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.

PITTSBURGH - Ray Haradin's Old Toy Soldier Auctions operates in a world of miniature antiques, but prices on top lots were strictly big league in the company's May 1 auction featuring the collections of John Graham (part III), brothers Bill and Don Thompson, and other consignors.

"At $229,000 with 99 percent of the lots sold, it was, by far, our best sale to date," said Haradin. "I was thrilled with the result."

The 645-lot auction inventory featured an extraordinary toy soldier collection that was established in the 1940s by two brothers from Chicago, Don and (the late) Bill Thompson. When their family moved to California in 1947, the boys' carefully wrapped and boxed toys made the journey as well, but they would remain in quiet storage until 2009, when they were unwrapped and assessed for auction purposes.

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.

FREDERICK, Md. - "This is going to be a sale full of surprises," said Keith Spurgeon, owner of Mosby & Co. Auctions, in describing the big absentee, phone and Internet auction slated to run from May 5 to May 20. "We've brought in not only a couple of very choice collections, but also architectural contents from a fine Frederick, Maryland estate. This is definitely our most diverse sale to date." Absentee bidding will be available through LiveAuctioneers.com beginning May 5.

The highlight of the toy section is part II of the Dave Stoermer prewar Japanese celluloid collection. "Dave had held back some of the toys in his collection when we sold part I," Spurgeon said, "but he later decided he would sell the remainder, including the rare and outstanding Three Pigs toy that was featured on a past issue of Antique Toy World." The category is rounded out nicely with European, American and comic character toys, plus a selection of outstanding 19^th-century games, from additional private consignors.

After the success achieved by the previous offering of coveted Aurora monster model kits, Mosby & Co. will present a second installment from the same collection. The kits are in all-original, sealed condition, just the way collectors like them.

PITTSBURGH - Collectors of toy soldiers and civilian figures know their marching orders - to report to their phone, fax machine or computer on or before May 1 for Old Toy Soldier Auctions' 655-lot sale of top-quality figures from revered and long-held collections. This major toy event is headlined by the Bill and Don Thompson collection and part III of the John Graham collection, with various other select properties from additional private consignors. LiveAuctioneers.com will facilitate the Internet live bidding and absentee online bidding for this sale.

Don Thompson and his late brother, Bill, hailed from Chicago and began collecting toy soldiers at a young age. In 1947, the Thompsons moved to California, and the expansive collection made the journey, as well. There on the West Coast, the cherished toys remained in storage until 2009, when they were unwrapped to be assessed for auction purposes.

"The figures had been exquisitely packed in cotton, and over half a century later, the condition is still just amazing," said Ray Haradin, owner of Old Toy Soldier Auctions. "While some of the sets may not be extraordinarily rare, they are the types of sets that were very popular with kids of their era, and the Thompson brothers took great care of them."

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.”