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Morphy Auctions 2004 September Sale Brings $1.7 Million

DENVER, Pa. - Even in their wildest dreams, Dan Morphy and Tom Sage Jr., co-owners of Morphy Auctions, were not prepared for the remarkable $1.7 million (inclusive of 10 percent buyer’s premium) result achieved by their Sept. 3-4 sale, held at Adamstown Antique Gallery in Denver, Pa. It was only their second auction event since establishing the company, which got off to a running start last April with a $1.3 million debut.
Top lot of the sale was an 1888 J. & E. Stevens Jonah and the Whale bank in 100 percent original condition.
A rare pedestaled version, it is one of less than a dozen known examples, some of which are not entirely original. Estimated at $75,000-100,000, it opened at $85,000 and sold for $121,000

I think the total low estimate for this sale was $700,000 and the high, $900,000, said Morphy. I had thought it might go as high as $1.2 million, and Tommy thought $1.4 million. Needless to say we were extremely pleased.

The 1,306-lot inventory drew strong prices in virtually every category, including antique advertising, soda fountain dispensers, late 19th century through 1950s toys, and cast iron doorstops and banks. Leading the prices realized was a very scarce, pedestaled version of

J. & E. Stevens’ cast-iron Jonah and the Whale bank, made in 1888. Amid a bidding frenzy that came from all directions, the allegorical money box opened at $85,000 and, within minutes, had fetched $121,000, a world auction record for that model. More on the story

Morphy attributes the sale’s success, in part, to the extended preview period  all lots were on view at his Adamstown Antique Gallery for months prior to the event and amazing Internet and phone response, which was consistent throughout the sale. We had twice as many Internet bidders signed up this time as we did in the first sale. Online bidders had to be preapproved, and I couldn’t approve the bidders fast enough. As we got down to the wire, I went through the back end of LiveAuctioneers’ website and manually approved those who had very high feedback. On the Monday after the sale, I literally spent 14 hours on the computer, sending emails to all the successful Internet bidders. Most of them were very anxious to pay, and in the end, 32 percent of the merchandise and 15 percent of our gross went to the Internet.

Marbles, which opened the sale, fared better this time than in the spring sale, Morphy said, because more-affordable examples were included. Attaining an excellent price for a machine-made marble, a Golden Rebel by Peltier, in 9.7 condition, brought $2,200.

The first of many surprises in the Friday evening session was the $1,650 winning bid on an 8in plastic Halloween toy depicting a witch and rocket, finished entirely in black, with orange wheels. The inexpensively made 1950s holiday novelty was estimated at $300-500.

Ives circus train . Perhaps one of the most complete Ives circus trains around, this set includes engine, tender, yellow stock car, yellow boxcar,

 maroon observation car, three yellow flat cars, two maroon tent wagons, three white cage wagons and many celluloid animals and accessories, including the seldom-seen Coca-Cola background sections. Dashing its estimate, the set sold for $60,500.

Hires dispenser  Here’s the one you’ve been waiting for, auctioneer Brent Souder remarked as a 1909 Villeroy & Boch syrup dispenser made for Hires Root Beer took the block. Retaining its elusive original lid and one of few examples known, the 18½in visual stunner opened at $20,000 on the strength of multiple absentee bids, and sold to a phone bidder for $38,500.

The power of postwar playthings in the current marketplace was driven home repeatedly with the prices paid for boxed playsets. A Marx Untouchables playset based on the popular TV G-man show brought $2,475 (estimate $200-300), a Sears-issued Battleground Europe playset with World War II theme made $2,750 (estimate $1,000-1,500); and a Marx Rifleman Ranch, based on the Chuck Connors TV series, achieved $3,575 (estimate $700-1,000). The big winner, however, was a Marx Johnny Ringo Western Frontier playset. In spite of its lacking several accessory pieces, the rare set estimated at $2,000-3,000 ignited a bidding war, finishing at an unbelievable $6,500.

There were two big players on the playsets, Morphy noted, and they paid cash for everything.

Exceptional condition combined with rarity to pull top of the market prices from all directions on antique advertising and soda fountain items. A 13in ceramic Ward’s Lime-Crush syrup dispenser estimated at $3,000-4,000 sold to the room for a record-setting $8,800, while a graphically appealing 16in Fowler’s Cherry Smash five-cent syrup dispenser, circa 1900 and in near-mint condition, dashed its $2,000-2,500 estimate to draw $5,500 from a phone suitor.

One of the star lots of the sale, an 18½in Villeroy & Boch syrup dispenser emblazoned with Hires Root Beer’s pointing boy logo, also was taken by a phone bidder, for $38,500. It finished at the top of its estimate range because of its extreme rarity  only a few examples are known, said Morphy  and the presence of its lid, which tends to be missing on this particular piece.
Popeye Heavy Hitter  Popeye toys seem unstoppable in the marketplace. The Chein Popeye Heavy Hitter in near-mint condition with original box scored a knockout price of $14,300.

The auction gallery was festooned with colorful advertising signs from the late 19th and early 20th century, none more fetching than a 19in round tin example hawking Fatima Turkish Blend Cigarettes. Its vibrant colors and realistic image of an alluring veiled woman holding a peacock-feathered fan and packet of 15-cent smokes sent bidders digging deeper into their pockets. Against a $2,000-3,000 estimate, the sign reached $8,250.

Morphy said two of the biggest buyers of mechanical bank were completely new to the specialty, and had bid via the Internet. “They were buying such expensive banks, I was a little worried at first, wondering if they were for real. But they definitely were, and one of them, a gentleman from Louisiana, is even signing up for next year’s Mechanical Bank Collectors convention. We got new people interested in several categories, and that was very pleasing to us.”

  

The sale, which ran like clockwork in the hands of Morphy Auctions’ new auctioneers, Brent Souder and Dave Conly, wrapped with a nicely varied array of cast-iron figural doorstops and bookends. Noteworthy doorstop lots included a 10in Penguin in beautiful original yellow, black and red paint, signed Taylor & Cook, which waddled away for a record-setting $7,700; and a colorful 12in Mexican man with sombrero and guitar, with a Littco Productions label, $6,600. By far the best of the bookend lots, a 6in Raggedy Ann and Andy duo with their names embossed on the bases, proved most popular with the crowd, earning a top bid of $6,600 (estimate $1,000-1,500).

Since auction weekend, Morphy has been happily inundated with phone calls from potential consignors. “Things are good,” he said. “We have a lot of collections to look at and already have met with two very big collectors.”

Morphy Auctions will hold a 1,300-lot sale on Dec. 10-11. In store are 250 pieces of antique advertising from a 40-year collection, 300 lots of tobacciana and cigar store figures from a 60-year New York collection, collections of occupational shaving mugs, sterling silver figural napkin rings and figural cigar cutters, carousel horses and many outstanding banks, toys and other fine-quality general antiques, including Tiffany lamps.

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