World-Class Martin and Deborah Maloy antique toy and train collection sets the stage for holiday magic, Dec. 13 at Bertoia’s
World-Class Martin and Deborah Maloy antique toy and train collection sets the stage for holiday magic, Dec. 13 at Bertoia’s
VINELAND, N.J. – For 60 years, the late Martin “Marty” Maloy and his wife, Deborah, wholeheartedly embraced the antique toy hobby and became fixtures at high-profile shows, auctions and club events on both sides of the Atlantic. The couple’s gracious northern New Jersey residence became known to their fellow members of the Antique Toy Collectors of America as a haven for exquisite European tin toys, autos and boats; British figural biscuit tins, both European and American trains and accessories; airplanes, wind-ups and many other wonderful rarities. On December 13, 2025, it will be the Bertoia family’s honor and pleasure to auction Part I of the Maloy collection at a live gallery event with all forms of remote bidding available.
The auction’s flagship toy, a fabulous antique hand-painted musical carousel, is one of many Marklin treasures in the collection. It holds special meaning for Bertoia’s president and principal auctioneer, Michael Bertoia, because of its prior ownership. “It was part of my father’s personal collection,” Michael said, referring to the late Bill Bertoia, a legendary antique toy dealer and co-founder of Bertoia Auctions. “Marty came to visit my parents at our then-family home in southern New Jersey and bought the carousel straight from the collection. It’s a fitting tribute to both Marty and my father that the carousel leads this sale.” Estimate: $80,000-$140,000
Marty amassed more than 100 fine-quality European transportation toys over the years, and it would be a fair statement to say that they were among his favorite pieces. The vehicles run the gamut of both land and air transportation, with a selection that includes race cars, limousines, buses, trolleys, motorcycles and primitive airplanes. Marklin, Carette, Bing, and Ernst Plank are among the prestigious German manufacturers represented in this part of the collection.
Additional German wind-up tin toys include a few dozen Lehmanns (some with original boxes, such as Ikarus and Masuyama) and several early Gunthermann and Issmayer hand-painted wind-ups with whimsical themes of animals, musicians and circus performers. Among the notable highlights are a large 8-man Rowing Scull and a feline Musical Jazz Trio, both manufactured by Gunthermann; and a German-made revolving carousel with an unusual aviation theme. Its design incorporates suspended airships and, overhead, a wind-up airplane that powers the movement of the entire toy.
Armchair admirals can set sail with their choice of seaworthy craft from a fleet of beautifully-executed turn-of-the-20th-century toy boats and ships. At the forefront of the group is an exceptional example of a Marklin Series II destroyer battleship Brooklyn. “In terms of condition, this might be Marty’s finest boat,” Michael said, “as it retains its original paint and has nearly all its original appointments, including cannons, masts, and more. Its condition and completeness go far beyond that of most Marklin nautical toys that might appear at auction.” The Brooklyn is estimated at $25,000-$45,000.
Another standout, a flawlessly-scaled luxury paddle-wheeler is emblazoned with the name Philadelphia at each wheel cover. The boat has been professionally restored to the highest possible standard and would be a show-stopper on any collector’s mantel. Its pre-sale estimate is $8,000-$16,000.
The diverse marine-toy category is rounded out by Bing battleships, live-steam riverboats, and a very early German merchant sailing ship, which Bertoia’s experts have attributed to Lutz. The bow-wound clockwork ship has been professionally restored back to its original colorful hull and is complete with masts and sails.
American tin was another category which the Maloys collected with great enthusiasm. Their George Brown clockwork Circus Wagon, estimated at $12,000-$20,000, was proudly displayed in their home together with the perfect companion piece: a framed, two-sided original sketch of the toy from the George Brown Sketchbook. The artwork is cataloged separately in the auction and is expected to sell for $6,000-$10,000. “The two make a wonderful match. It would be great if they could be kept together,” Michael observed.
George Brown is also the manufacturer of a completely original and untouched Broadway Avenue clockwork omnibus with elegant stenciling all over the wagon body. An especially artful design from the much-admired Connecticut toymaker’s workshop, it is expected to reach $4,000-$8,000 at auction.
In keeping with the Maloys’ animal-loving nature, the auction includes an extensive menagerie of elusive animal-related platform toys, including a cow, a camel, a Fallows articulated pig farmer, and many others.
Also gracing the American tin toy section is an Althof Bergmann standout, an ultra-rare Children at Maypole. As the name suggests, this toy – which is spectacularly well preserved – features children spinning around a maypole as the toy propels forward.
When some collectors hear the name “Maloy,” they automatically think of walls lined with colorful early-20th-century biscuit (cookie) tins. Deborah Maloy astutely formed one of the largest and finest biscuit tin collections anywhere on Earth. Marty enthusiastically joined Deborah in her pursuit of the charming novelty product containers, setting his own particular focus on biscuit tins with a transportation theme. Their joint effort resulted in an extraordinary toy-crossover collection of tins simulating double-decker buses, trolleys, boats, airplanes, limousines, fire trucks, baby prams and other obscure and sought-after novelties from Huntley & Palmers, Crawford & Sons, McVitie & Price, Macfarlane, Lang & Co., and numerous other British and Continental-European commercial bakeries.
Finally, the Maloy collection is replete with top-tier trains – the crème de la crème – including rare Marklin, Bing and Carette productions in gauges ranging from 0 to 2. The live-steam locomotives, German bridges and glass canopies; Ives lithographed stations and accessories; early trolleys and beautifully hand-painted and decorated coaches are sure to command the attention of toy train enthusiasts the world over.
The December 13, 2025 Signature Auction featuring the Martin and Deborah Maloy Collection Part I will be held live at Bertoia’s gallery located at 2141 DeMarco Drive, Vineland, NJ 08360, starting at 10AM ET. Toys may be previewed the week before the auction by appointment only. Other bidding options include absentee, by phone, or live online via Bertoia Live, LiveAuctioneers, or Invaluable. For additional information on any item, to leave an absentee bid, schedule a private-preview appointment, reserve a telephone line for bidding, or discuss consigning to a future auction at Bertoia’s, please call 856-692-1881, email [email protected]. Watch for auction updates on Bertoia’s website: www.bertoiaauctions.com.
