The Bill Powell Antique Advertising & Toy Collection - Noel Barrett ...

Noel Barrett Antiques & Auctions Fall 2011 Auction
Friday & Saturday • November 18-19, 2011 in New Hope PA
The Bill Powell Antique
Advertising & Toy Collection
The Patriotic Americana
Collection of
Greg & Molly Caron
along with numerous
other exciting consignments
offering a
wondrous variety.
SALE SESSIONS
Friday - November 18 starts at 4:00 PM
Caron Collection, Mohr Collection, and additional
toys & trains, dolls’s houses, etc.
Saturday - November 19 starts at Noon
THE BILL POWELL COLLECTION
Clockwork Toys & Automata from the
Frank Mohr Collection
When ever I came across Bill Powell’s booth at an antique show I knew I was going to
see some of the most exciting things in the show - Bill has one of the great “eyes” in the
business - whether it is a great trade or tin sign, a fabulous store fixture, or a lithographedpaper-on-wood
toy - it was sure to be one of the best . When he called, wanting to sell his
private collection I was really excited and honored to be chosen. Bill’s items will be sold
in the Saturday Session of this exciting sale. Hope to see you there.
Noel Barrett

Auction Preview for Noel Barrett’s November 18 & 19, 2011 Auction
Painted wood furrier sign with great
image - 58" x 29"!
Two Ingersoll Watch
signs in wood -5' tall and
5' wide & near mint.
Several optician signs
are in the collection - this
one is 4' wide.
Double sided painted wood saloon sign - 31" x 31"
Electrical Engineer Trade Sign 39" x 24"
The Saturday Session, comprised exclusively of the Powell Collection includes
an array of unique painted wood signs, figural trade signs - most from
the late nineteenth and very early 20th century.
This 5' Harness Maker Sign would fit over a barn door.

Late nineteenth century stone lithography created some of the most colorful signs and posters ever made.
Here are a few of Bill’s favorites - great color & graphics - “Laugh At Cigar” depicts a circa 1895 saloon
interior while “DeWitt’s Remedies” shows us the interior of an early dry goods store from the same era.
Before the Pierce-Arrow there were Pierce
Cycles as seen in this 1898 poster - 86" T.
“Welcome Soap”
stone lithographed
poster
in period frame -
29" x 23".
Trains often appear in 1890’s era advertising
- Rockford Watch on wood, Overalls paper
poster is more than 6' x 8', the Grand Chief
Cigar sign at 28" x 22" presents a dramatic
rescue scene in a period frame.
This International
Stock
Food poster
is printed on
linen and
framed behind
glass -
75" wide.
Unusual trade signs
include this marvelous sled
in patriotic colors (great presence
at 8' long) and a wonderful fish with inset
glass framed oversize fishing fly - 38" long.

Early store
shipping and
display containers
had great
color labels.
Dimensional tin man with
suitcase is 76" and has great paint.
Dimensional trade signs
include a great shoe, butcher’s
bull head, & hatmaker’s
figure.
Near mint Aspinwall lithographed
tin sign is
20" x 24"
Bill loved dimensional
cardboard
window displays
- this
one includes
the actual oil
heater being
advertised.
This racy boudoir scene advertises
“The Wm. Penn Shirt”.
Framed on paper, it is 15" x 18".
Harness maker’s
display horse is
29" long.
Figural Derringer Trade Sign made of metal with
painted wood grips
is 34" long.
More than 25 early cigar
boxes with colorful labels are
in the Powell Collection.
Unusual wood trade signs include a fire
pumper (42" l.) and an articulated wood
figure riding a full size bike.
A great lithgraphed
steel double
sided
flange
sign
Admiral Dupont Cigar Store figure is painted paper mache -
made by Old King Cole - 75" tall.

Scarce stone lithographed paper
on heavy cardboard display figures
for Shuredge Razors
- each is
42" tall.
Porcelain on Steel Signs
Tobacco was shipped in wood barrels,
cardboard boxes and
tin containers -all double
as country store
displays.
Colorful lithographed cardboard
window displays could
be quite dramatic.
Wood shipping crates
with colorful labels decorated
early country
stores.
Advertising
store fixtures.
Painted
on black
smalts
tin corner
sign for early
Baltimore
brewer - 34" tall
with great color!
Fire items: 3 scarce
patented fire escapes
systems in
litho tin containers
and 2 early wood
parade axes.
3 wall
mount barber
poles
Top Hat Trade
Sign
Lithographed tin
counter top displays includes
rare cradle form
rubber pants container.

The Bill Powell Collection at Auction - Saturday - November 19, 2011 in New Hope PA
Scarce Edison Bi-Polar Fan - circa 1898
Curved Old Dutch Porcelain 32" t.
Colorful Player Piano Metal Sign
Unusual Hot Dog Cooker
Paris Mfg. Co.
Child’s Hook &
Ladder Wagon
Bill Powell loved lithographed
paper on wood and early vehicle
toys. Many of his very fine boats
came from the collection of the
late William F. Holland - a pioneer
American toy collector.
Other childrens’ items include a
select group of 10 early air
rifle/BB guns - highlighted by a
Daisy ‘First Model’ Air Rifle and
5 early cast iron BB guns by Bailey
& Co. and Heilprin of
Philadelphia.
Advertising Thermometers
Flange Tire Sign
Salesman’s Samples include this
finely painted wood well pump -
25" tall, a “Mobiloil” filling station
oil pump, and garage & barn
door models.
Model Steam Engine
Childrens’ vehicle toys include a colorful Express Wagon,
an S. A. Smith Eagle and a very fine all original
hand propeller / velocipede - circa 1880.

This patriotic
painting done
in oils on tin
with painted
wood frame
was formerly
in the BarenholtzCollection.
This Sailor’s
Remembrance
framed embroideryretains
the
original
owner’s military
records
and - circa
Great White
Fleet - passport.
The Greg & Molly Caron Patriotic Americana Collection will
be on offer in the Friday Sale Session of
Noel Barrett’s November 18 & 19 Sale.
Highlights include a painted
wood shield from a War of 1812
warship, a wonderful half round
leaded glass window featuring a
Liberty figure from a Hartford Insurance
Co. building, Adirondack
twig table with flag, painted
camp chair with shield, early
Uncle Sam parade costumes,
and a variety of political and
patriotic memorabilia.

The Friday Session will feature a select group of wonderful toys from long time collector Frank Mohr
- including a variety of automatons and some of the rarest of the rare American clockwork toys by
Ives and Althof-Bergmann as well as European
toys by Martin, Lehmann &
Gunthermann.
French Lady Rower clockwork with bisque head
Early & scarce American
clockwork toys with original
boxes include Lady with
Sewing Machine (ex Perelman
Collection, a Tea
Drinker and an example of
the scarce
Jubilee Racers.
A variety of forms will
be included among
the automatons - two
smokers - one a
clown and the other
a dude in Napoleonic
hat with Jumeau
head, musicians include
a charming
lady pianist and an
angle playing
a harp.
Makers include
Lambert among
others.

Acrobats - including a scarce double pair.
Hanging dancer and the boxers
‘The Help’ circa 1890 - Washerwoman and Nursemaid
Among collectors of early
American toys one
name stands above
the rest - Ives -
whether as Ives &
Co., as Ives, Blakeslee, & Co., or Ives, Blakeslee
& Williams - the clockwork toys they produced in
the last quarter of the nineteenth century have
stood the test of time. Expensive in their day,
they were produced in limited quantities, thus
their scarcity today. For today’s collector they
open a window on our past - children at play and
the thrill of the circus. They also depict the
prejudices of their day - both racial and
ethnic which is a real part of our history.
This offering represents one of the largest
groupings on offer in recent years.
Suffragette
&
Stump
Speaker
A variety of dancers include the seldom seen
revolving cakewalk couple.
Rare Irish Dancer
Ives
“Peek-A-Boo”
Cat had a
wholesale
price of $3
in 1893.
A scarce Circus
Rider
General Grant
Smoker

American tin toys from Mohr include
a George Brown confectionary
wagon and a circus pull toy.
This amazing flywheel drive action toy from
France (in original box with illustrated instruction
sheet on interior box lid) depicts
one of the greatest attractions of the 1900
Paris Exposition Universelle - the Moving
Sidewalk or Trottoir Roulant - actual movies
of this marvel can be seen on YouTube.
Also included in the Mohr Collection is an example of
the elaborate Althof Bergmann carrousel and the
Columbus World’s Fair Egg toy with original box and instruction
sheet. This Frisbee Steam engine with box is
another classic late nineteenth century American toy.
Another great Althof
Bergmann toy
is this
Mechanical
Horseman.
Among Mohr’s European toys
are a French cyclist, 3 Britains
flywheel drive animated toys.
One of the best is a boxed example
of Don Quixote tilting at a
windmill. Other French-made
toys are 2 horse drawn omnibuses
in painted tin with composition
passengers.

A nice group of
Martin toys - all with
scarce original
decorated
boxes.
A large scale nodding dog
Camel Skittles with Arabs
German toys by
Lehmann & Gunthermann
among others
An amazing French glider/donkey cart metamorphic toy!
Colorful lithographed cats -
in a mechanical picture
and in a wonderful
music box.
This Atomatic Toy
Works Scissor Sharpener
is 1 of 3 known
examples.
This Reed paper
on wood horse
dawn toy turned up
in an auction box
lot. It is a Diary
Wagon with driver
and 4 milk bottles
as pictured in a
Reed catalog. This
is the first of these
we have seen or
heard of!

This Gauge I Marklin clockwork Pennsylvania
RR Set is an attic find - fresh to the market.
The Carlisle & Finch Electric Railway was found in a different attic.
A grouping of finely crafted live steam trains arrived just in time for inclusion in the Friday session - here area few of them.
This European profile “Miss Gail” live steam locomotive is 36"
long, rides on 3.25" gauge track and weighs in at 82 pounds!
Another late consignment: 70 tin windups - many in original boxes will round out the Friday session. Here’s a sampling - above & to right.

Five music
boxes will
be sold on
Friday.
The most exciting of 5
dolls’ houses in the sale
is The “Farie” Dolls’
House - a Scottish House
dating in part to the 18th
century - it has great
provenance and ownership
history. For several
years its was displayed in
Vivien Green’s famed
dolls’ house museum.
Several lots of miniatures
will also be on offer in the
Friday sale session.
A very unusual large
scale spinning top style
skittle game (table is
67" x 35") - its called
the Game of Kings.
Preview Hours:
Friday - November 18
9:00 AM to 4:00 PM
Saturday - November 19
from 9:00 AM to Noon
Sale Sessions
Friday - November 18 starts at 4:00 PM
Saturday - November 19 starts at Noon
Sale Venue:
Eagle Fire Hall, 42 N. Sugan Rd., New Hope, PA
Catalogs for the sale are $35. post paid for US ,
$40. for Canada, & $45 for overseas.
They can be ordered via mail, email, or fax. Payment by
PayPal, Visa/Mastercard, AmEx, or check.
For additional information call us at 215-297-5109.
Noel Barrett Auctions
PO Box 300, Carversville, PA 18913
email: toys@noelbarrett.com
fax: 215-297-0457
website: www.noelbarrett.com