuring outstanding Britains and other soldiers from the Bob Bailey and late K. Warren Mitchell collections.
News-Antique.com - Apr 19,2012 - PITTSBURGH – Armchair generals and commanders of upscale bathtub fleets worldwide will show their firepower over the weekend of June 2-3 during a very special Old Toy Soldier Auctions event containing 1,200+ lots from several choice collections.
Headlining the auction are soldiers from the collection of the late K. Warren Mitchell, plus the Bob Bailey collection of prewar Britains and other important properties from American and international consignors.
OTSA owner Ray Haradin described the headliner collections as “an excellent match, since each brings something distinctly different to the mix.”
Bob Bailey, a Seattle collector who has been active in the toy soldier hobby his entire life, focused his efforts almost exclusively on early Britains. While working as a Pan Am flight attendant in the 1970s, Bailey wisely took advantage of his many layovers in London to scour the shops for Britains productions.
The late K. Warren “Mitch” Mitchell, who was from Warren, Ohio, was a respected veteran dealer and collector who began his buying and selling adventures in the 1970s.
“Mitch sold actively at shows until about the last four or five years of his life, and for many years he had one of the most widely distributed specialty sales lists in the world. I know of many collectors who bought their first set of soldiers from him, and his longtime presence in the hobby has created a lot of interest in the pieces we will be selling from his collection,” said Haradin.
Haradin added that around 100 additional lots from the Mitchell collection will be offered in OTSA’s November sale, with yet another selection from the Mitchell trove to be offered under the joint banner of OTSA and Joseph Saine’s Michigan Toy Soldier in a live, non-cataloged July 21 auction.
Day one of the June 2-3 auction comprises approximately 700 lots of toy soldiers made prior to 1970. Day two will cover the production period from 1970 to present day.
Among the opening sessions’ many desirable highlights from the Bailey collection is a prewar Britains boxed set #102. Made around 1920, the 33-piece assemblage includes Grenadier Guards, Scots Guards and Irish Guard and is presented in a set box emblazoned with a spiffy gold and black printer’s label depicting the British Army. It is estimated at $3,000-$4,000.
Also from the Bailey collection, there will be eight sets from Britains’ 1940 Historical Series made expressly for FAO Schwarz toy store in New York. “Eleven sets were produced in total for the series. Basically, Britains designed the sets as samplers, choosing figures that were already included in other sets. Each figure is identified at the lower edge of the box below its particular slot. These sets are very rare, and to have eight of them in one collection is remarkable,” said Haradin. The estimate range on the sets runs from $1,800 to $3,000.
One of the most exciting of the non-Britains sets entered in the June 2 session is a very scarce Timpo Ivanhoe set #KN4. The coveted grouping of mounted
