“It was the tidiest sale I’ve had in a long time,” said Mr Hartley. Although the Saturday sales are geared to bringing in private buyers, it was a London dealer who secured the highlight: a Steiff ‘growler’ teddy bear, c.1910. In good condition, the bear was taken to £2400 on the telephone against a collector in the room.
A second smaller, moth-eaten, Steiff teddy bear, c.1910/15, was secured by a private buyer who outbid the trade at £800. Elsewhere, diecast toys provided one of the strongest sections of the sale.
The foremost entry was a Shackleton Trackmaster 30 David Brown tractor.
In poor condition and with a torn box, it was consigned with two other less significant tractors, and was pursued to £2300 – bought in the room on behalf of a collector/dealer after a bidding battle against a local dealer who specialises in toy tractors.
Andrew Hartley, Ilkley, March 23
Buyer’s premium: 10 per cent
Steiff bears keep toy sale totals climbing
AUCTIONEER Andrew Hartley has been holding biannual toy sales for a decade but the last few years has seen them grow in strength. Totals have risen steadily from around £40,000 several years ago to the £66,000 mark achieved at their most recent 650-lot sale which boasted a 95 per cent take-up.
