Garth’s Auctions December Sale To Include Vintage Toys Accompanied By A Toy Drive For Charity

Delaware, Ohio-November 17th-On December 5th, 2008, Garth's Auctions will hold its bi-monthly Eclectic Auction. In addition to their usual exceptional offering of antique furniture, artwork, pottery, glass and primitives, at this auction there will be a special session dedicated to antique and vintage and toys. This auction is the perfect way to kick off the holiday season. In these challenging economic times it seem all of us our yearning for that little piece of nostalgia: wooden toys, board games by the fire, tin toys and candy. This is what the holidays are made of and this is exactly what you will find at Garth’s this holiday season.

Highlights of the sale include Steiff studio sized leopards, a monkey, a lion, a soft plush calf with bell, an 8' high elk and airbrushed mohair turtle and frog footstools, vintage riding toys of horses, an elephant and a sheep to the more common, huggable-size orangutans, hippos, dogs including Afghans and a black Poodle, a horse, a fox and the ever popular teddy bear.

Steiff first began producing stuffed animals in the late 1800's but gained world-wide popularity with their version of the “Teddy” bear. In 1902, when President Theodore Roosevelt went on an unsuccessful hunting trip to Mississippi, his friends offered him a bear tied to a tree to shoot. The President refused, calling it “unsportsmanlike” and the story captured the imaginations, and hearts, of the American public. Shortly after, “Teddy's Bears” began appearing all over the nation, and in 1903 Steiff began importing their stuffed creations from Germany. The company founder Margarete Steiff held one long-standing crito, “For our children only the best is good enough”

Buyers looking for something more unusual will find an interesting collection of mechanical Steiff store displays. A whimsical swinging monkey, a rabbit generating power for a washing machine and monkeys filming a frog wrestling match.

Other notables include a life-size bear in a Santa suit and hat driving a sleigh pulled by six reindeer from the Merrythought Company of England and a Vanderbear Christmas set by the North American Bear Company.“Setting up an auction like this is a special treat,” said Kristin Crump, Director of Garths Eclectic Auction, “It's like being a kid again. We are excited to share these toys with parents and children, allowing them to see the fine craftsmanship and pride instilled in each piece.”

For girls of all ages there is a large selection of dolls. If you are in the market for display pieces you'll find a Little Orphan Annie porcelain collector doll by British doll artist Carol Ann Stanton, a pair of rare porcelain Raggedy Ann and Andy dolls and antique bisque head dolls including Armand Marseille, German and Limoges and an early bisque head automaton doll and dog in glass case, titled Spirit of ’76. Not as fragile, but still charming, are the contemporary limited edition Lenci dolls Modestina, Bobby Golfer and Samantha and Steiff Bettina, Berend & Sylvia, all in their original boxes. Other dolls of note are a life-size Patty Play Pal doll that can stand on her own, a vintage Madame Alexander Sonja Henie doll complete with ice skates and a Dorothy by Effanbee carrying a basket with Toto along for the ride.

Also included in the sale will be doll houses of all shapes and sizes available, including an early wood and paper lithographed Bliss two-story farmhouse and a Keystone castle and firehouse. Also on the block is a wood English seaside cottage with original paint, a Schoenhut one room cottage and a very unusual freestanding tin-housed bathroom with realistic porcelain bathtub, pedestal sink and shower base.

A large stockbroker Tudor by Tri-Ang of England will capture everyone’s imagination with its working doors and windows and realistic detailing. A Japanese house and garden complete with Japanese men and women, furnishings and accessories. Several carefully crafted handmade doll houses including a large Antique Store, two and three story homes with fronts that open and doll house-like displays. To accent the houses there are miniature dolls as well as a large offering of early and mid-twentieth century doll house furniture in a variety of styles including Biedermeier, Victorian, cottage decorated and painted wire.

Boys will find themselves drawn to large sheet metal trucks by Buddy L and Marklin as well as a Buddy L riding train and a vintage Fire Chief pedal car with red paint, white stripes and a bell. Dominating one corner of the sale room is an LGB train display complete with track, a depot, buildings, landscaping and a variety of figures. Vintage board games are also available including MB Black Watch Soldiers, Goldilocks & 3 Bears & Parker Bros Wizard of Oz. Other items of interest include a vintage Pullman tin train car by Playskool, early wood and paper lithographed puzzle blocks and wooden circus wagons with animals including Ringling Bros.

Those looking for holiday decorating items will find a large selection of both the rare and unusual. Vintage Christmas items include colored glass hanging lanterns, German paper mache and composition Santas, sleighs, children on sleds and animals, Oriental lantern bulbs and blown glass ornaments. If contemporary is more your speed, there is a large selection of crystal ornaments by makers such as Tiffany & Company, Waterford, Baccarat, Orrefors, Faberge, Hoya, Swarovski and Lalique.

For other holidays there are composition Easter candy containers in the form of rabbits and chickens, glass rabbits, boats, cars and train candy containers and Halloween paper mache pumpkin and black cat lanterns.

On November 30th, Garth’s will also be hosting a children’s tea commencing at 2:00 p.m. The children and their guest will be privy to a special preview of the vintage toys to be auctioned. Guests will also have a chance to give to Garth’s annual toy drive benefiting People In Need, a community service organization based in Delaware, Ohio. People In Need has been a passion of Amelia Jeffers, Vice President of Garths, for many years, “People in Need serve a valuable role in Delaware County, bringing needed resources to those less fortunate in our community. Everyone at Garth's has had a special affinity for the organization over the years - they do so much with so little. You have to respect an organization that is as efficient as they and we are proud to support them, said Amelia.”

Additional Preview hours will also be held on Wednesday, December 3, 10:00-5:00 and Thursday, December 4, 10:00-8:00 p.m. For more information please visit our website, www.garths.com or call us at 740-362-4771.