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News Article
‘Christmas in July’ at Pook & Pook yields festive results
By Carole Deutsch

DOWNINGTOWN, Pa. — A characteristic of the Pook & Pook Auction house is that they genuinely enjoy what they do and manage to put a creative spin on their sales that makes them so much more than just business. So, when a consignment comes along that is designed by its contents to be nothing but fun, the upbeat atmosphere of Pook & Pook is further heightened, and both consignor and bidder are in for a pleasurable, as well as productive, sale.

Such was the case with their Christmas in July toy auction that sold 557 lots of delightful toys from the estate of Marion and Donald Woelbing of Franklin, Wis. The Woelbings were known as passionate collectors who had a special liking for miniature toys and salesman sample stoves. Virtually every important maker, such as Acme, Baby, Buck, Cora, Great Majestic, Little Fanny and Uncle Sam, was included in the comprehensive collection.

In addition, Donald also had an interest in toy trains, and some of the highest prices were realized in this genre. Most of the trains were standard gauge, with a large group of Lionel and related accessories that included street lamps, signals, and train stations, and everything else necessary to complete a train setup in grand style. It is debatable who enjoyed the articles more, the children who originally played with them, the Woelbings who spent a lifetime collecting them, or the successful bidders who now own them.

“The sale had both entry level and seasoned collectors in the audience,” said Jamie Shearer, Pook & Pook’s vice president, auctioneer and appraiser. “This is our second ’toys only’ sale, and we plan to have more. As with all items in the antiques auction arena today, the best items commanded the most attention. We are pleased with the results and are already in the process of gathering inventory for our next toy sale.”

Topping the sale was a Marklin three-piece tin wind-up train set that was comprised of a No. 0 engine, a tender, and a Speisewagen dining car. The engine and tender were painted in black, with red wheels, and the dining car was red with a green roof. The set was in good condition with only a few scratches and small paint losses and sold for $6,000, against a high estimate of $600.

A Marklin freight station, 9 1/2 inches high by 17 inches wide, was made of painted tin that represented a brick building, sliding wooden doors over a loading platform, and a roofed-over depot with a teller’s window. This appealing piece opened at $750 and climbed past the estimate of $1,500 to $2,500 to achieve a realized price of $4,880.

Lionel was best represented by a standard gauge No. 1 electric rapid transit trolley car. The open car was painted yellow, with gray detailing, and brought $4,182, against a high estimate of $500. An American Flyer Lone Scout wide gauge four-piece train set included a No. 635 engine, a No. 4250 club car, a No. 4251 Pullman car, and a No. 4252 observation car, and sold with outer boxes and a grouping of track for $3,120, against an estimate of $500 to $800.

Leading the stove collection was a Majestic Mfg. Co. steel, iron and tin salesman’s sample stove, “The Great Majestic Junior,” that sold with a Griswold skillet, a steel tea kettle and a booklet. The overall height was 51 inches and it brought $4,320. The price of $2,400 was realized for a Lionel no. 455 electric toy stove, 33 1/2 inches high by 25 inches wide. The piece stood on tall green legs and had an oven with a temperature gauge, two hotplates and four control dials.

An assortment of pressed steel toys, cast iron mechanical banks, boats, dolls and games also were offered. Toy models of Uncle Sam’s Navy included four battleships made of paper lithos over wood. Two of the ships represented were The Maine and The Cincinnati. The largest ship was 7 3/4 inches long, and the set sold with the original cardboard box for $4,080 (est. $300-$500).

An interesting walnut coin-op Dutch pool table top game, circa 1900, was 9 1/2 inches high by 25 inches long, and it more than doubled the high estimate to achieve $2,640. A set of 12 carved and painted wooden soldiers, each 6 1/2 inches high, charmed their way to a price of $2,880, against an estimate of $75 to $150.

Doll collectors showed special interest in a French Tete Jumeau bisque head doll, inscribed “Depose Tete Jumeau Bte S. G. D. G. 8.” She was richly dressed in a velvet lace-trimmed dress, with a matching hat and shoes, and was constructed with a jointed composition body, fixed eyes and a closed mouth. She stood 19 inches tall and more than doubled the high estimate to realize $3,120.

Prices include a 20 percent in-house or 23 percent online buyer’s premium.

9/5/2014
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