TIMONIUM, Md. - Interest was keener than ever, and the bidding action was relentless in RSL Auction's sale of antique toys and banks held May 22nd at Richard Opfer's suburban Baltimore gallery. "We started at noon and finished at 20 till three - it was about two hours and 40 minutes of very serious bidding," said RSL co-owner Ray Haradin. Internet live bidding was provided by LiveAuctioneers.com.

In all, the auction took in $1.8 million (all prices quoted include 21.5% buyer's  premium). "They came to buy; they didn't want to sit there with an auctioneer trying to milk a few extra dollars out of them," said Haradin. "When Rick [Opfer] is at the podium, you put your hand up or you don't get the toy."

The featured attraction of the 360-lot sale was the Richard C. Stevens collection, a 24-year assemblage of cast-iron mechanical banks boasting superb conditions and with provenance reflecting several of the most prestigious collections of the past half-century.

DENVER, Pa. - Worldwide competition for a high-end collection of antique toys resulted in a million-dollar gross at Morphy's on July 16-17 as the central Pennsylvania auction house presented the 28-year collection of retired California architect Michael O'Hearn. Internet live bidding was provided by LiveAuctioneers.com.

"Interest in the O'Hearn collection, and in all of the toy consignments for that matter, was fierce," said auction house owner Dan Morphy. "The gallery was busy all day with in-house bidders, and we had the largest number of Internet bidders in Morphy's history." The final tally for the 1,354-lot sale was $1,050,000. All prices quoted are inclusive of 15% buyer's premium.

A futuristic postwar Japanese friction racer known as the Atom Jet, measuring an impressive 25½ inches long, commanded a strong price due to its originality and excellent condition. Against an estimate of $4,000-$8,000 the bizarre, dorsal-finned vehicle finished in a mint green color sped across the finish line at $15,500.

DENVER, Pa. - Dan Morphy Auctions' popular new series of Discovery Auctions continues with a Tuesday, July 27, 2010 event starting at 10 a.m. Eastern Time and featuring 605 assorted lots. LiveAuctioneers.com will provide the Internet live bidding for the sale.

The inventory encompasses many categories of antique and vintage items and includes the category for which Morphy's is so well known: toys. Bidders can choose from 50 pressed steel toys (including Buddy 'L'), 20 mechanical and still banks; 20 trains and 100 other toys of various types.

Additionally, a beautiful selection of jewelry will be offered, highlighted by more than 200 pieces of colorful, early Bakelite in novelty shapes, and 50 pieces of Native-American jewelry featuring turquoise, coral and onyx in sterling silver settings.

NEW HOPE, Pa. - Whether the object of their fascination is Old Master paintings or baseball cards, collectors agree on one point: knowledge is king. And it was knowledge that led to a very sweet return for the consignor of a Marklin gauge 1 train set in Noel Barrett's $955,000 Spring Auction held on May 1-2 in New Hope, Pennsylvania.

The top-selling lot - comprised of a Marklin American steam profile 0-4-0 clockwork locomotive with tender, boxcar and two passenger cars with hinged lids - was hand painted in a scarce maroon and red color scheme. "The consignor bought it cheaply on eBay, where it sat for two or three days before the seller accepted a ‘buy it now' price - the seller wasn't sure the paint was original, but the buyer suspected it was both correct and unusual. He was right," said auction house owner and Antiques Roadshow appraiser Noel Barrett.

Barrett is an antique train expert who is known for having auctioned one of the most famous train collections of all time, that of the late Disney animator Ward Kimball. There are few examples of trains he has not either brokered through his auctions or viewed in private collections. Barrett said that even from looking at photographs of the potential consignment, he immediately knew the Marklin train was not a repaint. Once the consignment was actually in his hands, Barrett was able to positively confirm its authenticity.

TIMONIUM, Md. – Few categories of antique toys have been as consistently “bankable” over the past few decades as banks themselves, especially cast-iron mechanicals. And nothing brings out the collectors faster than news of a great collection coming onto the market, says mechanical bank specialist and RSL Auction co-owner Ray Haradin, who speaks from long experience. Together with his business partners Steven and Leon Weiss – the “S” and “L” of “RSL” – Haradin has handled some headline-grabbing collections in the past. On May 22, they’ll do it once again as they auction the Richard C. Stevens collection of mechanical banks in a 360-lot auction at Richard Opfer’s gallery in Timonium, Maryland.

Richard Stevens began collecting banks in 1984, but his most active period of buying was in the early 1990s. “Mr. Stevens has always sought out the very finest examples, and his collection contains probably 30 banks that qualify as ‘world class,’” said Haradin. “These banks have exquisite pedigrees and rival or surpass the conditions seen in many major collections. The quality is simply spectacular – it tops anything we’ve ever had in our past sales.”

Rich with provenance, the Stevens collection carries on the tradition of many legendary collections of the past. An Atlas Bank formerly in the collections of Leon Cameto and Larry Feld is estimated at $25,000-$35,000 and is “as close to mint as you can get,” said Haradin. A Boy Scout Camp bank, made by J. & E. Stevens and in near-mint condition, was once part of the fabled Perelman Museum collection and is expected to earn $20,000-$30,000.

DENVER, Pa. - In what will be one of the company's largest sales to date, Dan Morphy Auctions will offer 3,000 lots of antiques from fresh-to-market collections in a May 13-15, 2010 Spring sale, with Internet live bidding through LiveAuctioneers.com. Morphy's will enter exciting new territory with its offering of more than 300 lots of authentic African tribal art from a 40-year collection amassed by an Ohio private collector.

Among many other featured categories, the auction will also contain 300 lots of advertising and coin-operated machines, 250 examples of fine and decorative art, 70 lots of napkin rings, part III of the Pat and Lowell Wagner steam toy/steam engine collection, and an outstanding collection of rare occupational shaving mugs.  Additionally, the toy section will incorporate 70 dolls, 30 mechanical banks and 300 lots of early Mattel Hot Wheels vehicles - one of the largest groupings of its type to reach the auction marketplace.

Following tradition, the auction will open with a fine selection of marbles. The 60-lots to be sold include a boxed set of 25 Christensen agate "Guinea" marbles, estimated at $8,000-$12, 000, and many handmade onionskins, Lutzes and sulphides. Top sulphide lots include a painted number "3" and a tricolor painted rooster.

NEW HOPE, Pa. – Noel Barrett has spent the last several months preparing a spring treat to boost the spirits of winter-weary collectors. His May 1-2 auction, comprised of 1,200 choice lots of early toys and other compatible categories of antiques, is led by the renowned Americana and advertising collection of the late Gordon Stark of Kansas City. Other important highlights include the Japanese boat and car collection of the late William F.“Bill” Weart, selected toys from the Kathy and Athel Spilhaus collection, and a diverse array of other select consignments from various individuals. LiveAuctioneers will provide the Internet live bidding.

“What I like so much about this sale is that it includes an extremely wide variety of material. There isn’t an overwhelming amount of anyone thing,” said auction house owner and Antiques Roadshow appraiser Noel Barrett. “Originally this was going to be a mixed toy sale till the Stark collection came along. Also, because I didn’t have a fall sale in 2009, I was able to be a little more selective about what to include in this sale. The result is a visually exciting mix that will appeal to a diverse cross-section of collectors.”

The keynote Gordon Stark collection encompasses many forms of early advertising – colorfully lithographed tin signs and trays,three-dimensional figures, fixtures and trade signs. “Gordon Stark was a revered, old-time collector of Americana and advertising, and it is his lifetime collection that we are selling,” Barrett noted. “It is quite obvious that he viewed each of the objects in his collection as art.”

LITITZ, Pa. - Toy Collector Magazine has learned that Donal Markey, an influential dealer and collector of antique mechanical and still banks, and cast-iron toys, died this morning, March 22, 2010, after a brief illness.

A widely acknowledged expert on mechanical banks, Donal's long list of illustrious clients over the past 25 years included Mosler Safe Co. president/CEO Edwin H. Mosler Jr., renowned collector Stan Sax, and Leon Perelman, founder of the Perelman Museum in Philadelphia.

Donal  was a contributing consultant to Bill Norman's ground-breaking reference The Bank Book: The Encyclopedia of Mechanical Bank Collecting, published in 1984. At the time of his death, he served as an expert consultant to Bertoia Auctions. Donal was a member of the Mechanical Bank Collectors of America, the Antique Toy Collectors of America, and the Still Bank Collectors Club of America.

DENVER, Pa. - Dan Morphy Auctions will pack 2,100 quality lots into a big two-day sale, Feb. 26 and 27, 2010, at the company's state of the art gallery on the Adamstown antique strip. The main categories in the auction are historical antiques, firearms and militaria, jewelry, toys and antique advertising. All forms of bidding will be available, including live via the Internet. 

The Friday session opens with more than 150 lots of fine jewelry and Bakelite from a single estate. All types of jewelry will be offered, including rings, necklaces, earrings, watches and brooches. Among the highlights are an 18K gold bracelet with turquoise stones, a 14K gold bracelet with diamonds, and many other gold Victorian-era fine jewelry designs.