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The Most Widely Read Collector's Newspaper In The East Published Weekly By Joel Sater Publications www.antiquesandauctionnews.net
VOL. 46, NO. 41 FRIDAY OCTOBER 9, 2015
Old Toy Soldier Auctions Offers The James Cook Collection ew other categories of antiques or collectibles attract as broad a demographic as toy soldiers. Amassing a collection of authentically detailed small-scale armies or setting up a colorful zoo or Old West town is a great leveler of ages, appealing equally to a small child or that child’s great-grandfather. “It’s a pursuit that lasts a lifetime and never grows old,” said Ray Haradin, whose Old Toy Soldier Auctions will present to bidders worldwide one of the finest private holdings of military miniatures of the last 25 years on Saturday, Oct. 17: the James Cook collection. The single-owner absentee, phone and online auction is titled “Investment Rarities” as a tribute to Cook’s company, which trades in gold and silver coins and bullion under the name Investment Rarities Incorporated. “Jim was an active buyer in the 1990s and was one of my customers. When he asked if we would handle the sale of his collection, there wasn’t the slightest
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The Johillco boxed set produced to promote MGM’s 1951 Technicolor Roman epic “Quo Vadis” will be estimated at $1,200-$1,600.
doubt about the level of quality to expect,” said Haradin. “Jim always liked extreme rarity and condition and wanted only the highest-quality sets available. He always took the viewpoint of a collector, but because of his profession, it was also second nature for him to seek out the best investments.” Many of the soldier sets Cook acquired came with provenance from venerable old collections built by such knowledgeable hobbyists as Bill Miele, Ed Ruby and Tim Ilyinsky. The Cook collection reflects its owner’s penchant for pre-World War I Britains, in particular the firm’s larger display sets. “Britains traditionally priced their sets according to the number of pieces in each set,” explained Haradin. “The big display sets, by virtue of the number of pieces they contained, were expensive. Not that many were made because only the wealthy could afford them. Of the 100 sets in Jim’s collection, probably 16 are large display sets, and every one of them is special. You just don’t find sets of that type, complete with all of the right
This extremely rare Britains Boer War Army Service Supply Column with supplies and escort, one of two known boxed examples, will be estimated at $12,000-$14,000. The Middlesbrough (England) Football Club set from Britains’ Famous Football Teams series, complete with players, flags, ball and goalposts, will be estimated at $3,000-$4,000.
figures and in such nice condition,” said Haradin. A display set was considered quite a prize in its day because it might consist of as many as eight or nine individual sets presented in one grand compendium. One of the most coveted of Cook’s display sets is a 1st version Britains Set #29 incorporating Life Guards, the 3rd Hussards, 9th Royal Lancers, Royal West Surrey, and Mountain Mule Battery. Made around 1910, the set is complete with 41 original pieces and is the first such set Haradin has ever encountered in such a complete, pristine state. “In more than a century, it has never been played with,” he said. “That’s
just unheard of.” Cook’s assemblage also includes one of only two known original, boxed examples of Britains’ Boer War Army Service Supply, with supplies and escort. The box was designed for a foldout presentation, allowing the entire set to be viewed, while the sides of the box fold down to reveal the infantry. Another rarity, a Britains Set #72 First Life Guards Past and Present set, is housed in an 1897 Queen’s Diamond Jubilee box with Victoria’s image on the label. This desirable set shows how the Queen’s Guards looked in 1837 and, 60 years later, in 1897. The collection houses a small fleet of aircraft, including Britains’ circa-1930 civilian Autogiro Set #1392, with pilot, in near-mint condition in its attractively illustrated original box. “A civilian version of
the Autogiro was used to deliver mail in the Philadelphia area prior to World War II. It was basically (Continued on page 5)
A Britains “Working Model Autogiro” Set #1392 depicting an aircraft used to deliver mail prior to World War II will be estimated at $3,000-$4,000.
The Timpo Ranch boxed set, mint condition with cowboys and Indians on beautifully colorful label, will hold an estimate of $600-$800.
This is a Johillco boxed Pirate set This Britains 41-piece Display Set #29 containing figures from the 1st Life with mint figures of palm trees, Guards, 3rd Hussars, 9th Royal Lancers, Royal West Surrey and Mule pirates, animals and other objects Mountain Battery will be estimated at $5,500-$7,500. related to the theme.
This Cherilea Space set including mint figures of robots and spacemen Here are views of the interior and the box containing Britains’ Set #72 First Life Guards Past and Present in the with helmets intact and amusing primitive graphics on box cover will hold 1897 Queen’s Diamond Jubilee box with Queen Victoria’s image on the label. The set commemorates Queen’s an estimate of $2,500-$3,500. guards of 1837 and 1897. This is the finest known example of this set. It will be estimated at $12,000-$15,000.