$1.8M Premier Antique & Vintage Toy Auction Sets A New House Record, Attracting Strong International Competition

Masudaya ‘Machine Man,’ a Space Age icon and leader of the legendary ‘Gang of Five’ robot series, commanded $134,550; while an oversize Marklin sample steam plant blew the whistle at $81,900

WILLOUGHBY, Ohio – Twelve years after opening their gallery doors in metro Cleveland, Milestone Auctions recorded its highest-grossing auction ever, a $1.8 million sale of premium-quality antique and vintage toys. The October 17 event featured rarities that seldom, if ever, appear in the marketplace, including an elusive Machine Man Robot that landed at the top of prices realized with a selling price of $134,550.

Manufactured by Masudaya (Japan) in 1960, Machine Man represents the rarest of a quintet of large, boxy tin robots that collectively became known in the toy hobby as the “Gang of Five.” The example auctioned by Milestone was one of only a handful of its type known to exist in such high condition. 

“Even the most advanced robot collection would not be considered complete without a Machine Man, so on the rare occasion that one becomes available to purchase—especially one as nice as the one we offered—it’s a foregone conclusion that a bidding battle will follow. And that’s what happened on auction day,” said Milestone co-founder Miles King. 

The level of interest was intense as word spread about the high-condition Machine Man ’bot, King said. “It didn’t take long for inquiries to start coming in from everywhere, especially Europe, Japan, Australia, and across the United States. We felt the $60,000-$80,000 pre-sale estimate was right on the money, but it’s always the collectors who have the final say about the true market value of a vintage toy. In this case, their opinions came through loud and clear.” Forty-one bids were placed on auction day, with an anonymous American collector sealing the $134,550 deal by phone.

Unquestionably earning the description of “unique,” a Marx 12-inch prototype of its 1939 New York World’s Fair Rocket Ship toy displayed a variant design that included a wedge-shaped cockpit. Hand-painted details added great charm to the piece, with images of passengers visible through its “windows.” The phrase New York World’s Fair 1939 was painted prominently on the rocket’s tail, and beneath the fuselage, ERIE 12-7-38 identified the factory location and date of its creation, followed by 1769, presumably a Marx model number. One of the sale’s most talked-about pieces, the coveted prototype sold for $64,350 against an estimate of $10,000-$15,000.

A marvel of German engineering, a working oversize sample steam plant manufactured by Marklin for possible display at a showroom or trade show represented one of only two of its type known to exist and the only one of its kind believed to reside in North America. Measuring a massive 47 by 34½ by 34½ inches, its robust design housed a horizontal steam boiler, pressure gauges and vertical stack in one section, and in a separate section, a flywheel, pulleys and accessories, including an oilcan and small brass cup. This sensational production fired up a winning bid of $81,900 against a pre-sale estimate of $40,000-$60,000.

In excellent original condition, complete with its original oars and rudders, a Hoge 14-inch-long Popeye the Sailor Mechanical Rowboat was safely harbored in its very rare original box. Described in Milestone’s catalog as a “museum-quality” toy, the eye-catching boat sped past its $10,000-$15,000 estimate to conclude its auction voyage at $22,800.

Around 150 lots of antique and vintage motorcycles got bidders revved up and eager to bid on a broad selection of bikes from the most respected 20th-century brands. An outstanding Meier (Germany) tin windup Motorcycle Go Round with two penny toy motorcycles on a tin circular track was a remarkable survivor. In excellent all-original condition, it even retained its flag and start sign, accessories that might easily have gone missing in the century following its manufacture. Together with its original pictorial-label box, this most-wanted motorcycle toy crossed the finish line at $12,000 against a pre-sale estimate of $3,000-$4,000.

A Japanese postwar classic, Yonezawa’s tin friction #58 Atom Jet Racer is immediately identifiable for its ultramodern sci-fi design, beautiful colors and appealing graphics. Nicely detailed throughout, the toy’s original driver figure was seated in the cockpit and visible through the car’s clear plastic and chrome bubble. The exceptionally well-preserved 26-inch-long racer impressed bidders on auction day and captured $27,000 in “prize money” against an estimate of $10,000-$15,000.

While many of the top lots were designed to suggest what the future might hold in store, others accurately reflected the times in which they were produced. A very rare 28-inch-long Turner pressed-steel Lincoln Yellow Cab offered by Milestone was the first of its kind ever to appear at auction. All original with very nice paint and strong Yellow Cab stenciling on both sides, it breezed past its $10,000-$20,000 estimate to call it a day at $31,590.

Along the same lines, an all-original Wilkins 10-inch cast-iron horse-drawn Mowing Machine rolled across the auction block in outstanding condition, with no cracks or repairs. It even retained its original paper-labeled box, which identified the toy by name. Milestone’s experts remarked that it was the only original box for this particular model that they had ever seen. A copy of the Wilkins catalog from the period of the toy’s manufacture described it as a “perfect working model of a Modern Mowing Machine possessing Novel Mechanical Movements which make it one of the most attractive toys ever offered the trade.” Collectors agreed with the assessment and bid it to $16,605 against a $3,000-$5,000 estimate.

A 1920s Gendron Marmon pedal car embodied the free-spirited decade in which Americans as a whole became infatuated with motoring. In outstanding original condition with superior paint, intact decals, and a host of accessories that included a windshield, cowl light, hood ornament, horn, spotlight, and more, the zippy red and black convertible glided to $19,890 against an estimate of $8,000-$12,000.

After the hammer came down on the final lot in Milestone’s record-setting auction, Miles King reflected on how the business he co-founded with Chris Sammet had grown. “We’re now a far more diversified operation than we were when we first started out as specialists in antique and vintage toys. Our annual calendar now includes regularly-scheduled sales of antique advertising, gambling and coin-op machines; militaria, and antique and vintage firearms. And now, more than a decade after we launched our business, we take great pride in seeing how our toy division has grown and continues to thrive. Toy collectors are very loyal. They’ve have been with us since day one.”

To discuss consigning antique toys or advertising, vintage gambling/coin-op machines, militaria, antique or collectible firearms, or edged weapons to a future Milestone auction, please call Miles King at 440-527-8060 or email [email protected]. Inquiries are most welcome whether the potential consignment is a single item or an entire collection. All discussions are kept strictly confidential, and there is never an obligation to consign. Online: www.milestoneauctions.com