Mickey Mouse brings a windfall

Press, 26 November 1977, Page 15

Mickey Mouse brings a windfall

» By

RUPERT BUTLER

Tucked away in your attic could be that Mickey Mouse alarm clock which used to send you scurrying to school on mornings long ago. It is well worth checking — for there is a rapidly-growing boom in all sorts of mechanicai toys based on Walt Disney characters. Miss Hilary Kay, of Sotheby’s, said: “Collectors seem to have a sort of Disney fetish just now. Frankly, some of the prices stagger us. There appears to be absolutely no limit to what some collectors of automata will pay.” Automata means windup toys or anything that

r moves mechanically —- z like a German-made Mii ckey Mouse organ grinder i from about 1930 which i sold originally for about

1 . / £2. At a recent auction, one fetched £lBOO ($3300). f ($3330). Of course, £2 was a t considerable sum to spend on a toy in the 19305. On e the other hand, that Mist ckey Mouse clock would y have cost only a few shillings in the 19405. 1 Today, in Britain, a Mickey timepiece can go for anything between $55 and t $75.

Hilary Kay emphasises that owners should not be downhearted if Donald Duck no longer quacks or the head on the many-

jointed Mickey no longer nods. She explains: “Most of the collectors are very knowledgeable, and mechanical — part of the joy, to them, is repairing toys that don’t work. “As long as the toy looks good and doesn’t show any rust, they’re interested.” A Mickey Mouse tea-set. dating from the late 1940 s

to the mid-19505, could now be worth $75. A favourite toy in the 1930 s was a model cat with eyes that lit up and flashed bright green. One of these animals, looking forlorn and forgotten in the corner of the attic, could fetch as much as $9O today. The most popular form of adult automata remains the musical box, and coming to light recently in a lot of people’s attics have been seemingly crude examples encased in tin. “They look a bit like those cases you coil tapemeasures in,” explains Hilary Kay. “The tragedy is that they are often so

nondescript that they get thrown away. If you see anything like this, look for traces of a lithographic design which might well have worn away over the years. “This was the equivalent of the modern record ‘sleeve,’ and told you what tunes were played. And, remember, the box itself does not have to work, provided the over-all condition is reasonable.” These small music boxes — low-price Christmasstocking presents — date from the 1890 s, and have been known to fetch $370. If you do have a musical box, see if it carries the mark "Nicole Freres.”

These command high prices — up to $lB5O. Automata is now a big collecting craze in the United States and throughout Europe. “The German-, are among the biggest buyers.” says Miss Kay. Hilary Kay does not apologise for reseating that would-be collectors need not worry overmuch about condition. She adds: “For goodness sake, don’t take your Mickey Mouse clock to the clockmaker or paint up the faded cover of your music box. Leave well alone, or you could ruin a potentially good sale. Any form of restoration is a job for experts.”