11 December 2018
|
Shop fresh, you’d have been hard pressed to find another example of a walking Batman like this one.
The Milestone Auctions October sale focussed on superheroes and pop culture but it was arguably the former that stole the limelight.
The Milestone Auctions October sale focussed on superheroes and pop culture but it was arguably the former that stole the limelight.
Amazingly, Batman first captured the public’s attention way back in 1939, when he appeared on the cover of Detective Comics No. 27. Since then, the masked crime fighter has remained in the forefront of pop culture, dominating all media and delighting generations of children in the form of toys that reflect Batman’s complex world of heroes and villains. A classic battery-operated Walking Batman coolly strolled across the auction block at Hakes, and set a new world auction record at US$16,800. The 12 inch walker was from Japan (predictably), and made by TN and looked to be old shop stock, so was as mint as you’ll find.
Space fantasy toys were in great demand. A boxed Buck Rogers U-238 Atomic Pistol Holster Set was estimated at US$800-1,200 but bidders thought otherwise, pursuing the rig to US$4,440. A Superman Krypto-Raygun made by Daisy was all original and presented in a colourfully lithographed box, complete with all six filmstrips and an instruction sheet. This early Superman toy was so designed as to allow the user to point the ray gun at a wall and view picture stories. Novel in its time, it was bid to US$2,280.
Another crowd-pleaser was Transogram’s Elroy Jetson Bobbing Pull Toy Space Car. This was offered in mint condition and sealed on its original display card, with images of both Elroy and his dad George and a tagline about the vehicle’s “GRR-RR Motor Sound.” Estimated at US$800-1,000, it settled on US$1,860.
Finally, an even greater surprise in store was when a 7 inch tin friction Flying Saucer (Z-101) in its crisp, colourful original box blasted past its US$600 guideline, achieving orbit at a staggering US$3,480. It was simple and crude but with a box and intact, it sold extremely well on the day.