Marklin Steam Pumper Blazes to $149,500 at Kaufman II Toy Sale

Bertoia Auctions, Vineland, New Jersey

by Dick Friz

Photos courtesy Bertoia Auctions

It took only a few lots in the second Donald Kaufman sale (known as Kaufman II) to debunk the F. Scott Fitzgerald myth that "there are no second acts." This sparkling 1129-lot two-day no-reserve toy auction at Bertoia Auctions in Vineland, New Jersey, on September 25 and 26 surged nearly to the $3 million mark.

Richard "Rich" Bertoia told us later that in his estimation the major surprise was that he didn't see a weak area in any toy category, be it cast iron, penny toys, European tin motor toys, pressed steel, or biscuit tins. They all performed seamlessly, and Kaufman II handily surpassed presale estimates.

"This was the toy business like it was ten years ago. It proves once again that a great collection and a great presentation will trump any economic forecasting," added the auction house's owner, Jeanne Bertoia.

Kaufman I was held in March and became the highest-grossing event in Bertoia's 23-year history at $4.2 million. The Kaufman total now mounts to about $7 million, with just over 2600 lots hammered down to date. The halfway mark in this incredible efflux of elusive top-shelf merchandise has yet to be reached.

Regrettably, on October 12, 2009, Don Kaufman passed away. He was born in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, on October 8, 1930. The Berkshire Eagle cited his "58 years of combing antique stores, bidding at auctions and cultivating relationships with other toy enthusiasts to amass his beloved and unrivaled collection." In a recent New York Times interview, Don Kaufman mentioned that only a few dozen people had ever viewed his collection, stored in its entirety in a warehouse extension of the Kaufmans' house in Pittsfield.

This series of Kaufman sales, hailed as the toy sale of the century, affords a now-or-never buying opportunity. Countless more devotees will be afforded the opportunity to observe the semiannual rite of passage. Kaufman III will be at Bertoia Auctions on April 9 and 10, 2010, and will highlight comic toys.

Once again, the Kaufman collection stirred a worldwide media blitz. Just prior to Friday morning's opener, television crews from Fox, ABC, and local stations shoehorned their cameras and booms into the gallery, making instant celebrities of rather startled previewers. Someone joked that Kaufman was getting more TV exposure than President Obama.

Bertoia's Thursday wine and cheese preview attracted an international clientele. Collectors arrived from France, Germany, Switzerland, Great Britain, Denmark, New Zealand, Singapore, and the Cayman Islands. In the ensuing two days, the Europeans, most notably the Germans, armed with fistfuls of euros, summarily indulged their fantasies in reuniting high-end Märklin, S.G. Gunthermann, Doll & Co., and Carette toys with their country of origin.

Early European and Japanese luxury tinplate cars and vehicles played a dominant role. They were paced by a resplendent red 1912 live steam fire pumper, hand painted by the esteemed German maker Gebruder Märklin, which beelined to a magisterial sum of $149,500 (includes buyer's premium). An unidentified German collector prevailed.

It is one of only five known examples of this intricate 18" long pumper. The engine's detailed appointments include an exposed boiler and chrome and brass valves and gauges. A repaired side hose reel frame, replaced lights, and small door handle did little to detract from its overall museum quality.

A dream assemblage of over a dozen European tinplate cars, motorcycles, and trucks entered the hallowed $20,000 winner's circle. Completing an all-German blitz, an early 1930's Tipp & Co. Mickey and Minnie Mouse on motorcycle, the only known survivor with original box, was the sale's runnerup after a merry chase. At $71,300, it handily surpassed its $40,000/60,000 estimate.

Unable to attend this sale, Don Heim and his wife, Betty Jo, of Williamsport, Pennsylvania, who specialize primarily in American toys and banks, left a number of successful absentee bids for a nice selection of small boxed sets by Hubley and Arcade and a few choice Vindex cast-iron factory samples. Kaufman had pursued Vindex especially.

Don Heim indicated there were those who predicted that the Kaufman sale would ruin prices and push everything into the stratosphere. "That hasn't happened, and the worldwide interest it has stirred has been great for the hobby," said Heim.

As expected, a fair share of the star-power entries went ballistic, yet many in the crowd felt there were buys to be had. For example, paint restoration may have put a damper on an early circa 1904 "Open Stake" delivery truck, one from Bing's elite line of lorries. At 11" long, it sold for $1725. A Märklin 1920's saloon car, an 11½" classic with sporty V-slant radiator and shown in David Pressland's Art of the Tin Toy (1976), finished below estimate at $10,925. Perhaps the biggest eyebrow raiser was a salesman's sample cast-iron Vindex Packard club sedan, ex-Fred McAdams. Deemed the finest of this model extant, it braked at $9200, less than half its high estimate of $20,000.

Anyone privileged to visit the Kaufmans' home would have noted that the entire third floor of their toy annex was devoted to the toys of Kingsbury, the Keene, New Hampshire, firm. Kaufman especially admired them for accuracy in scale and detail. Those were clearly among the leaders in the fiercely contested light pressed steel segment.

Jeanne's son, Michael Bertoia, who designed the auction catalog, made good on his prediction that "racecars are going to knock people out…They're as good as or better than the selection in the first sale."

There were some 50 racecar entries. Racing enthusiasts had a choice of early 1900 German "Gordon Bennett" racers: a Gunthermann #5 in a scarce 6½" size for $27,600; an Issmayer racer, 7½" long, for $9775; a more widely known Gunthermann 8¾" version for $8625; and another by an unknown German maker with detailed boat-tail fin, 6¾" long, for $3450. The auction record for a Gunthermann "Gordon Bennett" racer entry is $48,300 at a recent James Julia sale.

James Gordon Bennett Jr., who lived mostly in Europe, inherited the New York Herald from his enterprising father. Young Gordon Bennett developed a penchant for racing as well as news publishing and underwrote many races, especially the earliest car races. He sponsored the first five major European competitions. In 1903 Camille Jenatzy won the Gordon Bennett race in a 60-horsepower Mercedes and instigated a flurry of German toy manufacturers to create toy racecars.

The Hubley 1932 Dutch Cleanser "girl chasing dirt," an 8 5/8" long cast-iron pedestal pull toy that was rated "a marvel in early mold design," from the Jake Brubaker collection, made $6900. But the real kicker was a Dutch Cleanser alarm clock lotted with a Dutch Cleanser cigar box that far exceeded its $300/400 estimate at $10,350.

Eminently displayable by being small plus affordable, boxed cast-iron Hubley and Arcade sets in unplayed-with condition excelled. A 7" x 12" Hubley construction set, 1930's, with truck, tractor, shovel truck, and dumper, cast iron with chrome wheels, hit the road at $4887.50. An Arcade No. 331 boxed set, circa 1934, including five road signs and a square frame gas pump (box 7" x 17"), sold at $2875. An Arcade #3920 assortment (racer, DeSoto sedan, delivery van, stake truck, and wrecker) brought $2070.

Futuristic toys were predominantly pre-Second World War Japanese and U.S. (Louis Marx and Daisy Mfg.). A fascinating subset, Kaufman's arsenal of several dozen outer space ray guns and rocket ships, offered a pleasant digression. They intermingled among the toy car and truck offerings. Great 1930's graphics sparked such entries as an unusual boxed Louis Marx Rex Mars fighter ship, made in Great Britain. The 11¾" long litho windup fighter ship zoomed to $4600. A 7" long Flash Gordon signal pistol, boxed, triggered a $977.50 top bid. Who could resist a boxed Buck Rogers helmet by Daisy at $632.50?

For more information, contact Bertoia at (856) 692-1881 or check the Web site (www.bertoiaauctions.com).

The Märklin Mystique

Founded in 1859 by Theodor F.W. Märklin (1817-1866) and his wife, Caroline, the Goppingen firm first made dollhouse kitchens. After Theodore's death, Caroline ran the company, overcoming large obstacles, until 1888 when their sons Karl and Eugen took over the firm. In 1907 the name was changed to Gebruder Märklin & Co.

Märklin is less renowned for its cars and trucks than its superbly detailed hand-painted tinplate trains and boats, many of which have soared to auction records. Remember that the top seller at Bertoia's Kaufman I auction was also a Märklin—a "Fidelitas" circus clown train set, circa 1909, which reigned supreme at $103,500. At Kaufman II the $149,500 fire pumper topped the list.

While most of the storied German toy titans of the past (Bing, Carette, Doll & Co., Georg Fischer, S.G. Gunthermann, Issmayer, Hans Eberl, Tipp & Co.) ceased prior to the Second World War, Märklin marches on as the oldest continuously operating toy maker in history, now celebrating its 150th year.

Kaufman II's Top Lots

1. Märklin steam fire truck, Germany, circa 1912, painted tin, 18" long, $149,500.
2. Tipp & Co. Mickey and Minnie Mouse motorcycle, Germany, early 1930's, litho tin, boxed, 9¼", $71,300.
3. Bing four-seat touring car, Germany, circa 1904, painted tin, 10¾", $59,800.
4. Märklin four-seat touring car, Germany, circa 1905, painted tin, 11½", $40,250.
5. Märklin delivery truck, Germany, circa 1920, painted tin, 10", $39,100.
6. Hubley, United States, Indian "Flower Shoppe" delivery cycle, 1930's, cast iron, ex-Covert Hegarty, 10½", $36,800.
7. Carette limousine, Germany, circa 1911, painted tin, boxed, 12½", $32,200.
8. Gendrun Stutz coupe, United States, 1920's, pressed steel, 28½", $32,200.
9. American National pedal car on Koken Co. barber chair base, United States, pressed steel with porcelain base, 48" long, $29,900.
10. Gunthermann "Gordon Bennett" racer #5, Germany, 1920's, litho tin, 6½", $27,600.
11. Yonezawa "Atom Jet" racer, Japan, 1930's, litho tin, boxed, 26½", $21,850.
12. Carette rear entrance tonneau, Germany, circa 1911, litho tin, 12", $20,700.
13. Toledo Pierce-Arrow pedal car, United States, 1930's, pressed steel, 46", $20,700.
14. Jep Renault touring car, French, circa 1925, painted tin, ex-Count Coluzzi, 17½", $20,700.
15. Bing open four-seat touring car, Germany, circa 1905, painted tin, 14½", $20,700.
16. Pinard "Torpedo," French, painted tin, canvas top, 15½", $18,400.
17. Gunthermann #20 racer, Germany, circa 1920, 11" long, $18,400.
18. American National "Packard" roadster, circa 1926, 28½" long, $18,400.
19. Kingsbury delivery truck, United States, circa 1927, boxed, pressed steel, 14½" long, $17,250.

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