| Press Contact: | Catherine Riedell | George Glastris |
| Director of Marketing | Director of Toys | |
| Skinner, Inc | Skinner, Inc | |
|
978-779-6341, x231 |
978-779-6241 | |
SKINNER TOYS & DOLLS AUCTION TO
FEATURE IVES BOY ON VELOCIPEDE0 AND
DOLLS FROM MFA BOSTON AND WADSWORTH ATHENEUM
BOSTON, Mass. – July 8, 2002 - www.skinnerinc.com -- Skinner, Inc., one of the nation’s leading auctioneers and appraisers of antiques and fine art, will hold an auction of Toys, Dolls & Collectibles on Saturday, July 20, 2002 at 10:00 a.m. in its Bolton, Mass. gallery. With over 1000 lots for sale, the auction offers antique toy and doll enthusiasts much to choose from. Toys in the sale number over 200 lots and include tin and cast iron toys and banks, mechanical toys, puzzles and a very large selection of Buddy L outdoor railroad trains and vehicles and other pressed steel offerings. The featured toy in the sale is an Ives Boy on Velocipede from the 1870s, estimated at $10,000-$15,000. A similar velocipede was sold in Skinner’s July 2001 Toys & Dolls auction for $17,250.
The doll section of the sale will feature approximately 500 lots and will include French bisque bebes to Ginny dolls, Steiff bears, toys, and groups of doll furniture, with several fine offerings being de-accessioned from Boston’s Museum of Fine Arts and the Wadsworth Atheneum, as well as offerings from several New England estates and a large private collection.
Among the items from the Museum of Fine Arts is a 23 inch wooden female court doll with deeply carved hair and painted features, probably early 19th century. She has well-defined large hands, long fingers, and an anatomically correct body. She is estimated at $5,000-$7,000. From the Wadsworth Atheneum come several early and mid 19th century papier mache dolls, some with original owner names given to the dolls such as Billy Ransom Younglove Gay and Rosie Green. There is a fine Goodyear rubber gentleman, two splendid Bru lady dolls, and a lovely early 24-inch closed mouth Kestner #15 with blue sleep eyes and the early chunky straight wrist body, estimated at $3,500-$4,500. A fine selection of doll clothing from the Wadsworth Atheneum will also be offered.
A diverse private collection includes offerings such as numerous papier mache dolls, small bisques and cloth dolls, and a lovely early china doll. A primitive painted cloth lady stands 19 inches tall, estimated $1,200-$1,800. Other cloth dolls include a Steiff policeman, a fine Lenci boy and a Lenci character man who retains his Lenci metal button.
The sale also features offerings of Barbie items from the early 1960s from a single-owner collection. Some from this collection were sold in the December Skinner sale and a few more are being released for this sale, including a box that has never been opened, containing 12 fashion queen Barbie dolls, with an x-ray provided to affirm their count. It is estimated at $3,500-$4,500. Several other new in box old Barbies are also being offered. Other noteworthy doll offerings include several Bliss doll houses, and a 20 inch Steiff cinnamon bear, with blank button, estimated $6,000-$8,000; an F.G. bisque head bebe all original bride, estimated $3,000-$5,000; and a “Lydia” china head doll, conservatively estimated at $1,000-$1,500.
Illustrated catalog #2153 is available for $29 by mail ($35 for foreign requests) from the subscription department at Skinner/Bolton (978-779-6241 ext. 240). Prices realized at the auction are available in real-time at www.skinnerinc.com during the sale. For more information, call 978-779-6241, fax 978-779-5144, or visit www.skinnerinc.com.Note to Editors:
Photos available upon request. Contact Catherine Riedel at 978-779-6241 x 231.
About Skinner:
With galleries in Boston and Bolton, Mass., Skinner is a one of the nation’s leading auction houses. As a full-service auction house, Skinner provides auction and appraisal services for all manner of antiques and fine art, and its appraisal experts are regularly seen on the PBS series, The Antiques Roadshow. Skinner conducts auctions year-round and has received world-record prices for many pieces sold at auction. Departments include American Furniture & Decorative Arts, Paintings & Prints, English & Continental Furniture & Decorations, Fine Ceramics, Jewelry, Couture, 20th Century Furniture & Decorative Arts, Fine Musical Instruments, Asian Art, Fine Judaica, Toys, Dolls & Collectibles, Science & Technology, Oriental Rugs & Carpets, American Indian & Ethnographic Art, and Discovery. For more information on upcoming auctions, visit Skinner’s web site www.skinnerinc.com.