Advertising toys appeal to collectors

#MiddleburyCT #Antiques #AdvertisingToys

Antique toys, especially those that move and make noise, are popular with both young and old, and many are very expensive. Advertising toys bring back special memories and are wanted by those who collect advertising and those who want toys.

This toy car was a clever ad for Moxie, a soft drink popular in New England. It sold for $2,600. (Kovels.com)

This car with “Moxie” on the side is in mint to good condition. It is a rare blue version of an 8-inch-long tin toy car with a man on a horse in a Moxie jacket and cap driving a Moxiemobile. It sold for $2,600 at a Morford’s auction in Cazenovia, New York.

Moxie was a drink introduced in 1885, two years before Coca-Cola. It claimed to be a health drink and was flavored with bitter herbs. The taste was so strange that people said you had to be brave to drink it. So by 1930, the word “moxie” become a slang term for brave or daring, and “He had a lot of moxie” became a common saying. The company was purchased by Coca-Cola in 2018.

Q: I have a book, “The Life of George Washington-Maps and Subscriber’s Names,” published in 1807 by C.P. Wayne of Philadelphia. The book includes several map “plans” for different states, a list of subscribers, and a signature of the subscriber. The book is in fair condition given its age. Can you tell me the approximate value?

A: This book is part of a biography of George Washington written by John Marshall between 1804 and 1807. It was originally published in five volumes. Marshall, who later became justice of the Supreme Court, was a friend of Washington and served with him in the Revolutionary War. First editions of the books are rare and sell for high prices. Copies of the book of maps have sold for several hundred to more than one thousand dollars. You should contact an antiquarian book dealer or an auction house that sells antique books to see what your book would sell for. Copies have sold from $75 to $1,700 in recent auctions.

TIP: To remove a crayon mark from paper, coat it with a thin layer of rubber cement, let it dry, then rub it off.

Current Prices
Glass paperweight, Baccarat, sulphide, blue tint inside, gold tone bust of Martin Luther King Jr. inside, faceted with 10 round panels, marked, 1970s, 2 3/4 inches, $155.
Furniture, table, drop leaf, Chippendale, cherry wood, two shaped leaves, tapered square legs, 18th century, 28 x 34 x 35 inches, $250.
Postcard, Martin Luther King Jr., 1929-1968, Distinguished Civil Rights Leader, portrait, first day cover with King’s image on stamp, postmarked Atlanta, Ga., Jan. 13, 1979, autographed by Rosa Parks with date 1982, $375.
Salesman’s sample, Howard Plow, wood, metal, with advertisement picturing an image of the plow, late 19th century, 8 inches, $750.
Jewelry, belt, 19 scarabs, carved Czechoslovakian glass, marbled colors, in brass frames with art deco rays, repousse scarab links between, filigree medallion buckle, Egyptian Revival, Joseff of Hollywood, buckle 4 inches, belt 38 inches, $1,125.

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