Robots and space guns were unstoppable at Morphy’s $1.5 million Toys & Collectibles Auction
Circa-1881 H.L. Judd Co., Seek Him Frisk cast-iron mechanical bank from a 30+ year collection. In excellent working order and one of the finest original examples known. Sold within estimate for $52,800Boxed Machine Man Robot found in attic, one of few known examples, commanded $84,000DENVER, Pa. – It was playday but it was also payday for those hoping to acquire rare robots and space guns at Morphy’s August 9-10 Toys & Collectibles Auction. The sale took in $1.5 million, with big-ticket items that included a boxed Machine Man Robot, a whimsical Electroman Robot, and an Italian robot-man gumball machine that prompted ferocious bidding before landing at six times its high estimate.“The toy market is very strong, and we saw that at this sale, especially with the robots, space guns, model kits and playsets,” said Tommy Sage, Head of Morphy’s toy division. “Overseas bidders were competitive, as they always are, but in the end, it was American bidders who ended up with the top pieces. The ‘win, place and show’ robots are all staying in the USA.” To no one’s surprise, a boxed example of perhaps the most coveted of all robots, a Machine Man from Masudaya’s “Gang of Five” ambled away with the sale’s blue ribbon. The big 15½-inch tin space toy – bright red with blue, yellow and black accents and a gearbox visual on its chest – was made in Japan around 1960. It is one of very few known, and of those, even fewer retain their colorful original boxes.“This particular robot was consigned by its original owner, who found it in their attic,” Sage said. “It sat in a dry location, undisturbed, for over sixty years, waiting to be discovered. We sold it near the top of its estimate range, for $84,000.”Another fresh-to-the-market find, an extremely rare SY