Weiss Auctions' Two-day, Online-only Toy & Train Auction Grosses $400,000; Trains Do Especially Well

By Author: Philip Weiss
Total Articles: 762
Comment this article

An exceedingly rare American Flyer G. Fox & Co. S gauge toy boxcar train, from a very limited production set made in 1946, chugged off for $18,975 in Day 2 of a two-day, online-only Toy & Train auction held August 11th and 12th by Weiss Auctions, based in Lynbrook. The boxcar was the top lot in an auction that grossed $400,000 and set record prices.

“What is normally an off-month for us turned into a two-day gangbuster sale, with record prices realized in all areas of toy trains,” said Philip Weiss, the owner of Weiss Auctions. “There were 498 lots of trains in total, and all 498 sold, most for above estimate and some even multiple times the estimate. Toys did well, too, but trains right now are so hot we have more auctions planned.”

The American Flyer G. Fox & Co. boxcar is one of the most desired trains a collector can own. The price realized for the one sold was a new record. “It’s the Holy Grail for American Flyer collectors for sure, and the winning bidder had been trying to get one for the last thirty years,” Weiss said. “It was a respectable example, Tuscan painted on white ...
... mold with nice lettering.”

The toy train auction featured Part 2 of Frank Pisani's wonderful American Flyer S gauge collection (including the G. Fox boxcar), a six-foot dealer poster, three- and five-digit NP passenger sets, later being boxed, nice five-digit boxcars and reefers and many diesel and steam sets. Also sold were many nice S gauge accessories from the Neil Padron estate.

Following are additional highlights from the trains auction. All prices include the buyer’s premium. Internet bidding was provided by LiveAuctioneers.com and Proxibid.com.

What is believed to be the rare, handmade factory production of Lionel’s 1805 Land, Sea and Air Attack set, used as cover art for the 1959 advanced catalog, made $8,700. Also, a Lionel 6557 reverse number train car, dark chocolate brown with a white smoking stack, just the second one Weiss Auctions has ever seen, the chassis unrun, finished at $4,680.

A scarce, boxed Lionel 9U electric boxcar, standard gauge, second issue kit version, fully assembled and with the original steam-type wheels, plus the remaining pieces to a Bild-A-Loco motor, realized $4,440; and a nicely boxed 1939 Lionel 763E semi-scale Hudson, clean and shiny with strong lettering and a 2263W Vanderbilt oil tender, rose to $3,480.

The Day 1 toys auction featured Part 1 of the Jack and Maurice Manoil collection from the Manoil toy archives; Part 1 of a super collection of 175 Russian St. Petersburg soldiers; and many boxed tin toys, battery ops, and pre-war pressed steel vehicles and trucks by Buddy L, Metal Craft, Keystone and Marx, from the Tony Bifano collection.

Also offered was Part 1 of an incredible Hess truck collection, all in the original boxes; over 50 mint-on-card GI Joes, TMNT, Mego Star Trek and WGSH, Transformers, MASK, He-Man and Silverhawk; and a collection of Marx playsets, in the original boxes.

Other sets included Robin Hood, Alaska, Medieval Castle Fort, Cape Canaveral, Tom Corbett's Space Academy and others. model kits including a 1950's Holy Grail space kit "Revell XSL-01 Manned Space Ship", plus many other Revell aircraft carrier kits, baby boomer toys, games and more. In all, over 400 lots came up for bid in the toys auction.

What would have been one of the star lots of the toys auction actually came up for bid on train day. It was the hard-to-find, boxed AC Gilbert 1951 Atomic Energy Lab, an iconic Cold War-era toy and the first one Weiss Auctions has ever handled. The huge set was packed in a suitcase-style box, all major and minor components appearing intact ($3,600).

A highly coveted by collectors 1982 mint-on-card GI Joe Commando Snake Eyes, 9 Back, series 1 / version 1 action figure by Hasbro, never removed from the card, went for $7,200. Also, a sealed, never-opened, never-played Marx 4658 Battle of the Blue & Gray Civil War-themed playset, including figures for Lincoln, Grant and Lee, garnered $4,080.

Tops among the Hess trucks were a vintage 1969 Hess “Woodbridge” tanker truck with the original box, made by Marx in Hong Kong, battery-operated, with all decals present ($4,200); and a 1966 Hess Tanker Voyager Ship prototype with the original box, super rare, a prototype that would become the second issue piece of the Hess toy line ($3,600).

Weiss Auctions’ next online auction is slated for Wednesday, Sept. 22nd, and will feature Comics, Comic Art, Sports, Disneyana and more. Highlights will include a copy of All American #16 (graded 4.0), plus many graded/ungraded Golden, Silver and Modern Age comic books; and the first Tom Seaver signed team ball and team photo with provenance.

Also featured will be a great selection of graded and ungraded sports cards; more comic art from the estate of Joe Kubert; a just-uncovered Nick Cardy Jimmy Olsen #161 cover, more Golden Age art from the Baily archive; high-end Disney bronzes, porcelains and animation art, with more being added daily. The next sale after this will be held Oct. 6th.

For more information about Weiss Auctions and the firm’s calendar of upcoming auctions, visit www.WeissAuctions.com. Updates are posted often.

About Weiss Auctions:
Weiss Auctions is always accepting quality consignments for future auctions. To consign an item, estate or a collection, you may call them at (516) 594-0731; or, you can send an e-mail to Philip Weiss at Phil@WeissAuctions.com. For more information about Weiss Auctions and the firm’s calendar of upcoming auctions, visit www.WeissAuctions.com.