Izannah Walker Doll, Kingsbury "Blue Bird" Racer Sell High at Skinner
Bolton, MA - An Oil Painted Cloth Izannah Walker Doll, created c. 1870, led Skinner’s December 9 auction of Toys, Dolls and Collectables, selling for an impressive $24,150. The doll was the top lot in a very solid sale that grossed more than $350,000 and sold nearly 90% of the lots.
Also performing well, Jumeaux featured a Large Incised Bisque Head Doll, c. 1885, that sold for $6,325, a Small Bisque Head Bébé, c. 1890, that sold for $6,325, and a Bisque Head Bébé, c. 1885, that went for $5,462.50. A Jumeau Bisque Head Bébé marked E.J., c. 1885, brought $4,025, and a Tête Jumeau Bisque Head Bébé "Alice," c. 1890, sold for $2,070. A Cloth Kathe Kruse "Schlenkerchen" Doll, c. 1922, fetched $5,462.50. This 13-inch all-stockinette doll had an oil-painted head and a smiling expression, unlike the more somber or serious look typical of Kruse dolls. Early Kestner bisque head dolls included one that sold for $2,990, and a Pouty Child Doll that went for $2,070. Rounding out the highlights, a late 19th century Large Simon Halbig 949 Bisque Head Doll sold for $2,530, and a Jules Steiner Bisque Head Doll, c. 1890, for $2,185. Accessories included a large lot of late 19th and early 20th century dollhouse furniture that realized $2,645.
Teddy Bears included several early (c. 1905) Steiff examples, led by a Golden Long Mohair Teddy Bear that fetched $8,912.50, a Light Golden Teddy Bear that went for $4,887.50, a Blond Mohair Teddy Bear that sold for $2,070, and a Light Apricot Teddy Bear that reached $1,610. Christmas items featured a Nodding Reindeer with Santa in Sleigh (a 1962 F.A.O. Schwarz exclusive) that garnered $3,450.
Selections among the toys included a Kingsbury "Blue Bird" Racer, with black details and U.S. and U.K. Flags, that sold well above expectations for $4,140. Also highlighting this portion of the auction, a Buck Rodgers Rocket Ship by Marx for Daisey, in the maker’s box, sold for $1,495, and an early 20th century German Hot-air Engine with a painted acrobat accessory brought the same amount. Nine Painted Slush-metal Figures from Happy Hooligan expected to realize $2/300 sold for $1,150, a collection of Schoenhut Circus Figures reached $1,035, and a "Columbia – Land of the West" Game Board, with colored lithographic images of American states and cities and events in American history, c. 1850, went for $1,380. A Pair of Boxed Lionel No. 2343 P/T Santa Fe Diesel Locomotives selling for $517.50 and a Lionel No. 1800 The General Frontier Pack for $402.50 were examples from the large selection of trains and related accessories.
An extensive variety of still and mechanical banks was offered, with highlights including an Atlas Bank/Money Moves the World that brought $5,175 and a Zoo Bank by Kyser & Rex that sold for $3,162.50. A Two Frogs Mechanical Bank by Stevens brought $2,990; and a Tammany Bank by Stevens and an Artillery Bank by Shepard sold for $1,610 each.
The auction also featured a varied selection of collectables. Right in step with the season, the sale offered a printed silk kerchief of Andrew Jackson’s first Inaugural Address of 1829 and an advertisement for a Thanksgiving dance at the Gloucester Armory, c. 1900 that together reached $345. Also timely was the Cotton Pennant for the 1868 Grant and Colfax Presidential Election that fetched $805. A Bisque Suffragette Figure, made in Germany c. 1910, expected to bring $75/125 realized $1,092.50.