From spooks to Santa, Bertoia's collectible toy auction ends with a holiday special

As we reported, Bertoia Auctions is to have a jumbo sale of toys across three days with everything from Japanese tin cars to European boats, wind-up toys and banks.

The Sunday section of the sale is entirely devoted to holidays: Christmas, Easter and over course Halloween.

The Sunday session will be led by everyone's favorite gift-giver: Santa. More than 500 lots will be auctioned on the closing the day of the sale, including some exceptionally large German Santa displays.

Highlights include two charming Santa trade stimulators - one of them standing 45 inches tall; the other, 41 inches tall - and an exquisite 34-inch-tall chalk figure. Another showstopper is the 40-inch display that depicts Santa emerging from a chimney.

The Christmas treasure chest also includes more than 75 glass ornaments and 50+ Dresden ornaments. Among the Dresden rarities are ornaments replicating a bicycle, a boy riding an elephant, a large ship, eagle, a man on sleigh, and a horse-drawn landau coach.

A wonderful mix of Halloween antiques will add to the session's festive atmosphere, with glass candle lanterns, jack-o-lanterns, advertising pieces and other novelties on the auction agenda. The day will conclude with un-catalogued holiday box lots that will be available only to those bidders who attend the sale in person.

Some items from the famous Claire Lavin Halloween Collection
Some items from the famous Claire Lavin Halloween Collection

"Everyone got a kick out of it when we offered the box lots in last November's sale," said Rich Bertoia.

"We put a lot of thought into what went into each box, and Jeanne added her own personal touch by making sure there was something special in each and every one. We'll be doing that again for this sale."

Jeanne Bertoia said she is already receiving many calls about the November sale. "Over the past year and a half, collectors have witnessed the incredible interest in the Donald Kaufman collection, which has performed beyond all expectations in the middle of a recession," she enthused.

"Buyers are feeling more confident, and on the other hand, collectors who've taken a cautious approach to consigning their own collections now realize that the antique toy market is not the part of the economy that needs a stimulus package to help it along.

"Toy collectors are a very intelligent group of people. They recognize how rare and beautiful these toys are, and when the opportunity arises to buy, they don't hesitate."

The auction takes place from November 12-14 in New Jersey.

 

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