Davies Auctions – Cast-iron & Tin Windup Toys

Ives cast iron walking horse drawn "Victory" cart, circa 1890

Ives cast iron walking horse drawn "Victory" cart, circa 1890, sold for $1,237 at Davies Auctions

Davies Auctions held a multi-owner sale on Feb. 27, 2010 at Judi’s Catering Banquet Hall in Lafayette, Indiana. The merchandise consisted of cast-iron and tin windup toys from two collections (including the longtime collection of John Lippman), a variety of vintage Christmas collectibles, and a selection of antiques, primarily country and Americana smalls. Only a few pieces of furniture were offered.

Snow and freezing drizzle in Indiana the night before the sale made the roads slick, but the weather didn’t appear to keep away bidders. A standing-room-only crowd was supplemented by a fair number of phone and absentee bids. Ninety-two lots of toys were cataloged. There were numerous uncataloged lots. The auction was promoted on Davies’ Web site, as well as AuctionZip, but there was no Internet bidding.

“I thought it did just fine,” auctioneer Doug Davies said of the sale. “There were probably a few soft spots.” In specific, he said prices for holiday items were down a little, and that the Baird advertising clock might have done better. However, the toys did well, with bids from as far away as Pennsylvania and Florida, while one floor bidder was from Kansas. The Alfred Montgomery painting also saw strong interest and did well for its size.

Successful bidders paid a 10 percent buyer’s premium.

-Don Johnson, Editor, p4A.com