Antique and vintage European, American and Japanese rarities top the bill for Milestone’s Oct. 5 Premier Toy Auction

Featured: 28in Buddy ‘L’ red Tugboat, American National Packard Roadster pedal car, super-rare Yonezawa Mechanical Commander Robot, Distler Directional Policeman Car, bevy of motorcycles

WILLOUGHBY, Ohio – College football, newly-harvested crops, and the announcement of Milestone’s Premier Vintage Toy Auction are all sure signs that autumn has arrived. This year, Milestone’s bounteous fall event is slated for October 5 at the company’s suburban-Cleveland gallery, with all forms of remote bidding available, including live online through a choice of Internet platforms. The auction lineup is packed with 715 high-quality lots representing the most-sought after categories of antique and collectible toys sourced from across the United States and beyond. 

In anticipation of this sale, Milestone’s co-owner Miles King and his team of road warriors have crisscrossed the country, picking up automotive, nautical and character toys; early motorcycles, pressed-steel trucks, banks, and Japanese tin and battery-op productions, including coveted robots and space toys. In addition, the selection includes early European hand-painted and windup toys – some with rare factory boxes – by Lehmann, Martin, Gunthermann and many other sought-after German, French and British brands.

American pressed steel is a strong category in the October 5 sale, with several rarities deserving special attention. First, there’s an elusive Buddy ‘L’ pressed-steel Tugboat, all original with vibrant red paint and intact decals. It’s a non-motorized version believed to have been intentionally produced that way at the fabled Buddy ‘L’ factory in East Moline, Illinois. A sizable 28 inches long and with provenance from the Fred Castan collection, it comes to auction with a $15,000-$20,000 estimate. 

Another cast-iron rarity is an all-original 27-inch-long Gendron Sampson pressed-steel stake truck with good-looking orange-and-black paint, and decals. It’s the only original example of this truck Milestone’s team of toy experts has ever encountered. Auction estimate: $6,000-$8,000. Following closely behind is another all-original pressed-steel toy, a Turner Lincoln nicely finished in a two-tone brown color scheme. In excellent condition, the 26-inch auto displays quite attractively and will be offered with a $4,000-$5,000 estimate.

The ultimate in pressed-steel luxury is a rare American National Packard Roadster pedal car in all-original condition with rich red paint. It is the only known example that has electric headlights, leading to speculation that it might have been produced to show at the New York Toy Fair, where exhibitors typically exhibit their most tricked-out variations. The battery holder has been replaced, but for completeness, the lot includes the original, in addition to a dry cell battery. To ride this beauty out the auction gallery door, a high bid of $10,000-$15,000 might be in order.

Even the most advanced robot collections might be lacking a super-rare Yonezawa tin Mechanical Commander Robot. “This particular type of robot just never comes to market,” Miles King observed. The October 5 auction will end the drought for collectors with an extremely nice example of a Commander Robot in its bright and appealing orange, red and white color scheme. The auction catalog notes some minor paint enhancements, but the robot’s assessment overall is “very original” with a working windup mechanism and a “great look.” The primitive looking 10½-inch ’bot, with primitive wheels and gauges lithographed on its chest, also comes with an excellent pictorial repro box. The pre-sale estimate is $15,000-$20,000.

A classic ASC (Aoshin Shoten, Japan) tin windup Tremendous Mike Robot will also cross the auction block. All original and complete, including its important antenna, this super-clean 10-inch toy looks as though it was never played with. Its windup mechanism and other functions worked fine when tested, and it will convey with its original pictorial box. Estimate: $8,000-$10,000

For the space-toy completist, there’s a fantastic Garton “Space Cruiser” pedal car in eye-catching red and white factory paint. All original and complete, its sleek Space Age design sets it apart as something very special. Miles King assesses it as: “possibly the nicest all-original example known.” Estimate: $5,000-$7,000

For those who like their playsets ultra-mint – and who doesn’t – Milestone suggests a complete and exceptional Marx #5422 Trucking Terminal outfit. This beautifully lithographed, fully-boxed playset is new/old stock. The crisp, profusely-illustrated set-box houses mint/boxed tin friction examples of an Allied Van Lines truck, North American Van Lines hauler, and a pickup truck; as well as a never-assembled tin terminal building. On top of that, the set retains its original figures and accessories, which are still in Marx bags. Near-mint and one of the finest Marx playsets or truck sets Milestone has ever offered, it could command a winning bid in the $3,000-$5,000 range.

One of the craziest yet most ingenious German toy designs is seen in Distler’s tin windup Directional Policeman Car, with its comical bug-eyed driver and a figural policeman figure affixed to the front of the vehicle. In its October 5 sale, Milestone will auction an excellent example of this toy, with bright colors and profuse lithography overall. Its medley of graphics includes motorcycles, autos, people, dogs, a double-decker bus, gas pump, buildings, street lights and more. When activated, the policeman points his arms in the direction in which the car is turning. This museum-quality toy in excellent condition is the only one of its type that Milestone’s team has ever seen. Estimate: $10,000-$15,000

More than five dozen European and Japanese motorcycles will be lined up and ready to race toward the finish line. The variety is dazzling, with military, police and civilian riders; couples, clowns and comic characters in tow. Among them are many early German productions by Tipp, Kico, Fischer, Gunthermann, Gely, Lehmann and more. A scarce 8½-inch M&K (Muller & Kededer, Germany) tin flywheel motorcycle with a well-dressed rider has a high-quality, early-20th-century look, with sophisticated colors and intricately lithographed engine details. Obviously, this antique bike has been well cared for, as its flywheel is in fine working order. The pre-sale estimate is set at $2,000-$4,000.

Milestone’s October 5, 2024 Premier Fall Vintage Toy Auction will be held live at Milestone’s gallery located at 38198 Willoughby Parkway, Willoughby (suburban Cleveland), OH 44094. Start time: 10 a.m. ET. All forms of remote bidding will also be available, including absentee, phone and live via the Internet through Milestone’s own bidding platform, LiveAuctioneers or Invaluable. For additional information on any item in the auction or to reserve a phone line for auction-day bidding, call 

440-527-8060 or email [email protected]. Online: www.milestoneauctions.com