Will Seippel, CEO of WorthPoint, enjoys watching the items sold at auctions held by our WorthPoint Industry Partners. We thought it would be a great idea for him to select some of his favorite sold items and explain why those sales stood out to him. Gaining insights from Will is an excellent way to learn about buying and selling trends in our industry. We want to empower you to buy and sell with confidence. Take a look at his thoughts on a few of our partners’ recent sales.
Another fun day at WorthPoint! On Thursday, June 5th, we added 233,246 items to our database, totaling $17,382,881.60 in value. That works out to an average lot value of $74.52.
A One-of-a-Kind Piece
Morphy Auctions took center stage this week with a major sale featuring rare Marklin toys, headlined by the first part of the late Tom Sage’s renowned collection. For those unfamiliar, Marklin was a German toy manufacturer known for producing some of the finest tin, die-cast, and metal toys of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Four of the top five lots in the 293-item sale were Marklin pieces, accounting for $486,000 of the total $2.6 million hammer price in what was dubbed the “German Tin Sale.” The standout lot was a remarkable 1904 Ferris wheel with six gondolas and stained glass panels, originally made for a Brooklyn department store and later passed down through one family. With an average lot price of nearly $9,000, this was a high-quality collection, and the Ferris wheel alone brought $156,000, setting a new high-water mark in this category.
The Ferris wheel’s history added significantly to its appeal. Gifted initially to a store employee when the Brooklyn department store closed in 1910, it had remained with the family until it was sold at Sotheby’s in 1994. Accompanied by photos from a 1910 family Christmas display and mentioned in a Maine Antique Digest article, its provenance is second to none. It even surpassed the previous record for a similar Mohr & Krauss Ferris wheel, which sold for $132,000 in 2021. The original Ferris wheel concept, introduced by George Washington Gale Ferris in 1893, borrowed from the Sommers Wheel built at Coney Island a year later—a move that sparked a lawsuit Ferris ultimately won. That bit of industrial drama gives the toy even more historical significance.
Another top seller in the same auction was the Marklin ocean liner Amerika, an electric-powered version of the ship that outpaced a steam-powered variant sold by Bertoia in 2016. The Morphy version, at 45″ in length, brought $92,250, while the earlier steam model, measuring 38 inches, had sold for $59,000. With no comparable ships sold by Bertoia since 2019, it’s hard to determine how much of the price increase is due to the rarity or the passage of time, but the scale and condition of this piece certainly played a role. A few condition issues were noted, like missing side steps and the boat stand lacking wheels, but overall, it was found in outstanding original condition—a fresh-to-market gem that resonated with collectors.
Niche Collectible
Tom Hall Auctions recently held a sale that flew under the radar, but it would have been a dream for fans of sci-fi, horror, and the occult. The top lot featured six sealed Aurora glow-in-the-dark model kits featuring iconic characters like Frankenstein, Dracula, and Godzilla. These kits, dating to the mid-20th century, have a cult following, and sets of twelve can bring in $5,000 according to WorthPoint data. This lot sold for $891.25, which seems like a solid price considering all boxes were sealed and in excellent condition. It’s a great reminder that niche collectibles can deliver impressive returns, especially when nostalgia and rarity align.
Another strong category in the sale was signed Stephen King first editions, which always attract a loyal following. One standout was a signed limited edition of Desperation, number 1088 out of just 2,050 printed, which sold for $690. The book came in a sharp leather-bound clamshell case with red text and a scorpion design—an excellent presentation piece. As someone who collects King’s work and grew up in Maine, this hit close to home. My brother, who bore an uncanny resemblance to King, once famously signed books in Kennebunkport bars pretending to be the author—a harmless prank back then, but today those signatures would make for an interesting addition to any collection!
Absurd, Clever, and Offbeat
While there was plenty more worth covering today, I tend to focus on what grabs my own quirky collecting interests—and this piece qualifies. A signed and limited edition Dr. Seuss print titled “The Rather Odd Myopic Woman Riding Piggyback on One of Helen’s Many Cats” sold for $7,500 at Dallas Antiques Gallery. It was number 313 out of an edition of 850 and walks the line between whimsical and subtly adult, true to Seuss’s sly humor. The market for these prints has been climbing steadily, and with reproductions out there, collectors should be cautious when buying. This one was in good condition and framed impressively at over four feet tall. It’s absurd, clever, and just the kind of offbeat art that adds personality to a collection.
Will Seippel is the founder, president, and CEO of WorthPoint. Will has been an avid collector since 1974 and dealer of just about all things antique—with an emphasis on ephemera— since 1984. He is also the creator and founder of HIP, a website devoted to recording the best of the world’s history that has been saved on film.
WorthPoint—Discover. Value. Preserve.
Credit: Source link
