Page 10 - JOA 12-20

WHAT’S SELLING ONeBay
WHAT’S SELLING ONeBay

by Philip Hawkins and Mike McLeod

$2,751 (11 bids, 7 bidders): Rare Inter- $4,106 (64 bids, 19 bidders): 19th C. Antique French Maquette
national Santa Claus Christmas Antique Francaise Articulated Wood Artist’s Model Sculpture. This model is
Game. Published by Edgar O. Clark, the exceptional. Measuring 19 1/2 inches tall, this hand-carved walnut articu-
successor to Clark & Sowden. Tokalon Series lated artist’s model is marked on the back by Marquette Francaise,
Trademark. No. 330, about 13 x 13 inches. Armature Articulee of Paris. This is a fully articulated model with iron and
Taped and wear. Includes spinner, three red brass joints, and he can be posed in many, realistic and artistic positions.
wooden markers, and three blue wooden This model has stylized facial features, a large toe on each foot, and hands
markers. (Photos courtesy of eBay seller chaz3) in two different positions. Excellent, original condition. Some light surface
wear. No problems or any restorations. (Photos courtesy of eBay seller
PH: Clark & Snowdon operated from 1892 to wwolst12)
1899 and was followed by Edgar O. Clark
from 1899 to 1905. Snowdon was Clark’s PH: Maquette is the French word for a “scale model.” This type of model
father-in-law. Their offices were located on could be used by either a paint artist or a sculptor to achieve correct
14th Street in NYC, and there are more than proportion in their work without a living model being present. There is no
35 known games produced by the two history available specific to this marking on the model, but the company
companies, with some still surfacing. apparently produced several different male and female figure models, in
Their cover art was considered exceptional varying sizes, along with equestrian models, also. The consensus is they
for the time. The companies also produced toy date from the last quarter of the 19th century.
soldiers, a whist game, and a tiddlywinks When these figures come up at auction, they usually attract interest.
game. Most of their board games used the At auction, single figures realize in the $1,000-$2,000 range. For example,
Tokalon series moniker from the Greek lan- a female figure with the same markings brought $1,700 at a Florida
guage that means “the beautiful.” auction in August 2020. Equestrian figures bring more money – one of a
This Santa Claus game would have been horse and rider brought $17,000 at a New
produced between 1899 and 1905 based on the Orleans auction in
company name-marking chronology. In gener- 2019. The price
al, indicators show their games rarely appear for achieved here is a bit
sale. I was only able to locate two having sold at higher than usual
auction since 2000, and both were before 2010. single figures at auc-
Other game producers such as McLaughlin and tion but not out of
Parker Brothers also produced Santa Claus line. Retail prices
games around the same time, and they also are for these maquettes
highly collectible. The more complete and orig- are much higher. a
inal the game and the better the condition, the female figure that
more interest, and the higher the resulting price. sold on 1stDibs for
$9,000.

$2,950 (4 bids, 3 bidders): Antique cab with opening doors, a nickel-plated bumper with headlights, and
1920’s Buddy L #208 Pressed Steel a license plate bar. The front steering is operated by turning dual
Passenger Coach 29” Bus with side-mounted spare wheels. The interior has 20 individual seats and two
Original Paint. Up for sale is a rare bench seats, and overall, it measures 29 inches long. Several are currently
antique Buddy L #208 pressed steel available on eBay with
coach bus. It measures 29 inches long. buy-it-now prices
It has the original coat of paint, all the ranging from $3,300
decals, the hood ornament, and wheel to $6,300. For a col-
lug nuts. The steering wheel works. The lector wanting an
doors open and close easily. The paint original, unrestored
has some wear, and there’s some rust example, the price
over some areas. Structurally, this coach seems very fair.
bus is in excellent condition. Dates
back to c. 1927-1932. This is in excel-
lent condition for its age. Unusual to
find in this condition. (Photos courtesy
of eBay seller tinyhawk)

PH: Buddy L is an American toy com-
pany founded in East Moline, IL, in
1920. The #208 passenger coach was
produced from 1927 to 1932 and is of
pressed steel, having an enclosed front

8 Journal of Antiques and Collectibles