By Carole Deutsch DENVER, Pa. – An ambitious 1,300-lot sale, held by Morphy Auctions on Feb. 21-22, was composed of a stellar collection of advertising memorabilia and was highlighted by a selection of museum-quality pinball machines from the renowned David Silverman collection. The proceeds of the auction totaled $1,032,000. Silverman was the founder of the National Pinball Museum, which was originally located in Washington, D.C. All of the vintage machines in Silverman’s collection, the earliest of which was from 1930, were on display at the museum before Silverman eventually moved them to a facility at his home where they remained for more than 20 years. The stellar collection, amassed over a 35-year period, is well known among serious collectors, and presale enthusiasm ran high. All of the 600 machines that constitute the entire collection will be sold by Morphy’s over the course of several auctions. The inaugural auction offered 76 machines, and discriminating collectors did not miss the rare opportunity to experience the machines in the “hands on” preview. “Previewers were extremely interested in the pinball machines,” Morphy’s marketing director, Jennifer Belv, said. “We had all of them set up in our gallery, and people from the ages of 30 to 60 came to try their hand at the games, which were for the most part in working order. They showed up in great force at 9 a.m. for the Friday sale.” She said the greatest in-house activity was on Friday and was generated by the pinball machine enthusiasts. However, the highest prices were realized among the advertising memorabilia on the second day, in which aggressive internet bidding ruled the day. Highlighting the pinball machines was a Williams Banzai Run motorcycle-themed machine from 1988. The catalog stated that it was a “low production model and hard to find with a good playfield.” It further noted that the game had many extras on the playfield and was in good overall condition. Adding to the collectible relevance of the piece was the fact that it was Pat Lawlor’s first game design. Lawlor began working as an engineer for Williams in 1987. He and Larry DeMar, another leading video game and pinball designer, co-designed the Banzai Run with a dual playfield. Bidding on the iconic machine opened at $500, sailed past the estimate of $2,000 to $2,500, and achieved a realized price of $5,400. A Gottlieb Knock-Out pinball machine from 1950 portrayed animated boxers in a fight ring on the playfield. It is considered to be one of the highest valued Woodrail games in history and is generally hard to find for sale, even though 3,000 were produced. The coveted piece opened at $750 and climbed to a final sum of $4,200. Chewing gum machines were in great demand and brought handsome prices. Among them was an early Star Pepsin gum machine, circa 1899, one of only three known to exist. A Pulver porcelain chewing gum vendor was found in the original box and had never been used. It included the key case and hard-to-find original winder key plus the original paper instructions. This piece generated keen bidder interest and went more than three times the high estimate to bring $9,600. Advertising had many fine and highly collectible Coca-Cola items that appealed to the most discerning collectors. A 1903 Coca-Cola single April calendar with vivid untouched colors of gold and purple portrayed a seated lady holding a glass of coke, and this attractive piece more than doubled the high estimate to realize $19,200. A fine selection of shaving mugs sold “through the roof,” far surpassing presale estimates to realize unprecedented prices. Chief among them was an automobile restorer’s shaving mug that had the name Greenpoint Ford Service in gold gilt lettering and was dated 1924. It had a unique illustration of a man restoring an automobile, was made in an exceptional color palette and in excellent condition. It opened at $250 and commanded more than five times the high estimate when it sold for $10,800. A ship builders shaving mug, marked in gold gilt lettering across the top with the name Raimondo Costagliola, depicted a ship under construction with a workman standing on a scaffold with a hammer and chisel in hand. It was in excellent condition and sold for $6,600 against an estimate of $400 to $800. A tin advertising sign that portrayed a charming young boy and girl sitting at a table and drinking soda was lettered, “Drink ALLENS RED TAME CHERRY and you’ll smile too.” The appealing sign fetched $9,600. Bidding remained strong right up until the end of the sale when one of the highest-priced items sold among the last lots of the day. The price of $25,200 was paid for a 1920s Wineberry syrup dispenser that was cataloged as “Authentic and Rare!” The piece had exceptional graphics, accented by gold banding, and showed no signs of wear. Prices include a 20 percent buyer’s premium. |