by Baskingshark
on Sep 27, 2010
Sotheby's is delighted to announce a sale of the celebrated collection of toy boats, soldiers, motorcycles and classic board games lovingly gathered over nearly four decades by legendary collector Malcolm Forbes and his sons. Each area of the collection is amongst the finest of its kind, boasting rare and important examples by the leading toy makers in the field - from a M ¤rklin recreation of the Cunard Line's "Lusitania" ocean liner, circa 1912, to a rare group of Medieval Mounted Knights crafted by Richard Courtenay, to the earliest surviving handmade Monopoly game-set, circa 1933. The auction will also include 19th century and American paintings depicting the joys of childhood and, together, the collection is estimated to bring $3/5 million. For the next several months, most of the Collection will remain on view at The Forbes Galleries on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan where it has been installed for the past 25 years, before moving to Sotheby's York Avenue headquarters for exhibition and sale on 17 December 2010.
Here are some of the available Ships and Boats.
by jstewart
on Sep 08, 2010
Commissioned in 1885, the armed cruiser Italia was the flagship of the Italian Navy. At the time she was the world's largest, fastest and most modern warship. This detailed, well-made toy, based on Italia, would have been an expensive purchase.
by jstewart
on Sep 06, 2010
Commissioned in 1885, the armed cruiser Italia was the flagship of the Italian Navy. At the time she was the world's largest, fastest and most modern warship. This detailed, well-made toy, based on Italia, would have been an expensive purchase.
by jstewart
on Sep 04, 2010
This large toy paddle steamer shows the extreme sizes that some toy boats reached even by the turn of the century. At 1.3 metres (4.3 feet) in length, Honfleur would have been difficult for anyone to handle, let alone a child, and may have been made as an exhibition piece rather than a working toy. Sadly we do not know who made her.
by jstewart
on Sep 02, 2010
Toy yacht-sailing on park ponds or fountains is a romantic and much-reproduced image of Victorian and Edwardian childhood. Pond yachts were made in a range of sizes, from just a few centimetres to enormous examples such as this - almost two metres (6.5 feet) in height. In some parks, people set up stalls or barrows alongside the pond to hire toy yachts out to adults and children.
by jstewart
on Sep 02, 2010
19th-century town planning led to a rise in the number of public spaces in cities and towns. These often had decorative ponds and fountains where children could play with an assortment of toy boats. As coastal holidays became popular, toy boats were also essential accessories for a trip to the seaside.
