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Auction Of Antique Toys No Time To Play Around

Hennessee Auctioneers

The toy collection, including this tin lithographed flatbed truck carrying a rubber roadster probably dates to the 1950s, will be split into three auctions, with the first one Feb. 7 Saturday at the IBEW Union Hall, 10108 U.S. 92 E., Tampa, at Falkenburg Road. The other auctions will take place March 7 and April 11 at the same time, same place. To preview items that will be sold at the first auction, visit www.rhauction.com.

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By D'ANN LAWRENCE WHITE

dlwhite@tampatrib.com

Published: February 4, 2009

BRANDON - It was a surreal moment.

As auctioneer Rob Hennessee opened the bedroom door of the Brandon home and looked in, he thought he had stumbled into a time machine.

The 8- by 10-foot room was filled with toys he recognized from his childhood in the 1940s and '50s.

"We didn't have a lot of money, so I didn't have many toys," he said. "But I remember seeing a lot of the toys in that room when I was growing up and wishing I had them."

The toys were the collection of longtime resident Harold Irick, who owned an auto shop on U.S. 301 at State Road 60 for years and restored classic cars in his spare time. Irick died three years ago, leaving his wife, Madge, and two children.

Irick left behind a collection of toys, mostly vintage trucks, that he had accumulated at antique shows, shops and auctions across the country over 40 years, Madge Irick said.

Her children expressed no interest in the toy collection, so Madge Irick was faced with the dilemma of how to best liquidate her husband's beloved finds.

"These toys were his passion. He'd want to make sure they went to people who cared about them," she said. "But he'd also want to make sure I had money to take care of myself."

Hennessee has been an auctioneer in the area for 25 years and frequently volunteers his services for schools and nonprofit groups. Madge Irick recalled attending some of Hennessee's auctions with her husband and meeting Hennessee and his wife, Carol.

"They are such wonderful people," she said. "I knew they were honest and would do a great job."

Hennessee said he recalled that Irick was a toy collector.

"I just didn't realize how many toys he collected," Hennessee said. "This was major, probably the largest toy collection I've ever seen in my 25 years as an auctioneer. There are probably 2,000 pieces. It was an arduous task to photograph, document and pack them all. It probably took Carol and I more than 40 hours."

The toys date from the early 1900s to the 1980s and include mostly toy trucks, which was Harold Irick's special interest, his wife said.

However, Hennessee found other surprises, including a rare set of lead toy soldiers from the 1940s depicting Adolf Hitler and his top chiefs.

The toy cars and trucks were manufactured by companies such as Louis Marx & Co. of New York City, in business from 1919 to 1979; Smith-Miller Toy Co. of Los Angeles, which sold toys from 1944 to 1958; Structo Manufacturing Co. of Freeport, Ill., which opened in 1909 and is still operating; Wyandotte Toys of Wyandotte, Mich., which operated from 1920 to 1956; Hubley Manufacturing Co. of Lancaster, Pa., which opened in 1894 and is still operating; and Metalcraft Corp. of St. Louis, which was in business from 1920 to 1937.

The trucks and cars were fabricated from sheet metal, tin, cast aluminum and cast iron. Some have original boxes, and some have been restored. Hennessee said a number of the trucks bear the names of oil companies, grocery stores and manufacturers, such as Sinclair Oil Co., Bank of America, Sunoco, Pennzoil, Shell, Coca-Cola and Bell Telephone, because the toy trucks were given away as premiums to clients or loyal customers.

In addition to toy dump trucks, backhoes, firetrucks, military vehicles, oil and delivery trucks, Hennessee discovered a 1950s Gilbert erector set, an Astro Rocket bank, Lionel trains, a hard-to-find 1940s Sky Ranger tin airplane and Mickey Mouse and Roy Rogers/Dale Evans watches.

Although he is a certified appraiser, Hennessee said he can't predict what prices individual pieces will bring at auction. But he said many of the trucks are worth $395 to $695.

"Toys are a hot collectible right now, and people are willing to spend a lot of money to buy back a piece of their childhood. In fact, some of the biggest collectors are people who were poor and couldn't afford these toys when they were children," he said.

The auctions have attracted the attention of toy collectors from across the country, some of whom will fly in for the auctions or leave phone bids for coveted toys.

"It's not the most unusual auction I've ever put on," Hennessee said. He reserves that honor for an Ybor City estate auction that included a set of glass eyeballs, which sold for $15 each, and gold teeth, a bargain at $10 a tooth.

"But it definitely is my largest specialty auction and one that is getting the most attention. I couldn't believe the volume," he said. "It was overwhelming."

GOING ONCE ...

The toy collection will be split into three auctions, with the first one Saturday at the IBEW Union Hall, 10108 U.S. 92 E., Tampa, at Falkenburg Road. A preview will begin at 4 p.m., and the sale starts at 5 p.m. There will be a 10 percent buyers' premium. The other auctions will take place March 7 and April 11 at the same time, same place.

To preview items that will be sold at the first auction, visit www.rhauction.com.

Reporter D'Ann Lawrence White can be reached at (813) 657-4524.

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