Wurlitzer Model 71 Tabletop Jukebox, circa 1940-41, Brings ,750 in Miller & Miller Online AuctionPosted by Dinesh Kumar on June 28th, 2023  A Wurlitzer Model 71 tabletop jukebox on a stand, made in America circa 1940-1941, sold for ,750 on Day 2 of two days of online-only auctions held June 9th and June 10th by Miller & Miller Auctions, Ltd. The June 9th sale was dedicated entirely to toys; June 10th featured petroliana, advertising and coin-ops. All prices quoted include an 18 percent buyer’s premium and are in Canadian dollars. Headlining the two-day event was a pair of important collections, both offered on Day 2. One was the Linden Johnson collection, featuring a treasure trove of petroliana and general store advertising. The other was the Dr. Don Gutoski collection, which included a fine assortment of Kuntz Brewery advertising, rare Wurlitzer jukeboxes and speakers and assorted coin-ops. “This sale was proof that the rule of investment collecting persists – condition is the foremost predictor of price,” said Ethan Miller of Miller & Miller Auctions, Ltd. “While mature market segments such as pre-1950 breweriana and toys fell somewhat beneath expectations, mid-century soda signs, particularly vertical signs and push bars, were on fire. Attendees hoping to build their advertising collections at yesterday’s prices took a walk down the boulevard of broken dreams.” The Wurlitzer Model 71 tabletop jukebox on a stand was the overall top lot of both days. It was a mechanically functioning and nicely restored example with original toned catalin inserts and a refinished case and trim. It sat on a rare, restored original Wurlitzer model 810 stand. The wood base was painted with designs that simulated mixed wood inlays. The top two lots of the June 9th toys auction were a Marx Indian motorcycle with sidecar, made in America in 1940, 6 ¼ inches long, boasting original lithographed tin (,950); and a Canadian 1950s Lincoln Trans-Canada Air Lines pressed tin model airplane with four propellers, rubber landing gear and nice T.C.A. decals, 9 ¼ inches long (,950). Following are additional highlights. The June 9th toys auction, 272 lots, grossed 1,541 and attracted 230 registered users who combined for 4,439 bids. The June 10th petroliana, advertising and coin-ops auction, 377 lots, grossed 1,531; 429 bidders placed 8,852 bids. Online bidding was via LiveAuctioneers.com and MillerandMillerAuctions.com. A Kuntz Park Brewery Waterloo factory scene beer tray (Canadian. 1900), lithographed tin, with vibrant colors and a rare factory scene (L. Kuntz Park Brewery, Waterloo, Ontario). 11 inches by 15 inches, very clean, brought ,980; while an 1890s Kuntz Park Brewery lithographed tin Lager sign with factory scene, embossed lettering and design, also from Waterloo, Ontario, in a 28 ½ inch by 22 inch frame, realized ,980. A Globe Amusement Lighthouse grip strength tester (American, 1924), featuring lights and a horn that sounded when the player reached the top level of the game, 84 inches tall, knocked down for ,980. Also, a Caille Brothers 5-cent Olympia Puncher strength tester (American, 1910s), cast iron with nickel plated trim and a painted top sign, designed as either a “puncher” or a “hugger” after inserting a coin, went for ,850. A monumental, single-sided porcelain building sign (“Drink Coca-Cola, Delicious and Refreshing”), made in Canada in 1935, 4 feet by 8 feet, the scarcer, earlier version of the iconic sign of the same size, reached ,440. Also, a Frontenac Brewery “Buccaneer” porcelain corner sign (Quebec, 1900s), made to be mounted to a corner of a building, 48 inches tall by 10 ½ inches long, showing excellent gloss, found a new home for ,030. A Seven-Up “Bubble Girl” single-sided tin vertical sign (American, 1948), embossed and impressive at 55 inches tall by 17 ¼ inches wide, made by Stout Sign Company (St Louis, Mo.), finished at ,850; while an Orange Crush single-sided tin sign (American, 1940s), rare and embossed, 48 inches tall by 17 ½ inches long, also made by Stout, made ,260. The toys auction features unlocked treasures from old collections, to include toys from the 1920s to the 1950s; early tin windups from Germany and France; tin windup character toys from America; hard-to-find Canadian tin, pressed steel and cast-iron toys; and Japanese friction and battery-op toys. Toy makers included Lehmann, Hess, Bing, Doll, Fernand Martin, Carette, Meccano, Bandai, Yonezawa, Schuco, Lincoln, and Marx. The session’s expected top lot was a 1920 American pre-WWI style Samuel Orkin USS New Mexico toy battleship, the largest one made, a survivor made from pressed steel and wood, 25 ¼ inches long, in a glass display case (,124). But besting that lot was a German World War I Marklin U-Boat Submarine with pressed tin plate, 15 ½ inches long and featuring adjustable diving planes (,242). Both toys were tested and were working. A uniquely designed early Church architectural cast iron still bank, possibly English, circa 1880-1900, 13 inches tall, maker unknown, the church half octagon shaped with a tile roof, went to a determined bidder for ,655. Also, a German pre-World War I-era Fleischmann pressed tinplate toy battleship, reading “GERMANY” on the stern, 16 ½ inches long, with replaced key, lifeboat and flags, but otherwise excellent, hit ,124. A Canadian 1950 pressed steel Lincoln Auto Transporter, 25 inches long, with a nice set of cars (two of them original) with knobby tires, plus a Lincoln Auto Transporter decal, graded 8 out of 10 for condition, achieved ,006. Also, a Roullet and Decamps pouncing white tiger, (French, circa 1880-1890), with a material-covered tin body, with a key-wind mechanism that causes him to turn his head, slowly crouch and pounce, brought ,006. To learn more about Miller & Miller Auctions, Ltd. and the firm’s calendar of auction events, visit www.millerandmillerauctions.com. About Miller & Miller Auctions, Ltd.: Like it? Share it! More by this author |