Page 29 - June 2018 Journal of Antiques and Collectibles
P. 29
Are there specific categories of toys that you feel are with equal appeal, I was all over it. My collection
particularly strong right now? grew to over 140 MIB pieces; I ended up selling them to
There are always some categories that are, and will put a down payment on the house we’ve lived in for 22+
remain, strong: robots and space toys; vehicles of almost years now.
any type – including tin, die-cast, promos, and pressed
steel; classic wind-ups and battery-ops; early Star Wars; What tips would you give to a new collector of toys?
Japanese toys; comic books are stronger than ever; and I Key things to be aware of?
am seeing solid prices for cartoon characters of 50s-80s; Buy what makes you happy. Most of the big money
early baseball cards and memorabilia; most early Superhero collections I’ve been able to offer are from people who did
collectibles; collector cards like “Magic” and “Pokemon;” not set out to invest. They built theirs because they loved
movie, music, sci-fi posters, and classic toys from what they were buying. The pay-off wasn’t the goal, but
1970s-80s. their instincts drove them to acquire amazing things, and
that resulted in them hitting some big money stuff along
What are the “up-and-coming” toys and collectibles that the way.
you think will be gaining strength in the near future? The key thing to be aware of is the condition of the
Every generation, when they get old enough to get a item, especially for anything past 1980, which was when
good job, wants to get their stuff back. The 1970s-80s people started buying two of the same new toys – one to
generation is driving interest (and prices) up for He-Man, “play” with, and one to keep in the package. Generally,
Transformers, Superfast Matchbox, 3 3/4” GI Joes, there are far more unopened toys available from this
Strawberry Shortcake, Flatsies, and lots more. I also believe point on, so don’t buy junk (unless, of course, if it makes
toy guns are often overlooked and will be much bigger you smile).
down the road … many were designed to look like and “The Munsters Living Room” Model Kit,
function like real ones; at some point, we are going to look 1965, Aurora, 10.25" x 15.25", Are there as many “fakes” in this type of collectibles?
back at them and say “can you believe they gave these to mint/factory sealed in NM box, Counterfeit and fakes are rampant in rare die-cast toys.
kids to play with?” sold in 2013 for $734 With Matchbox cars, the type or color of the wheels can
Overall, the only things I can link across the board to add as much as two zeros (!!) to the value of an ordinary
strong prices is condition, condition, condition. If it is in spectacular shape, you piece. I literally have a team of experts who each independently inspect any rare
can throw the book away on almost any category. People will go after it even if Matchbox or Hot Wheels I plan to offer because the counterfeits have become
it isn’t something they normally collect, because of what I call the “OOOH” so good, they are sometimes “enthusiastically” debated among my experts …
factor – if you look at it and say “Oooh! That is cool!” All you need is two people even they sometimes have trouble recognizing them. If any questions about it
who feel the same way about it. linger, I will not offer it. When buying rare pieces, people should stick to
established dealers with a good track record.
Are there some areas that should be avoided at this time?
Many items that are prized by older collectors, which used to bring extremely What about handling unlicensed products?
strong prices, are dropping in value. Things such as early character collectibles These can be their own areas of collecting! I once collected unlicensed
like “The Yellow Kid” or “Mutt & Jeff” are generally unknown to current Batman items – in the 1960s, all you had to do is put the word “Bat” on almost
collectors; even Lionel trains are down significantly because they were not part anything, and use some form of a black bat shape, and it sold. There is an endless
of many current collector’s childhoods. array of unlicensed products and cheap knock-offs to collect, and there are many
Additionally, I find that almost any items that say “collector’s edition” or who enjoy collecting this off-beat stuff.
“limited edition” on it are usually neither. There will be thousands of people who
will buy and put it away, unopened, in hopes of a future payoff. The scarcity and What toy sales at auction have surprised you over the past 10 years?
value of collectible toys are the highest when something survived accidentally, My biggest surprises were (believe it or not) Hess Trucks. Someone brought
not intentionally. Even so, I know many collectors who happily snap up these in a few that were given to his kids years ago by a neighbor who worked for Hess,
items, and the end result is the same as vintage collectors: happy. and his gut told him to put them away instead of letting them play with them.
They turned out to be extremely rare chromed or clear body variations of
While older toys may have been designed around lifestyle and regular issue Hess, made in tiny quantities exclusively
the social norms of a particular time, tie-ins with products for John Hess and members of his family. I offered
(giveaways, marketing toys), characters (The Lone Ranger or 3 of them in an auction, and they sold for a total of
cartoon characters), movies, and even subsets of other games over $25,000, with one going for almost $12,000 by
(the many iterations of Monopoly) often play a role in how a itself. I never saw that coming. Just shows you, even
collection is formed – and how much collectors pay for certain with as much experience as I have in this business, I
items. What types of collections do you see being built today? can still be surprised.
Smiling is the foundation for any collection. Early on, I ran
across a beautiful little Japanese tin Fire Engine in the original Tom Miano will be heading up the July 27
box. Even though I had no particular interest in fire engines, I Pop Culture auction at Potter & Potter Auctions,
was spellbound by the colors, the little tin man riding on it, the potterauctions.com
box graphics, and the condition. When I found a different one
Title image: Ed ‘Big Daddy’ Roth “Mr. Rat Fink in Lotus
Ford” and “Mr. Gasser! in BRM” Factory Sealed Slot Car Model
Kits, 1964, Revell, box is 9.5” x 6”, with SP 500 Motor, both
are 100% dead mint, factory sealed example of these rare kits …
look like they were issued yesterday. Sold in 2017 for $1,175.
Machine Blaster “Robo Kress DX,” 1977, “Miniature Hess First Truck” Clear Body Variation, 2000;
Bullmark; extremely rare and desirable, mostly box is 7”, truck is 4.5”, an ultra-rare version of the mini Hess
die-cast metal body toy that splits and transforms truck sold in stations that year, but created with a see-through
“Hamilton Invaders Battle of the Monsters,” 1964, Remco; into jet. Excellent condition, with only minimal body exclusively for the family of John Hess. Our research
this extremely rare play set was available only through the Sears handling. Brightly colored factory paint, complete shows these are extremely rare, & it's likely that only 5 of this
catalog for a few months prior to Christmas, 1964; missing 3 blue with all accessories including 3 spinning rotor model exist. This is the first time we have seen one.
soldier figures, otherwise complete and virtually un-played-with; blades, and weapons/fists. C8.5 toy in nice C8 This piece has a direct provenance to a Hess executive,
everything works, and most everything is near mint, including the cave; box. Intact acetate window, and clear retainer who gifted it to the consignor's children years ago;
in C7 original shipping box. Sold in 2013 for $6,412. strip to inner tray. Sold in 2015 for $2,404. mint in near mint window box. Sold in 2017 for $8,131.
June 2019 27
particularly strong right now? grew to over 140 MIB pieces; I ended up selling them to
There are always some categories that are, and will put a down payment on the house we’ve lived in for 22+
remain, strong: robots and space toys; vehicles of almost years now.
any type – including tin, die-cast, promos, and pressed
steel; classic wind-ups and battery-ops; early Star Wars; What tips would you give to a new collector of toys?
Japanese toys; comic books are stronger than ever; and I Key things to be aware of?
am seeing solid prices for cartoon characters of 50s-80s; Buy what makes you happy. Most of the big money
early baseball cards and memorabilia; most early Superhero collections I’ve been able to offer are from people who did
collectibles; collector cards like “Magic” and “Pokemon;” not set out to invest. They built theirs because they loved
movie, music, sci-fi posters, and classic toys from what they were buying. The pay-off wasn’t the goal, but
1970s-80s. their instincts drove them to acquire amazing things, and
that resulted in them hitting some big money stuff along
What are the “up-and-coming” toys and collectibles that the way.
you think will be gaining strength in the near future? The key thing to be aware of is the condition of the
Every generation, when they get old enough to get a item, especially for anything past 1980, which was when
good job, wants to get their stuff back. The 1970s-80s people started buying two of the same new toys – one to
generation is driving interest (and prices) up for He-Man, “play” with, and one to keep in the package. Generally,
Transformers, Superfast Matchbox, 3 3/4” GI Joes, there are far more unopened toys available from this
Strawberry Shortcake, Flatsies, and lots more. I also believe point on, so don’t buy junk (unless, of course, if it makes
toy guns are often overlooked and will be much bigger you smile).
down the road … many were designed to look like and “The Munsters Living Room” Model Kit,
function like real ones; at some point, we are going to look 1965, Aurora, 10.25" x 15.25", Are there as many “fakes” in this type of collectibles?
back at them and say “can you believe they gave these to mint/factory sealed in NM box, Counterfeit and fakes are rampant in rare die-cast toys.
kids to play with?” sold in 2013 for $734 With Matchbox cars, the type or color of the wheels can
Overall, the only things I can link across the board to add as much as two zeros (!!) to the value of an ordinary
strong prices is condition, condition, condition. If it is in spectacular shape, you piece. I literally have a team of experts who each independently inspect any rare
can throw the book away on almost any category. People will go after it even if Matchbox or Hot Wheels I plan to offer because the counterfeits have become
it isn’t something they normally collect, because of what I call the “OOOH” so good, they are sometimes “enthusiastically” debated among my experts …
factor – if you look at it and say “Oooh! That is cool!” All you need is two people even they sometimes have trouble recognizing them. If any questions about it
who feel the same way about it. linger, I will not offer it. When buying rare pieces, people should stick to
established dealers with a good track record.
Are there some areas that should be avoided at this time?
Many items that are prized by older collectors, which used to bring extremely What about handling unlicensed products?
strong prices, are dropping in value. Things such as early character collectibles These can be their own areas of collecting! I once collected unlicensed
like “The Yellow Kid” or “Mutt & Jeff” are generally unknown to current Batman items – in the 1960s, all you had to do is put the word “Bat” on almost
collectors; even Lionel trains are down significantly because they were not part anything, and use some form of a black bat shape, and it sold. There is an endless
of many current collector’s childhoods. array of unlicensed products and cheap knock-offs to collect, and there are many
Additionally, I find that almost any items that say “collector’s edition” or who enjoy collecting this off-beat stuff.
“limited edition” on it are usually neither. There will be thousands of people who
will buy and put it away, unopened, in hopes of a future payoff. The scarcity and What toy sales at auction have surprised you over the past 10 years?
value of collectible toys are the highest when something survived accidentally, My biggest surprises were (believe it or not) Hess Trucks. Someone brought
not intentionally. Even so, I know many collectors who happily snap up these in a few that were given to his kids years ago by a neighbor who worked for Hess,
items, and the end result is the same as vintage collectors: happy. and his gut told him to put them away instead of letting them play with them.
They turned out to be extremely rare chromed or clear body variations of
While older toys may have been designed around lifestyle and regular issue Hess, made in tiny quantities exclusively
the social norms of a particular time, tie-ins with products for John Hess and members of his family. I offered
(giveaways, marketing toys), characters (The Lone Ranger or 3 of them in an auction, and they sold for a total of
cartoon characters), movies, and even subsets of other games over $25,000, with one going for almost $12,000 by
(the many iterations of Monopoly) often play a role in how a itself. I never saw that coming. Just shows you, even
collection is formed – and how much collectors pay for certain with as much experience as I have in this business, I
items. What types of collections do you see being built today? can still be surprised.
Smiling is the foundation for any collection. Early on, I ran
across a beautiful little Japanese tin Fire Engine in the original Tom Miano will be heading up the July 27
box. Even though I had no particular interest in fire engines, I Pop Culture auction at Potter & Potter Auctions,
was spellbound by the colors, the little tin man riding on it, the potterauctions.com
box graphics, and the condition. When I found a different one
Title image: Ed ‘Big Daddy’ Roth “Mr. Rat Fink in Lotus
Ford” and “Mr. Gasser! in BRM” Factory Sealed Slot Car Model
Kits, 1964, Revell, box is 9.5” x 6”, with SP 500 Motor, both
are 100% dead mint, factory sealed example of these rare kits …
look like they were issued yesterday. Sold in 2017 for $1,175.
Machine Blaster “Robo Kress DX,” 1977, “Miniature Hess First Truck” Clear Body Variation, 2000;
Bullmark; extremely rare and desirable, mostly box is 7”, truck is 4.5”, an ultra-rare version of the mini Hess
die-cast metal body toy that splits and transforms truck sold in stations that year, but created with a see-through
“Hamilton Invaders Battle of the Monsters,” 1964, Remco; into jet. Excellent condition, with only minimal body exclusively for the family of John Hess. Our research
this extremely rare play set was available only through the Sears handling. Brightly colored factory paint, complete shows these are extremely rare, & it's likely that only 5 of this
catalog for a few months prior to Christmas, 1964; missing 3 blue with all accessories including 3 spinning rotor model exist. This is the first time we have seen one.
soldier figures, otherwise complete and virtually un-played-with; blades, and weapons/fists. C8.5 toy in nice C8 This piece has a direct provenance to a Hess executive,
everything works, and most everything is near mint, including the cave; box. Intact acetate window, and clear retainer who gifted it to the consignor's children years ago;
in C7 original shipping box. Sold in 2013 for $6,412. strip to inner tray. Sold in 2015 for $2,404. mint in near mint window box. Sold in 2017 for $8,131.
June 2019 27
