Toronto - The past few years have been exceptionally good for toy auctions. The following report covers in some detail three of the more diverse toy auctions that have recently been held.

    The Olde Bayfield Auction Gallery in New England sold off the comic toy collection of Michael Del Castello of San Francisco. Many people felt that he had paid top dollar for prize pieces only a few short years ago, and it now seemed premature to sell and try to recoup his investment.

     Highlighting the sale was the comic toy -"Mickey Mouse Slate Dancer". With six phone bidders keeping the lines humming, the final call was a resonating $29,150 - a new high for a comic toy. The charisma of Mickey Mouse was clearly apparent, as the "Charlie Chaplin Tap Dancer", the mate to the "Slate Dancer", had shuffled off at a mere $1,650. Another classic, "Mickey Mouse Hurdy Gurdy", set a new record for this example at $18,700.

     Popeye the Sailor, with the imitable fog-horn voice, is fast closing in on Mickey Mouse as the world's most visible toy cult figure. As the "Mechanical Basketball Player," Popeye sold for a whopping $4,180. Popeye riding a Harley Davidson; Popeye "Juggling Olive Oyl" in a chair, on his nose both sold in the $4,000 range.

    The final item of that sale worth mentioning is an oval "Mickey Mouse Lunch Kit" which set a new high in this category of $3,025. Obviously, it goes without slaying that Mr. Del Castello came out on the right side of the ledger.

    A motor toys auction in the United States also brought some handsome prices last year. Some of the big movers included a cast-iron White Motor Company moving van in unusual arcade blue with gold lettering, at $16,500; another White Company van with "Merchants Transfer & Storage" lettering also quickened the pulse at $19,250.

     No auto toy collection is complete without a 1927 Hubley Packard sedan, with nickel-plated grill, simulated cast-iron straight 8 engine under the lift-up hood, which went for a mere $27,500.1 wonder how much the actual real car cost in 1927! Pedal cars were hammered down in 19 different styles. A restored American National fire engine made $3,850 and a Toledo Mfg. "Falcon" monoplane landed at $3,245.

     The Eagle Fire Hall in New Hope, Pa. conducted an auction with countless specimens of toy wizardry from the Dr. Spilhaus collection, amassed over a 47 year period. The sale led off with an engaging German "Clown Artist" by Vielmelter.

The hard-cranked double cam activates the clown's pencil, which subsequently draws images of Bismark, and a monkey. It quickly topped estimates of $1,800 and sold for $2,640.

     The highest bid at the sale was for "Secor Brudder Bones," a clockwork minstrel player from the late 1870s with "clothing, somewhat frayed", which sold for $11,500. Another elusive entry, the "Ives Black Boxers," with "badly frayed clothing," sold for $3,140. "The Strong Man," with barbell and lead weight in either hand, despite facial paint loss, found a ready buyer at $4,070, whereas the estimate had been a lowly $500.

     The Spilhaus treasure trove included nearly 500 items and at prices like those just mentioned, the sales ran into the hundreds of thousands of dollars, and I'm sure a very nice profit for Dr. Spilhaus and his dear wife.

    What is interesting to note here is how much these "toy" items have accrued in valued in recent years. If you examined the recent stock market trend over the past ten years, and drew a comparative chart for toys; laying it on top of the stock market chart, I think you might be amazed at how they've paralleled each other in rising value over the past decade… I'm not sure what comparisons one can really draw from this analysis, however, if you've got an old Mickey Mouse Toy lying about… it may be time to call your broker!