1918 Herschell-Spillman 32’ American Carousel For Sale

A beautiful Herschell-Spillman carousel made in 1918 is to be auctioned for the price of $250,000 to $500,000. This carousel or merry-go-round is believed to have been operated on weekends at Florida’s Big Top Market, for around ten years. It has been restored and repaired by its owner, and is currently in working order.

Vintage American carousel from 1918

On this vintage American carousel are sixteen antique Alan Herschelle jumping horses, all made from wood. These wooden horses were all made in the early 20th century, 1920 to be exact. There are also six jumping baby-sized cartoon figures, two spinning tubs, two carved chariots and two animals abreast with 14 sweeps.

A spinning tub in the Herschelle-Spillman carousel

The whole vintage American carousel is decorated with about 550 brightly-coloured lights. This Herschell-Spillman merry-go-round carousel is one of the most attractive collectibles in the Staluppi Collection. It is estimated to collect between $250,000 and $500,000, when it is auctioned.

Antique wooden horse made by Alan Herschelle

What do you think of this beautiful vintage Herschell-Spillman American carousel? Would you like to take a ride on it?

Rare Antique 1887 British Coin For $250,000

A rare gold coin featuring the head of Queen Victoria, has been estimated to be worth $250,000. This rare collector’s coin dates back to 1887, which was the last year when the ‘young head’ design of Queen Victoria was engraved on the gold coins. It is a one crown coin.

This engraving of the ‘young head’ was based on a design made by coin engraver William Wyon, when Queen Victoria had just ascended to the throne. It shows her as a young monarch, without a crown.

Photo of the Rare Queen Victoria Great Britain Crown

This rare Queen Victoria coin will be auctioned at Heritage Auction’s Ancient and World Coin Signature Auction, which is scheduled to be held on the 6th and 7th January in New York, USA. If it sells for its estimated price of $250,000, this rare British coin will become one of the most expensive coins in the world.

The main reason why this Queen Victoria coin is valued so high is because it is in pristine almost-new condition. It has a strong reflective lustre, rich reddish tones, and does not have any abrasions or any bruising around the edges. This is exactly what coin collectors look for when they want to purchase coins, especially at auctions.

On this rare vintage coin is an engraving of Queen Victoria, with her hair tied in two fillets, and ending in a ponytail. There are no ornaments or jewelry of any kind in her hair. Below the portrait of the Queen is a flat six-pointed star. On the back of the coin is the Order of the Garter crest, with its crowned lion, unicorn and bowed wreath.

What do you think of this rare antique Queen Victoria coin? Do you collect rare coins like this, which would be of numismatic value to coin collectors?

Mickey Mouse Poster Auctioned For $100,000

Mickey Mouse is one of the most popular Disney cartoon characters, which is why a Mickey Mouse poster dating to 1928 fetched a price of $100,000 at an auction. The character of Mickey Mouse was created by Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks in 1928, and soon appeared in a few silent cartoons, which unfortunately remained undistributed.

Of course, later on, the Mickey Mouse cartoon character became very famous. With its trademark large yellow shoes and red shorts, Mickey Mouse appeared in more than 130 films, and even became the first cartoon character to have its own star on the famous Hollywood Walk of Fame. I remember watching quite a lot of Mickey Mouse cartoons as a child.

Auction of Rare Vintage Mickey Mouse Poster

Items related to Mickey Mouse are highly prized collector’s items, and the owners of this rare vintage Mickey Mouse poster are sure to have realised that, when their old Mickey Mouse poster advertisement was bought for $100,000 at an auction.

The vintage Mickey Mouse poster

This rare Mickey Mouse movie poster dates back to 1928, and was discovered by the family of a deceased poster collector, in his home in Chico in Northern California. On this poster, is a smiling Mickey Mouse with his hands raised upwards, announcing a ‘Mickey Mouse sound cartoon’. There are also slogans on the poster proclaiming Mickey Mouse as ‘The World’s Funniest Cartoon Character’, and the film as ‘A Sensation in Sound and Synchrony’.

The auction of this rare vintage Mickey Mouse poster was done by Heritage Auctions. Said to be an important piece of pop-culture treasure, this rare Mickey Mouse cartoon poster ad was purchased by an anonymous collector in Dallas, Texas for $101,575.

What do you think of the sale of this vintage Mickey Mouse item? Do you have anything like it in your home that you would like to auction?

Rare Vintage Apple Computer Auctioned For $640,000

A rare vintage Apple 1 computer, which was made in 1976, has been sold for the massive price of $640,000. The Apple 1 computers are some of the first computers in the world, and were developed by Steve Wozniak and Steve Jobs in Silicon Valley in 1976. Only 200 of these computers were produced, and they were the first ready-made personal computers that were available for people to buy.

Motherboard, keyboard and monitor of Apple I vintage computer

Of these 200 vintage Apple 1 personal computers, only 43 are believed to have stood the test of time and survived. Only six of these 43 units are in working condition. One of these operational Apple 1 computers was auctioned for $374,500 (twice its estimated price) at a Sotheby’s sale in New York. It is believed that after the death of Steve Jobs, the value of vintage Apple computers have increased immensely.

Monitor of old vintage Apple I computer unit

This is why when another vintage Apple I computer in working order was put up for auction in Germany, it broke all records and garnered a huge $630,000. This auction was held by Team Breker in Cologne, Germany. The vintage Apple computer unit in question was one of the original personal computers created by Apple in 1976 for the masses.

Sanyo monitor of vintage Apple I computer

Compared to other vintage computers, this computer had all its original peripherals, including the transformer, a Panasonic 2102 cassette record, a Sony monitor and a Datanetics ASCII keyboard. It also had a re-printed version of the original Apple I manual and a schematic diagram signed by Steve Wozniak (Apple co-founder). It was actually this manual and schematic diagram that helped the auction house collect $430,000 more than the computer’s original estimated cost of $200,000.

What do you think of the sale of this rare vintage Apple I computer? Do you have any old rare gadgets in your home? Don’t throw them away; they may be worth something some day!

World’s Most Expensive Toy Air Plane - Auctioned For £10,000

A toy air plane, dating back to 1941, was auctioned for the majestic price of £10,000 (or US $15,969), to become the most expensive toy air-plane in the world. This auction was held at Bonham’s in the United Kingdom, and also included the auction and sale of other World War 2 items, like the German Enigma coding machine.

Vintage British toy airplane

This 70-year old tin toy airplane is a camouflaged monoplane, which was one of three original toy monoplanes made by W.Britain, a leading toy manufacturer in Great Britain. This small tin monoplane was found in a loft, at a home in Bristol, wrapped in newspaper that dated back to Second World War times.

In 1941, when the Second World War began, the city of Bristol became the fifth most heavily bombed British city, mainly because of the presence of the Bristol Aeroplane Company and the Bristol Harbour. These installations were considered a good bombing target by the German Luftwaffe (war planes), and routinely faced a heavy blitz of bombs.

Toy air-plane in mint condition

It is believed that in 1941, the young owner of the tin toy airplane died without being able to play with it, which is why the toy is in mint condition. The toy continued to remain in the loft, untouched for the next 70 years, and is still packaged in the original box it came in. The original cost of the toy airplane was 9s 6d, and it had been bought from the Gyles Brothers toyshop in Bristol.

At the Bonham’s auction, the toy air plane was purchased by an American collector, who bid £10,000, to make it one of the most expensive toy airplanes in the world.

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Indian Chief Joseph’s Costly Poncho Shirt

Chief Joseph was the American Indian leader of the famous Nez Perce tribe. His real name was Hinmatuyalatkekt (pronounced as Hin-mah-too-yah-lat-kekt), but he was known to the local citizenry as Chief Joseph. Items owned by this popular Native American chief are very popular with art collectors all around the world, and in July 2012, a poncho shirt owned by him was sold for a whopping $877,500.

This poncho shirt belonging to Chief Joseph is made of two soft skins, and has beautiful beadwork in bright colours, with bold geometric designs along the shoulders. It is also considered to be an important Indian artefact. Chief Joseph’s colourful poncho shirt was estimated at $800,000, and had been put up for auction at the Coeur d’Alene Art Sale, held annually in Reno.

Who was Chief Joseph of the Nez Perce Tribe?

Indian Chief Joseph was a peacemaker and humanitarian of the late nineteenth century. He became famous for his principled struggle against the removal of his Wallowa band, and his resistance towards moving the Nez Perce tribe to an Idaho reservation. The poncho shirt that was auctioned off in Reno is the very same poncho shirt, which Chief Joseph wore in an 1877 photograph, and while posing for a portrait in 1878.

In fact, the finished portrait painted by artist Cyrenius Hall, can still be viewed at the Smithsonian Institution, the largest museum and research complex in the world. This painting shows Indian Chief Joseph, striking a majestic pose in his traditional poncho shirt. It was painted a short time after the Native American Chief led around 750 members of his Nez Pearce tribe, over an unsuccessful 1,700 mile journey from Oregon to Montana, in the hope of reaching Canada.

He believed that this life-journey would help prevent the forceful removal of his band, and the ‘non-treaty’ movement of the Nez Perce tribe to a reservation in the state of Idaho. He took with him about 500 women and children. However, he was stopped by United States troops in 1877, when he was just 40 miles south of the Canadian border, and made to surrender. After the historic surrender of Chief Joseph, he made the famous statement, “From where the sun now stands, I will fight no more forever”.

The painting of Indian Chief Joseph in his famous poncho shirt was also used for a United States postage stamp. Before the auction of the shirt for $877,500 at Reno, it had garnered $482,500 at the Sotheby’s American Indian Art sale in May 2012.

George III Or Moulu Bejeweled Musical Elephant Clock

This magnificent elephant-shaped clock was sold for a stupendous US $2,491,610 during the Sotheby’s Treasures Princely Taste auction held in London in July 2012. Signed by Peter Torckler, this magnificent bejewelled clock was made in 1780, and is called the George III Paste-Set Or Moulu Musical Automation Clock. Or moulu is a French word that means ground or pounded gold. This musical elephant clock was originally estimated to fetch around $1,547,997, but ended up collecting about a million dollars more. According to sources, it has been bought by a rich art collector from Asia.

Created in the late eighteenth century, the elephant clock is believed to have been acquired by Nassir al Din Shah Qajar, the Shah of Persia in London, in the 1890s. Hence, the musical elephant clock is also known as the Shah of Persia’s Ormolu Elephant Automation Clock. The Shah of Persia was a talented painter, a poet, an artist, and a patron of the art of photography. He was known for his love for art and beauty, and would have been impressed by the magnificence of the bejewelled elephant clock.

Features of the Or-moulu Gold Bejeweled Musical Elephant Clock

The musical clock shows an Asian elephant, with a canopy-covered howdah on its back. Inside the howdah is a small statue of Atlas, with hands supporting an armillary sphere over his head. Over the canopy-covered howdah, is a foliate and painted finial, which is holding up a bejeweled Catherine wheel that rotates. On the top of this Catherine wheel is a small pineapple.

The elephant in the George III Or-moulu Gold Musical Clock is cased in two sections, and encloses one movement. It rests over a finely carved rockwork base, with artistic flowers and rosettes covering the winding apertures. The elephant on the clock displays four mechanical movements every three hours, which run at the same time. This is in addition to the spinning jeweled section on the finial, the movement of the wheels, and the bending of the glass ‘waterfall’ rods and windmills on the clock’s base.

This bejewelled golden elephant musical clock is typical of the fascinating pieces of art that were designed by British craftsmen in the late nineteenth century. Such art pieces were usually destined for the Chinese market, and were promoted by the East India Company as a means for reducing the trade deficit between China and Britain. With the sale of this bejewelled elephant musical clock for around 2.5 million dollars, it is obvious that such rare pieces of art are well liked by art collectors.

Auction of Moët and Chandon’s Grand Vintage 1911

French champagne house Moët and Chandon auctioned off the last coffret of its 100-year old Grand Vintage 1911 champagne for US $187,280 or €150,000. This auction took place at the 19th annual amfAR Gala, which was held during the 65th Cannes Film Festival in France. Over the years, Moët and Chandon has been associated with some of the most prestigious Hollywood events, and some of the most legendary film stars. The proceeds from the sale of the Grand Vintage 1911 coffret of the luxury champagne brand will go towards a lifesaving AIDS research charity.

The star-studded amfAR Gala has always been one of the most eagerly awaited events of the Cannes Film Festival, with top international stars in attendance. The auction of the 100-year old Grand Vintage 1911 coffret was held at the Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc in Cannes, at a glittering party. Hosted by Moët & Chandon, the party saw the presence of many international celebrities, such as Kylie Minogue, Karl Lagerfeld, Diane Kruger, Adrien Brody, Berenice Bejo and Michel Hazanavicius.

Moët and Chandon’s Grand Vintage 1911 Champagne

The final coffret of Grand Vintage 1911 champagne was presented in a total of 600 limited edition champagne bottles, packed in exquisite leather cases. According to champagne connoisseurs, this vintage wine evokes light and clarity with remarkable quality and depth. It has a beautiful golden yellow colour, with a candied fruits and a mellow bouquet fragrant with brioche: a velvety and perfectly balanced structure. Here is a photo of one of the leather cases containing six bottles of Moet and Chandon’s Grand Vintage 1911 champagne.

In recent years, French champagne maker Moët & Chandon has held a total of 11 auctions in famous world cities, which include Paris, Melbourne, London, Beijing, Moscow and Toronto. The proceeds collected from each of these champagne auctions were donated to a local charitable auction, such as the AIDS research charity in Cannes. It has been more than 270 years since people have begun using Moët & Chandon’s sparkling champagnes to celebrate life’s glorious occasions with grandeur.

World’s Most Expensive Car is Vintage 1962 Ferrari GTO

Built for Sir Stirling Craufurd Moss (British racing driver), this apple-green 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO, is one of only 39 pieces that were ever produced. Today, this Ferrari has become the most expensive car in the world, when it was sold for a whopping $35 million, in a private transaction.

In 2011, another vintage Ferrari was listed as the world’s most expensive car. It was a 1963 GTO 250, which sold for $32 million in Britain. This year, the 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO with its artistically crafted machinery has shattered all previous auction records, with its almost unbelievable sale price of $35 million.

The vintage Ferrari had been listed amongst high-end sales on Anamera.com, an excusive website for dealers of classic cars. It was sold by Eric Heerema, a Dutch-born businessman (who owns the Nyetimber Vineyard in Sussex, UK), to US based telecommunications magnate Craig McCaw, who recently listed his private island near Vancouver in Canada for sale.

Previously, Eric Heerema had acquired the rare 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO from a Japanese vintage car collector named Yoshiho Matsuda, more than ten years ago. He had bought it for a comparatively low price of $8.5 million.

About the 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO

Considered the ‘most desirable Ferrari’ by many vintage car collectors, the 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO was crafted for Sir Sterling Moss in 1962, to compete at various Grand-Touring car races, like the Le Mans 24-Hour race. Unfortunately, a bad car crash in 1962, left Sir Moss paralysed on the left side for six months, and ended his racing career. Later on, Sir Moss’s British team-mate Innes Ireland raced the 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO at the Le Mans 1962, where it was finally retired. Soon after, the Ferrari entered the expensive world of private car collectors.

While the 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO may not have participated in any car race after the Le Mans 1962, it has certainly won the race of the most expensive car in the world. It has been noticed that vintage car collectors usually prefer Ferraris as an investment car. In fact, over the last few years, a good number of the most expensive classic cars sold were Ferraris. This includes a 1957 Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa that sold for $16.39 million, and a 1957 Ferrari 625 TRC Spider that recently sold for $6.5 million.

What do you think of the world's most expensive car? Were you expecting something else?