COMPLIMENTARY COPY TM
The Most Widely Read Collector's Newspaper In The East Published Weekly By Joel Sater Publications www.antiquesandauctionnews.net
VOL. 45, NO. 43 FRIDAY OCTOBER 24, 2014
Rich Penn Auctions To Sell The Mark Wilson Collection From Oct. 31 To Nov. 2 Over 3,000 Items Will Be Sold Unreserved ollectors like Mark Wilson are driven to the hobby for many reasons. Some love to collect the things from their generation as kids. Others collect the things they didn’t have as kids. Others just love the fascination of things made in a different time by craftsmen that did much of their work by hand. Wilson likely fell in the latter group. He just loved everything old. His collection covers artifacts spanning three generations, from the 1890s to the 1960s. He did love it all and this collection shows the breadth of his interests. Wilson searched the entire Midwest and was well-known at the antique shops, shows, and auctions. Dealers and other collectors knew he was always looking for the rare and the best condition. His entire collection reflects that preference. Now, his findings will be sold without reserve. The event will be held by Rich Penn Auctions at the Iowa State Fairgrounds in Des Moines, Iowa, on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, Oct. 31 to Nov. 2. The diverse Wilson collection had several thousand pieces. It includes toys, country store, petroliana, stoneware, advertising, soda fountain, furniture, Native American, toys, salesman’s samples, coin operated
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This is a country store coffee pail with lid, “Wak-Em Up Coffee,” measuring 15 inches high.
machines, and more. Toys and stoneware will be sold in the Friday session. Opening the auction will be about 1,000 toys, cataloged into nearly 300 lots. They include early cast iron, tin windup from 1890 to mid-century, pressed steel, celluloid, plastic, wooden, and even a wide variety of battery-operated toys. From cast iron mechanical banks
A tin wind-up Flash Gordon rocket fighter toy by Marx, measuring 12 inches long, will be sold.
(among them a Jonah and the Whale with strong original paint), to cast iron stoves, fire wagons, and farm toys, there should be a great toy for every collector. Character windups from the 1930s and ‘40s show up in a variety of forms. Popeye, Li’l Abner, Dick Tracy, Amos and Andy, Flash Gordon, Buck Rogers, Charlie McCarthy, even JFK and a host of others, will all make appearances. Introduce yourself to P o p e y e Puncher and R o l l e r Skating
This is a miner’s pick commemorating the coal miner’s strike of 1895, “In Memory of the Pocahontas Strike, May 4, 1895,” hand carved on one side of handle with crossed rifles. The other side is carved “J. S. Willson, of Jeff Davis Rifles, Salem, Va” with Masonic Lodge insignia.
Popeye and step back and watch the action. Li’l Abner and his Dogpatch Band can entertain you while Flash Gordon the Rocket Fighter sparks and flashes as he pursues intergalactic bad guys. Hard to find is how to describe the hot air engines in the Wilson collection. There are several to choose from. Race fans will be
inspired to go full throttle with the Japanese Tomiyama Indy Racer with multiple action features. Even though Wilson had a special love for toys, the Wilson collection covers a broad range. Mark’s son, Tim, loved decorated stoneware. Together they collected a variety of Red Wing stoneware, including early decorated salt-glaze pieces. That part of the collection includes nearly 400 pieces. Much of the stoneware has advertising. Those pieces were important tools for merchants to promote their stores and goods. The advertising pieces should have great appeal because they are collected by both stoneware and country store collectors. Saturday’s session will be jam packed with other great pieces of country store items. The day is packed with advertising, salesman’s samples, cigar cutters and lighters, coin-op machines, tins, ice cream dippers, outstanding furniture, and more. Every auction should start with a good cup of coffee. Or....a great coffee tin! And if you collect coffee tins, there are many The petroliana sign for Marathon Gasoline, “Best In The Long Run,” is porcelain and 72 inches in diameter.
This boat motor sign, “Evinrude Outboard Motors,” from Knapik’s Marine in Amsterdam, N.Y., is litho on metal and measures 14.5-by-25.5 inches.
that will tempt taste buds. Among them are two rare “Wak-em Up” tins. Both have great Indian graphics. The 25 lb size is very difficult to find and should create steaming interest. His country store
This is a steam engine toy titled “The Flamelicker” made of cast iron.
Columbia umbrella or cane display, with all its original stenciling and decoration, is also a rare classic. Good ice cream collectibles are also always desirable. On the top of that list is likely to be the Heart Shaped ice cream dipper and it’s accompanying heart shaped dish. Salesman’s samples have always been an important part of the country store. They were used to help salesmen get their hard good lines sold into distribution. There are several in the Wilson collection. Many salesman’s sample stoves have crossed the Rich Penn
The Pontiac Chief dealer sign is made of six quarter-inch-thick plate glass panels, deeply etched and painted and 24 inches square. They are current- These are antique cast iron log marking stamps used in logging camps ly unassembled so panels can be framed individually or together. from the 1840s to 1920s. Both are double faced.
Auctions block. The Scranton Stove Co. salesman’s sample would certainly be among the most unique. This beautiful stove has a cast inscription reading “Merry Christmas Minnie.” Seldom do salesman’s samples from the transportation industry come to market. Even more rare would be something from the “ocean-going” transportation industry. Life boats were required on passenger ships and this salesman’s sample illustrates how the derrick would work raising and lowering the life boats. It’s a clever bit of mechanics and according to Rich Penn, “We’ve never seen this example before and we haven’t found anyone else who has either. What a great piece!” Other mechanical things are represented too. Among the coinoperated arcade and skill games are pinball machines from the 1930s to the more recent digital machines. One of the earliest machines is the classic “Rockola World’s Series.” This collectible (Continued on page 2)
A dental cabinet by the Ransom & Randolph Co. of Toledo, Ohio, with quartersawn oak and deeply paneled front, sides, and back will be sold.