Sale of the week: Malcolm Forbes toy collection
By Simon de Burton
Published: December 10 2010 22:52 | Last updated: December 10 2010 22:52
Sale: The Malcolm Forbes toy collection
Location: Sotheby’s, 1334 York Avenue, New York, tel: +1 212 606 7000
Date: Friday (December 17) at 2pm. On view Saturday 10am-5pm; Sunday 1pm-5pm; Monday-Thursday 10am-5pm. Day of sale 10am-1pm. Catalogue at
www.sothebys.com
Need to know: The late publishing tycoon Malcolm Forbes collected everything from hot air balloons to historical documents and from Fabergé eggs to Harley-Davidson motorcycles, of which he owned 68. But toys were perhaps his greatest passion. For decades he trawled attics, antiques shops and salerooms in pursuit of battalions of lead soldiers, squadrons of model aircraft and, in particular, flotillas of miniature ships. But, unlike many fanatics, he did not always demand that his purchases should be in pristine condition – while he would gladly snap up old toys that were boxed and in mint condition, he was just as happy to buy those that bore evidence of vigorous play. As the collection grew, Forbes decided to display the miniature soldiers, boats and motorcycles on the first floor of the Forbes building on New York’s Fifth Avenue, enlisting the services of his son, Robert, as curator. This is the second sale of toys from the collection since Malcolm’s death in 1990.
Highlights: Comprising 237 lots, the sale is tipped to raise up to $5m; the star of the show is a 47in gunboat that is estimated at $200,000-$300,000. Not exactly your average bath toy, this replica of a 19th-century battleship is made from cast iron and has a fully operational, gas-powered engine. There is also a 38in recreation of the Lusitania, the luxury liner that sank after being torpedoed by a U-boat in 1915, which Forbes bought at Sotheby’s in 1983 for $28,600 – it’s now worth almost 10 times as much.
Among thousands of lead soldiers are sets containing hundreds of infantrymen and cavalry, both on foot and on horseback. One display depicts a battle between Italian and Ethiopian troops ($10,000-$15,000) while another incorporates a model castle populated by more than 24 complete sets of soldiers made by toy firm Britain’s ($12,000-$18,000). Forbes’s love of motorcycles extended to toy versions and the sale features more than 100, including some rare clockwork examples. One of the very first Monopoly sets is also up for grabs. Handmade by the game’s inventor, Charles B Darrow, it features a round board and is estimated at $60,000-$80,000. The ultimate Christmas present, surely?
I do beleive we are at $901,000 in sales so far...o.k make that $904,000! This of course went to some happy buyer...not me of unfortunately!
