One man’s toy collection of 88 iconic characters estimated to fetch £25,000 at Newbury auction
A single owner collection of Character Toys will be going under the hammer at Special Auction Services in Newbury on Tuesday, June 20 and is estimated to fetch £25,000.
The Mike Williams Collection comprises more than 88 iconic children’s characters from television, film, nursery rhymes, newspaper comic strips and comics as well as books by prolific authors including Enid Blyton and Beatrix Potter dating from 1900-1950s.
Mike‘s collection was amassed over 25 years and he and his wife spent many of their UK holidays scouring antiques fairs in pursuit of rare and sought-after pieces. So great was his passion that it rubbed off on his wife, who became an avid collector of teddy bears. She says: “On every holiday our first port of call was the nearby antiques centre. Collecting was his life and it became our way of life.”
She describes their house as “like walking into a toy museum” as Mike’s collection was displayed throughout. Not only was there a cabinet in the in the hall as well as the upstairs landing and shelving in the study, but also the wall between the kitchen and dining room was replaced with a double-sided cabinet so that the collection could be seen from both rooms. The displays stirred many happy childhood memories for visitors to the house, particularly those coming on an ad hoc basis to carry out DIY jobs.
The collection mainly comprises British characters. Highlights include a Farnell Jemima Puddle-duck (£300-500), Farnell Barbar the Elephant (£300-400) and daughter Flora and Cousin Arthur (£200-£300), Bill & Ben with Weed in hollow-cast lead (£300-400), Old Bill, Bonzo and an early Chad Valley Teddy Tail (£200-300).
Mike’s favourite, and one of his last purchases, was the character Old Bill, produced by prominent British cartoonist Bruce Bairnsfather in 1914, which is expected to fetch £200-£300. Old Bill was one of the characters that appeared in Bairnsfather’s weekly slots which were published in The Bystander magazine during the First World War.
Other newspaper comic strip favourites include Pip, Squeak and Wilfred (£150-200), Tich (£200-300) and Bruin Boy’s Tiger Tim (£30-80 range) from the Daily Mirror, Teddy Tail (£200-300) and The Nipper (£80-100) from the Daily Mail and Rupert the Bear from the Daily Express.
His wife Dorcas says, “As his health faded, his passion for collecting still remained steadfast. Each piece in the collection meant so much to Mike and rather than them being kept in the loft he wanted passionate collectors like himself to have the opportunity to enjoy the pieces that will mean as much to them as they did to him.”
Toy and teddy bear specialist Daniel Agnew says: “This sale is a showcase of Mike’s knowledge and collecting ability. He carefully chose makes and characters who have stood the test of time and which will undoubtedly generate huge interest amongst collectors.”
Other highlights include Walt Disney’s famous character feature Mickey Mouse (1928) and Snow White and the Seven Dwarves (1937); then the BBC Watch and Listen with Mother characters like Muffin the Mule and Hank the Cowboy.
Full list of characters (British unless stated):
Puss in Boots - an Italian version Costantino Fortunato by Giovanni Francesco Straparola circa 1551
Mary had a Little Lamb - from a 19th century nursery rhyme, first written down by Sarah Josepha Hale in 1830
Lewis Caroll’s Alice in Wonderland - 1865
Charles H Ross and Emilie de Tessier Ally Sloper - published for Judy magazine 1867 (first comic strip)
Florence K Upton’s Golliwogg - published 1895
Beatrix Potter’s Peter Rabbit - published 1902
Julius Stafford Baker for Daily Mirror’s Bruin Boys including Tiger Tim - created1904
Clarence E Mulford Hopalong Cassidy - first published 1904
Beatric Potter’s Jemima Puddle-Duck - published 1908
Kenneth Grahame’s Wind in the Willow - 1908
Caesar King Edward VII’s Wire Fox Terrier - public attention 1910
Chloe Preston Peek-A-Boos - circa 1910
Bruce Bairnsfather Old Bill - published 1914
Charles Folkard for Daily Mail’s Teddy Tail - created 1915
Johnny Gruelle’s Raggedy Ann and Andy - circa 1915
Charlie Chaplin’s Tramp - created 1915
Harold Lloyd’s Harold - created 1917
Bertram Lamb for Daily Mirror Pip, Squeak and Wilfred - created 1919
Pat Sullivan and Otto Messmer’s Felix the Cat - created in 1919
Will Owen for Bisto gravy The Bisto Kids - created 1919
Thomas Maybank’s Oojah the Elephant - created 1919
J.F. Horrabin’s Japhet & Happy - created 1919
Mary Tourtel for Daily Express’s Rupert the Bear - created 1920
Mabel Lucie Attwell comic children and Pixies - from 1921
George Studdy’s Bonzo the Dog - created 1922
A.A. Milne and E.H. Shepherd’s Winnie-the-Pooh - first appearance under this name in 1924
Dean’s Rag Book Betty Oxo - created 1925
Dean’s Rag Book Dismal Desmond, Ian Hassall or Richard Ellot - created before 1926
Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks’ Oswald the Lucky Rabbit (USA)- created 1927
Dean’s Rag Book Gallopin’ Gus (adopted by Miss Betty Nuthall) - created 1927
Norah Wellings Bones the dog - introduced in 1927
Stanley Holloway’s Sam Small - created 1928
Dean’s Rag Book Tatters the Hospital Pup, designed by Richard Ellett - designed 1928
Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks’ Mickey Mouse (USA) - created in 1928
Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks’ Minnie Mouse (USA) - created in 1928
George Studdy’s Ooloo the Cat - created 1929
Dean’s Rag Book Co Dicky Dack dachshund - created 1929
E.C. Segar’s Popeye the Sailor Man (USA) - created 1929
Walt Disney and Norm Ferguson’s Pluto the Dog (USA) - created 1930
Ub Iwerks’ Flip the Frog (USA) - created 1930
Jean de Brunhoff’s Babar the Elephant (France) - published 1931
Dart’s Tich was a comic strip written by Frank Dowling and illustrated by “Dart.” The original “Dart” was a man named Martin, although it is uncertain if this was a surname or a last name. Tich ran in the Daily Mirror from November 21, 1931, to November 25, 1933. The second “Dart”, Stephen Phillip Dowling (1904-1986).
Carl Thomas Anderson for The Saturday Evening Post Henry (USA)- created 1932
Dean’s Rag Book Co Ma and Pa Coney the Radio Rabbits - created 1932
Walt Disney and Wilfred Jackson’s Goofy the dog - created 1932
Dusty the dog from the Sunday Dispatch newspaper - probably 1930s
E.C. Segar’s Eugene ‘Lucky’ Jeep (USA) - after 1933
Brian White for Daily Mail’s The Nipper - created 1933
Walt Disney’s Silly Symphony The Three Little Pigs - created 1933
Dick Lundy and Walt Disney Donald Duck (USA) - created 1934
Belisha Beacon Duck, introduced by Leslie Hore-Belisha - created 1934
Katherine Tozer’s Mumfie the Elephant - published 1935
Will Hay’s Dr Alec Smart (teacher) from film Boys will be Boys - created 1935
King George VI - coronated in 1936
Lupino Lane’s character Snibson in the West End musical hit Me and My Girl - 1937-1940
Clarence Lawson-Wood’s Gran’pop - created 1937
Walt Disney’s Snow White and the Seven Dwarves - released 1937
DC Thomson Dandy comic - created 1937
DC Thomson Beano comic - created 1938
Ken Reid’s Fudge the Elf - first appeared 1938
Hanna Barbera’s Tom and Jerry - created1940
Walt Disney's Pinocchio - released 1940
Bill Parker’s Captain Marvel, Mary Marvel and Captain Marvel Junior - created 1940 to 1942
Walt Disney’s Dumbo - released 1941
Arthur Askey, The Little Man with a Big Heart - believed to made 1945
Annette Mills for BBC Children’s programs Muffin the Mule - created in 1949
Enid Blyton’s Noddy - published 1949
Brumas and Ivy polar bears in London Zoo - Brumas the cub was born in 1949
Wally Fawkes for the Daily Mail’s Flook - created 1949
Freda Lingstrom and Maria Bird BBC Children Television’s Andy Pandy - created 1950
Frank Hampson’s Dan Dare - created 1950
Annette Mills for BBC Children’s programs Prudence Kitten - created 1950
Francis Coudrill for Whirligig’s Hank the Cowboy - created early 1950s
Joy Laurey for Whirligig’s Mr Turnip - created early 1950s
Freda Lingstrom for BBC Children’s Television Flower Pot Men Bill and Ben - created 1952
Ivanhoe MGM film - released1952
Toffee Bear from BBC Radio Listen with Mother - 1950s
Walt Disney’s Peter Pan - released 1953
BBC children’s Watch with Mother Rag, Tag and Bobtail - 1953-54 Freda Lingstrom and Louise Cochrane
BBC children’s television Billy Bean & His Funny Machine based on Chuck Luchsinger's American children's show "Jolly Gene & His Fun Machine" in 1953 - 1954-56
Knights of the Round Table MGM film - released 1953
Walt Disney’s Rob Roy - released in 1953
Harry Corbett’s Sooty the bear - created 1955, although his stage history as a bear hand puppet dates back to 1948, but it was 1955 he had soot covered black ears to help him stand out on television and a new name.
Richard Greene The Adventures of Robin Hood - 1955
The Adventures of Quentin Durward MGM film - released 1955
Hanna Barbera Huckleberry Hound - 1958
Hanna Barbera Yogi Bear - 1958
Hanna Barbera Mr Jink the cat- 1958
Maria Perego, Federico Caldura and Guido Stagnaro Topo Gigio - created 1958
Thomas Dam’s Troll doll - created 1959
Tingha and Tucker koala ITV children’s television - 1962-1970
