Antique toys in good condition can range from pricey to downright expensive. Find out more about the prices of these amazing and rare antique toys.
The April 2008 auction at Bertoia Auctions reached their predicted high estimates, with the 2,462 lot auction realizing $1.8 million. The highlight of the show was an early Erzgebirge-style Noah's ark selling for $36,800.
Other highlights include the Jean Austin du Pont scale model roombox, a scale model of Philadelphia's Fairmount Park residence, a Marklin tin gazebo and a selection of Dresden ornaments from the collection of Fred Cannon
The specialty collection of Philip Dean's hand-painted miniatures was collected over a 15 year period. The pristine collection was well-documented in articles and reference books. The auction was held in London, December 2005.
Auction Date: May 2006
Toys from the Mary Merritt Doll Museum went for $1,400,000, much more than the pre-sale estimates of $980,000. Barrett said, "the wonderful rarities from the museum had been on display for many years, creating a pent-up demand and collectors were prepared to bid high in what they viewed as a unique opportunity to acquire their choice of these famous toys."
From Ken Holmes--"Most tin toys could not be sold today because of safety reasons. Most of the older toys have lots of sharp edges and small parts. Back then, people wouldn't sue Marx if their child choked on a small part and died, it was an unfortunate accident, but that was the end of it. It's different today."
Today's baby boomers were lucky to have grown up towards the end of the heyday (1930 - 1960) of the tin sand pail, a reason why these pails are very popular and sought after today. One of the reasons people like to collect "stuff" is because of memories and many of my summer memories are of beaches around New York City and my tin pail.