Magnificent Haradin Family Collection of American antique toys and banks to be auctioned Aug. 3 at RSL’s N.J. gallery
After 50+ years of upgrading, the impeccable multigenerational collection includes many “only known” or “best of all known” examples, plus the legendary George Brown “Charles” Hose Reel Carriage
WHITEHOUSE STATION, N.J. – On Saturday, August 3 at RSL Auction’s New Jersey gallery, Pittsburgh’s revered Haradin family will bid farewell to a 149-piece legacy collection of American toys and banks that literally has no rival. Richly historical and boasting one peerless rarity after another, the fabled archive spans multiple generations of a clan whose roots are deeply embedded in two communities: their Western Pennsylvania hometown and the borderless realm of antique toy and bank collecting.
As each extraordinary piece passes into the hands of a new owner to begin the next phase of its journey, it will do so with gilt-edged provenance as its traveling companion. And thanks to the Haradins’ unwavering emphasis on rarity and condition, buyers will have the assurance of knowing they have acquired the crème de la crème of toys and banks from a collection whose contents literally cannot be upgraded. That task was already taken care of during the Haradin family’s half-century of astute stewardship.
The Haradin Family Collection began with Dr. Anthony “Tony” Haradin (1937-2016) and his wife, Roberta Haradin. A prominent oncologist and hematologist, Tony accrued many honors and distinctions during his decades of selfless service to the people of Pittsburgh. He was an Assistant Professor of Medicine at the University of Pittsburgh for 45+ years and served on the staff of several Pittsburgh hospitals, including St. Clair Hospital, where he was Chief of Hematology/Oncology until 2013. One year prior to his retirement, he received the first-ever St. Clair’s Physician Recognition Award.
On weekends, Tony and Roberta could be found side by side, gleefully scavenging for art, antiques and midcentury furniture at local flea markets and auctions. It was a pastime that developed organically, since neither of them came from a family that collected or had an involvement in the arts. The family’s 50-year odyssey into the world of toy and bank collecting began one fateful day in 1969, when Tony and Roberta returned home with five mechanical banks they had purchased at an auction. Their young sons Ray and David were allowed to pick a favorite which would be their own personal bank upon which to build an individual collection. Ray recalled, “As the years went on, the rule we always followed was, whoever upgraded a bank or toy would become its owner. That worked out very well.”
While The Haradin Family Collection has never been publicly exhibited, Ray – who co-founded RSL Auction Company – and his wife, Nancy, have always taken great pride in welcoming friends and members of the Antique Toy Collectors of America, the Mechanical Bank Collectors of America, and Still Bank Collectors Club of America to their home to view the heirloom toys. But because the Haradins were always buyers and almost never sellers, their blue-chip holdings were assumed to be “off limits” to others. No collector ever thought they would have the opportunity to buy a single piece from the fabulous Haradin assemblage, which includes such treasures as a flawless Jonah and the Whale on Pedestal cast-iron mechanical bank (ex Edwin F. Mosler Jr. collection), estimated at $175,000-$225,000; an absolutely perfect early-1880s Clown, Harlequin & Columbine bank (ex L.C. Hegarty collection), $125,000-$175,000; and the incomparable circa-1870 George Brown “Charles” Hose Reel Carriage (ex Bernard Barenholtz collection), which is considered by many to be the most important of all 19th-century American toys. Its pre-sale estimate is $125,000-$175,000.
Each piece in the Haradin assemblage can boast provenance from at least one, if not many more, of the revered mid-20th-century collectors who formed the framework of antique toy- and bank-collecting as a bona fide hobby. “Like today’s enthusiasts, those pioneers considered each piece in their collections to be a historically important object because they reflected American life as it was from the mid-1800s through the first decade of the 20th century,” Ray Haradin said.
In addition to the aforementioned toys, other top picks include: a circa-1890 Ives, Blakeslee & Co. (Bridgeport, Conn.) oversize cast-iron Cutter Sleigh, $25,000-$35,000; a stunning Hubley Royal Circus Revolving Monkey Cage (ex Donald Kaufman collection), $70,000-$90,000; a mid-1880s James Fallows (Philadelphia) “Defiance” fire pumper in mint condition, $55,000-$75,000; and the mysterious circa-1880s cast-iron “Yankee Schoolmaster,” also known as “The Alphabet Man.” Acquired by the Haradins at Noel Barrett’s 1991 auction of the Tom Anderson collection, it is one of fewer than 10 examples known to exist. Despite years of tireless research by toy scholars, its manufacturer has never been determined. However, Ray Haradin notes that the schoolmaster resembles the Boss Tweed character in J&E Stevens’ “Tammany” bank. Auction estimate: $35,000-$75,000
Additional cast-iron mechanical bank highlights include: a mid-1880s Kyser & Rex (Philadelphia) “musical” Merry-Go-Round bank in near-mint condition, $120,000-$150,000; and a circa-1910 J&E Stevens North Pole bank (ex Wally Tudor collection and Donal P. Markey collection) in virtually mint condition with an exceptional patina. This bank documents Robert Peary’s arrival to the North Pole in 1909 and is decorated with images of a dog sled loaded with supplies and three male polar adventurers navigating the rocky, snowy terrain. When a coin is dropped into the bank, an American Flag pops up as though staking a claim at the Earth’s summit. Estimate: $75,000-$95,000
AUCTION DETAILS:
The auction of The Haradin Family Collection of American Toys and Banks will be held on Saturday, August 3, 2024 at RSL Auction Company’s gallery, starting at 10 a.m. ET. Address: 295 US Hwy. 22 East, Suite 204 West, Whitehouse Station, NJ 08889. All forms of remote bidding will be available, including absentee, by phone, fax or live online through LiveAuctioneers or RSL’s own platform (via BidSpirit). Preview: Aug. 2 from 8-5, Aug. 3 from 8-10 a.m., or by appointment (tel. 908-823-4049).
For additional information on any item in sale, call Ray Haradin at 412-343-8733, Steven Weiss at 212-729-0011, or Leon Weiss at 917-991-7352. Fax: 908-823-4519. Email [email protected] or [email protected] or [email protected]. Online: www.rslauctionco.com.
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