Thousands of curios amassed over 50 years by award-winning toy designer Patricks Rylands have been delighting bidders at Hansons Auctioneers – and one of the most exciting sections is set to go under the hammer.
Due to the sheer volume of lots, the single-owner collection has gone under the hammer gradually. On August 29, the fifth Patrick Rylands auction will get under way at the firm’s Derbyshire headquarters – Penny Toys, Marbles and Automata. It brings to auction Patrick’s phenomenal automata collection. Some 64 rare and quirky examples, many by renowned maker Paul Spooner, are set to attract strong bidding.
Among many outstanding examples is Lot 274, a Paul Spooner/Matt Smith, Fourteen Balls Toy Co. Automaton called ‘How to Live: Spaghetti’. One of only 30 made in 1999, it features a man in a bath eating spaghetti with sauce and spaghetti pouring from the taps, estimate £2,000-£3,000.
Some 425 eclectic lots also include antique marbles, a fine example being lot 194, a Victorian divided-core swirl marble with teardrop to the centre and colourful inner swirls, £500-£800. Then there’s lot 237, a scarce, circa 1850 German musical automaton featuring a donkey, fox, dog, cat and monkeys which dance, £400-£600.
Toys of all kinds come to the fore including lot 148, a late 19th century lithographed tinplate clockwork floor train made in France by Emile Favre, £300-£400. Meanwhile, lot 7 is an early 20th century, lithographed tinplate penny toy touring car made in Germany by Georg Fischer, £70-£100.
The diversity of the collection is demonstrated yet again by Lot 180, a 19th century pine artist’s lay figure, with naturalistically carved face, ears, toes and fingers, lightly defined ribs and articulated limbs, £300-£500.
Charles Hanson, owner of Hansons Auctioneers, said: “It is an outstanding collection, amassed by a man with an incredible eye for design and quality. He bought what he loved and, judging from the response to the sales so far, an awful lot of other people love his taste in fascinating collectibles.
“Every sale has smashed estimates and exceeded expectations and we anticipate more of the same on August 29.”
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