TIMONIUM, Md. - Interest was keener than ever, and the bidding action was relentless in RSL Auction's sale of antique toys and banks held May 22nd at Richard Opfer's suburban Baltimore gallery. "We started at noon and finished at 20 till three - it was about two hours and 40 minutes of very serious bidding," said RSL co-owner Ray Haradin. Internet live bidding was provided by LiveAuctioneers.com.

In all, the auction took in $1.8 million (all prices quoted include 21.5% buyer's  premium). "They came to buy; they didn't want to sit there with an auctioneer trying to milk a few extra dollars out of them," said Haradin. "When Rick [Opfer] is at the podium, you put your hand up or you don't get the toy."

The featured attraction of the 360-lot sale was the Richard C. Stevens collection, a 24-year assemblage of cast-iron mechanical banks boasting superb conditions and with provenance reflecting several of the most prestigious collections of the past half-century.

DENVER, Pa. - Worldwide competition for a high-end collection of antique toys resulted in a million-dollar gross at Morphy's on July 16-17 as the central Pennsylvania auction house presented the 28-year collection of retired California architect Michael O'Hearn. Internet live bidding was provided by LiveAuctioneers.com.

"Interest in the O'Hearn collection, and in all of the toy consignments for that matter, was fierce," said auction house owner Dan Morphy. "The gallery was busy all day with in-house bidders, and we had the largest number of Internet bidders in Morphy's history." The final tally for the 1,354-lot sale was $1,050,000. All prices quoted are inclusive of 15% buyer's premium.

A futuristic postwar Japanese friction racer known as the Atom Jet, measuring an impressive 25½ inches long, commanded a strong price due to its originality and excellent condition. Against an estimate of $4,000-$8,000 the bizarre, dorsal-finned vehicle finished in a mint green color sped across the finish line at $15,500.

DENVER, Pa. - Dan Morphy Auctions' popular new series of Discovery Auctions continues with a Tuesday, July 27, 2010 event starting at 10 a.m. Eastern Time and featuring 605 assorted lots. LiveAuctioneers.com will provide the Internet live bidding for the sale.

The inventory encompasses many categories of antique and vintage items and includes the category for which Morphy's is so well known: toys. Bidders can choose from 50 pressed steel toys (including Buddy 'L'), 20 mechanical and still banks; 20 trains and 100 other toys of various types.

Additionally, a beautiful selection of jewelry will be offered, highlighted by more than 200 pieces of colorful, early Bakelite in novelty shapes, and 50 pieces of Native-American jewelry featuring turquoise, coral and onyx in sterling silver settings.

CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. - The creators of the original teddy bear, Steiff, announced today that there will a grand opening celebration of the first Steiff Gallery in America on Aug. 5 at Simon's Atrium Mall in Chestnut Hill (Boston), Massachusetts. 

"It is our goal to make this store a wonderful destination and introduce Steiff to a whole new generation," says Jim Pitocco, President of Steiff North America.

To celebrate the opening, nine priceless treasures from the Steiff Museum and Archives in Germany will be on display from Aug. 5-19 only. Included in the display will be the first modern teddy bear ever made - the famous "Richard Steiff" bear. This is the first time this teddy will have ever been shown in the United States.

PITTSBURGH - Ray Haradin's Old Toy Soldier Auctions operates in a world of miniature antiques, but prices on top lots were strictly big league in the company's May 1 auction featuring the collections of John Graham (part III), brothers Bill and Don Thompson, and other consignors.

"At $229,000 with 99 percent of the lots sold, it was, by far, our best sale to date," said Haradin. "I was thrilled with the result."

The 645-lot auction inventory featured an extraordinary toy soldier collection that was established in the 1940s by two brothers from Chicago, Don and (the late) Bill Thompson. When their family moved to California in 1947, the boys' carefully wrapped and boxed toys made the journey as well, but they would remain in quiet storage until 2009, when they were unwrapped and assessed for auction purposes.

LANCASTER, Pa. - The premier reference book for antique, vintage and modern dolls - Jan Foulke's Guide to Dolls - will soon be back in print with the announcement that Synapse Publishing LLC of Lancaster, Pa., is taking over publication of the title.

Authored by internationally known doll authority Jan Foulke, the illustrated price guide's debut edition was published by Bangzoom in 2006. After the publisher went out of business, the title lay dormant for four years. Now Synapse has stepped in to revive the book, whose second edition may hit bookshelves in time for the holiday season in December. The publisher anticipates a first run of 20,000 copies and a retail price around the $25 mark.

"The name ‘Jan Foulke' is synonymous with accurate doll information," said Robert A. Deraco, president of Synapse Publishing. "Previously, Jan authored 16 editions of the Blue Book of Dolls & Values. She is the most quoted source in her area of expertise, and we felt it was a great loss to the doll hobby not having her knowledge out there for collectors, auctioneers and appraisers to access. Since the publication of Jan's first edition of the Guide to Dolls, there has been a huge interest from collectors who have been asking for it. There was a definite void in the marketplace without this price guide."

CHICAGO - More than 300 lots of choice dolls, including French bebes and German characters will be sold by Frasher's Doll Auctions at their July 17 sale titled Mademoiselles & Mignonettes. The auction will be conducted in the Rosemont Convention Center Hotel at Chicago O'Hare Airport beginning at 10:30 a.m. Central.

LiveAuctioneers will provide Internet live bidding.

The auction features the private collections of two longtime United Federation of Doll Clubs members whose individual interests spanned the eras from 1850 to the heyday of the 1950s Barbie icon.

DENVER, PA. - At the heart of Dan Morphy Auctions' 1,300-lot July 16-17 Premier Auction is a collection of mostly mint/boxed toys that has flown under the radar for nearly three decades. Running the gamut from European, early American and Japanese toys to pressed steel, pedal cars and even two actual hot rods, the collection was amassed by retired California architect and Victorian home restorer Michael O'Hearn. It will be offered at auction "unpicked and in its entirety," said auction company CEO Dan Morphy.

Internet live bidding will be provided by LiveAuctioneers.com.

"Very few people have even heard of this truly exceptional collection," said Morphy. "Mr. O'Hearn never sold a toy; he only bought, and in each of the 46 categories of his collection, he kept the emphasis on condition. All of the O'Hearn toys are a strong 9 out of 10 or better."

AUSTIN, Texas - We all love to buy at toy auctions, but don't overlook the potential of fine art and antiques auctions as sources for one-off treasures. Here's a perfect example - it's a circa-1900 Ernst Plank magic lantern, complete with 23 colored-glass slides (10 are shown here).

You might expect to find this toy at one of the major toy auction houses, but not at a sale containing French colonial Vietnamese art, Chinese ivory and European furniture. But that's exactly where you'll find this toy offered, in Austin Auction Gallery's June 26-27 East Meets West sale.

The online catalog on LiveAuctioneers.com hasn't published yet, but it should be ready soon. You can sign up to bid absentee or live via the Internet on auction day through LiveAuctioneers. As soon as the catalog goes live, we'll add a link to this blog posting.

What do you think - is that wood box the original from the Ernst Plank factory? Looks like it's the right age.

View the fully illustrated catalog and register to bid absentee or live via the Internet as the sale is taking place by logging on to www.LiveAuctioneers.com.