Milestone’s Aug. 24 auction features estate collection of rare German Schucos, other fine European, American & Japanese toys
Highlights: Winton Johnson’s ‘ultra-complete’ collection of early German Schuco toys, pre-WWII airplanes, toy boats/motors, Minics, three real wooden race boats & motors, duck decoys
WILLOUGHBY, Ohio – One of the world’s finest and most-complete assemblages of antique and vintage Schuco toys – the estate collection of the late Winton “Wint” Johnson (1937-2022) – will headline Milestone’s August 24 Premier Toy Auction. Alongside the blue-ribbon Schucos are Wint’s other prized holdings: Japanese toy boats and prototypes, toy outboard motors (some boxed), pre-WWII airplanes, and English clockwork Minic toys. Wint’s love of lakes and boating was lifelong, as reflected in the three real-life wooden racing boats, boat motors and carved duck decoys also entered in the sale.
Wint Johnson was a Minnesotan of German heritage, and it has been suggested that perhaps his interest in German-made Schuco toys was inspired by having received a Schuco toy as a child. Whether that was the case or not, Wint’s family says he was intrigued by the windup nature of Schuco toys and proud of the German engineering that went into their design. This was not surprising, since Wint was, by profession, a mechanical engineer.
Established in 1912 in Nuremberg, Germany, the Schuco toy brand was known for its small-scale designs replicating people, various types of vehicles, and storybook and comic characters. The precision-made toys delighted children because of their clever actions, which could be initiated by the turn of a key or, in some cases, by friction. Even now, a century after the first finished examples rolled off the production line, Schucos are in high demand. Collectors are especially keen to acquire the classics manufactured during the golden era between World Wars I and II, however, top-of-the-line examples are hard to find. And that’s where the Johnson collection excels.
Nearly 300 lots of Schucos are offered in the August 24 sale, each toy an outstanding original example. According to Wint’s daughter and son-in-law, Katie and Chris Miller, Wint bought regularly at shows, auctions, online and through a global network of like-minded toy aficionados. He would upgrade his toys whenever possible and continued to buy until the very end of his life, even receiving a package on the day he passed. He would sell duplicates but never parted with anything from his core collection, which contained only the rarest and best Schuco toys and prototypes. Without question, his treasured collection is one of the world’s largest and most highly refined of its type.
Every Schuco toy is a charmer, but if a choice had to be made, the top 10 would undoubtedly include Wint’s felt and tin windup “Boxer Jack” with punching bag. The figure has painted facial features and retains its original Schuco Germany fabric sash imprinted “Boxer-Champion.” In superb original condition with an excellent working mechanism, it could deliver a knockout punch in the vicinity of $2,000-$2,500.
Another great rarity is the Schuco Walt Disney Mickey Mouse on Scooter. Excellent and all original, the lovable cartoon rodent rides atop a lithographed-tin windup scooter. It’s ready to glide across the auction block with a $2,000-$3,000 estimate.
Collectors especially love Schuco tin windup vehicles with drivers. Two of the best are featured in the sale. Known simply as Race Car with Driver, the first of the two combines a lithographed tin racer and a helmeted driver dressed in a jaunty felt jacket and scarf. Sporting round tin goggles, the driver steers and moves his head as the car rolls along. No apologies are needed for this very scarce and early toy, which is estimated at $1,500-$2,500. Following closely behind is a Schuco Monkey Driving Car. The mohair and felt monkey figure drives a lithographed-tin car with a Schuco logo on the back. Also an early production, it is expected to earn $1,000-$1,500.
There’s no need to fear the felt, mohair and tin Teufel (Devil) with its malevolent hand-painted facial features. He stands out as one of Schuco’s most striking characters and presents in 100% original working order. This creepy resident of the underworld, standing 6½ inches tall, is rarely seen in the marketplace and therefore should have no problem achieving the pre-sale estimate of $1,000-$1,500.
Two toys from Schuco’s Automato series marketed in 1914 are worthy of special mention. Each stands 10½ inches tall. First, there’s the felt and tin Automato Porter with shoe-button eyes and metal buttons on his jacket. All-original and in excellent condition, it could claim a winning bid in the $1,500-$2,000 range. The second Automato toy is Schuco’s Imperial German Soldier. Also all-original with a working windup mechanism, this wonderful toy is cataloged with a $1,000-$1,500 estimate.
Several tin friction scooters are lined up and awaiting directions to their next destinations. An appealing Gnome on Scooter consists of an elfin figure dressed in felt clothing, with a mohair beard, riding atop a lithographed tin friction scooter with the Schuco marque on its side. Excellent and in working order, it carries an estimate of $1,000-$1,500.
The auction includes approximately two dozen Schuco “Yes No” toys, so named because of a design feature that allows the figure’s head to move up and down or side to side, indicating “yes” or “no.” The menagerie of Yes No toys includes bears, monkeys, dogs, cats, birds and more. A Yes No mohair French bulldog, all original and in working order, is entered with an $800-$1,000 estimate.
Dozens of very clean and colorful British Minic tin windup toys and sets will be auctioned, many with their profusely illustrated original boxes. The variety includes cars, buses, panel trucks, boats, and vans. A red Rolls-Royce saloon is estimated at $300-$500, while a boxed London Transport double-decker bus advertising Carr’s Biscuits could change hands for $100-$300.
In the nautical section, there are dozens of toy outboard motors (Evinrude, Mercury, Johnson, etc.), many with their original boxes; tin windup and battery-operated outboard, racing and speed boats, some boxed; 25+ European, Japanese and British toy seaplanes; and a great selection of old outboard motor oil cans, many with very colorful graphics. Also, there are three actual wooden racing boats and no fewer than 10 real-life Mercury and Johnson outboard motors. Finally, there are approximately two dozen lots (both individual and group lots) of carved duck decoys, many of them quite beautiful and unusual.
The Saturday, Aug. 24, 2024 Premier Toy Auction Featuring the Winton Johnson Collection will be held at Milestone Auctions’ gallery at 38198 Willoughby Parkway, Willoughby (suburban Cleveland), OH 44094. Start time: 10AM ET. All forms of remote bidding will be available, including absentee, by phone, and live online through Milestone’s bidding platform or LiveAuctioneers. Milestone ships worldwide. To reserve a phone line or enquire about any item in the sale, call 440-527-8060 or email [email protected]. Online: www.milestoneauctions.com
