Skinner May Discovery Sale to Feature Antique Dolls, Toys, Ephemera, Books, and Collectibles

MARLBOROUGH, Mass. – May 3, 2012 – Skinner, Inc. will host a Discovery auction on May 16th and 17th in its Marlborough gallery. The sale presents a varied assortment of antique dolls, vintage toys, collectibles, ephemera, and books, as well as furniture and decorative objects with more than 1200 lots on offer.

Antique Dolls

Over 200 lots of antique, vintage & collectible dolls will be featured at the sale, highlighted by a French Bru Jne 5 bisque head doll (lot 184, estimated between $15,000 and $18,000). Outfitted in its original cotton dress and shoes, this doll has deep blue paperweight eyes and wears a quizzical expression. Other dolls up for bid include a blonde Depose E 6 J Bebe Jumeau decked out in the original cotton two-piece dress and wool cape, complete with an additional white cotton dress and hat (lot 81, $5,000 to $6,000); a papier mache Milliner model with apollo knot (lot 33, $1,500 to $2,000); and a French fashion lady doll (lot 22, $3,500 to $4,500) in a burgundy taffeta dress and extra two-piece dark green wool challis dress with black trim.

Vintage Toys

A diverse selection of toys by firms such as Hubley, Lionel, and Marx includes painted cast iron toy vehicles & accessories (lot 207, $300 to $500), lithographed tin toys, Britain’s painted metal soldiers, Steiff animals, and vintage PAR lithographed wood jigsaw puzzles (lot 224, $800 to $1,200).

Collectibles and Ephemera

For the collector, the May Discovery sale offers everything from baseball memorabilia to vintage comic books including a 1962 New York Yankees World Series 10kt gold and diamond ring (lot 354, $2,000 to $3,000); a Babe Ruth autographed baseball (lot 386, $3,000 to $5,000); a Mills Novelty Co. Champions Play Baseball candy mints five-cent slot machine (lot 356, $3,000 to $5,000); a complete box of 1966 Topps Batman Television gum cards (lot 260, $1,000 to $1,500); and a 1961 Silver Age Fantastic Four Marvel Comics No. 1 (lot 248, $800 to $1,200).

Books and Historical Manuscripts

Notable book lots include a scrapbook dated 1828 filled with pencil sketches, gouache paintings, engravings, drawings, manuscript poems, and short stories (lot 516, $600 to $900); a collection of 18th century British & American newspapers (lot 526, $200 to $250); and a substantial fragment of the 1569 edition of Vesalius’s Anatomes Totius, with forty full-page engraved plates depicting human dissection (lot 587, $2,000 to $3,000).

Antique Furniture and Decorative Arts

This sale presents an assortment of both antique and contemporary furnishings and decorative objects. Highlights include a Victorian Renaissance revival damask upholstered carved walnut hound’s head arm chair (lot 855, $400 to $600); a Victorian Renaissance revival carved walnut Davenport writing desk (lot 613, $400 to $600); a classical-style upholstered carved mahogany loveseat (lot 720, $400 to $600); a set of four Chippendale-style carved walnut side chairs (lot 665, $400 to $600); a polychrome painted and gilt gesso and carved wood figure of a saint (lot 967, $1,500 to $2,500); and a pair of white-painted cast iron garden chairs (lot 785, $200 to $300).

Previews, Catalogue, and Bidding

Previews for the auction will be held on Tuesday, May 15, 2012, 12 p.m.-7 p.m., Wednesday, May 16, 2012, 10 a.m.-6 p.m., and Thursday, May 17, 2012, 9 a.m.-10 a.m.

A text catalogue for #2597M is available by mail from the subscription department at 508-970-3240. It is also available at the gallery. Prices realized will be available at www.skinnerinc.com during and after the sale. Skinner’s site also allows users to view all lots in the auctions, leave bids, order catalogues, and bid live in real-time through SkinnerLive!

About Skinner

Skinner, Inc. is one of the world’s leading auction houses for antiques and fine art. With expertise in over 20 specialty collecting areas, Skinner draws the interest of buyers from all over the world and its auctions regularly achieve world record prices. Skinner provides a broad range of auction and appraisal services, and it is widely regarded as one of the most trusted names in the auction business. Skinner’s appraisal experts regularly appear on the PBS-TV series, Antiques Roadshow, and its specialty departments include American Furniture & Decorative Arts, American & European Works of Art, European Furniture & Decorative Arts, 20th Century Design, Fine Ceramics, Fine Silver, Fine Jewelry, Couture, Fine Musical Instruments, Asian Works of Art, Fine Wines, Rare Books & Manuscripts, Oriental Rugs & Carpets, American Indian & Ethnographic Art, Fine Judaica, Antique Motor Vehicles, Toys, Dolls & Collectibles, Discovery and Science, Technology & Clocks. Skinner galleries are located in Boston and Marlborough, Mass. For more information on upcoming auctions and events, visit Skinner’s web site www.skinnerinc.com.

 

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