A peek at Pook

The 24 March Pook & Pook sale saw an interesting US auction unfold, with some important collections going under the hammer.
A group of military figures from the collection of Jose Chase, of Portland, Oregon, was based around an army of composition wartime soldiers from German manufacturers Lineol and Elastolin/Hausser. Soldiers included those representing the Revolutionary War, WWI and WWII. The variety involved figures in action, some seated and some standing, as well as wounded men. Ancillaries included other essential wartime extras such as nurses, dogs, musicians and horses. Personality figures were not ignored, either, with Hitler, Mussolini, Goebbels and Goering all making an appearance. To go with these were many wartime accessories: trenches, bomb blasts, warships, fighter planes, tanks, flame-throwers, howitzers and battery-operated searchlights. Interesting to note, a considerable number of these lots came with their original boxes.

A diverse selection of other toys, both European and American, were also up for grabs. Amongst them were three Marklin toys in exceptional condition, including an electric tramway trolley, train station and a double-globe street lamp. However, an outstanding last-minute addition to the sale was an extremely scarce (circa 1910) Marklin painted tin clockwork musical carousel with original tassel-bordered cloth canopy. Estimated at $30,000-40,000, it had the makings of a unique piece, since another was not known.

A collection of sleighs, toboggans, wagons, pull-along toys, tricycles and hand-painted sleds were also due to be sold. Of these, one highlight was the circa 1870 hand-propelled, carved and painted horse velocipede, (estimated to fetch US$2,000-3,000); an extensive hobby-horse selection was also consigned to the auction house. Other nostalgic playtime essentials include a variety of painted figures from the Philadelphia-based Schoenhut toy company. These included a dolls house with accessories, and various animal figures, such as a kangaroo, elephant and zebra, amongst others. Also worthy of mention was the circa-1903 Schoenhut Jolly Jiggers dancing toy in excellent condition (guideline US$1,200-1,600). A French Tête Jumeau bisque-head doll, complete with its original beaded outfit and leather shoes, was estimated at US$1,500-2,500.

As is common at US sales, a number of cast iron toys also came up: there were 45 lots in all of which the most interesting had to be a Niederst Co. cast-iron steam shovel (US$5,000-8,000); a near-mint cast iron police motorcycle (US$1,000-1,500); and a cast iron Buick formerly of the Perelman Toy Museum in Philadelphia, billed at US$600-800.