Renowned Robot and Space Toy Collection to be Sold by Smith House
Published February 16th, 2008
In the world of 20th century antique toy collecting, robots are among the crown jewels. And in the world of robots, toy collector and author Robert Lesser is considered royalty.
This spring, Lesser’s 30-year collection of the greatest and most desired robots and space toys – which have spent most of the last seven years in museum exhibitions in New York and Chicago – will be sold by Smith House Toy & Auction Company. The phone and online auction will open for bidding April 24 and end May 9. A live preview, by appointment only, will be held in mid-April.
Topping the list of more than 200 pieces will be the toy field’s finest robots, many with their extraordinary original boxes. Among them are the series of large, battery-operated mechanical men made by Masudaya in the 1950s. It was Lesser who coined the description “Gang of Five” for the Sonic Robot, Radicon Robot, Non-Stop “Lavender” Robot, Target Robot, and the scarcest of the group, Machine Man. The Machine Man in this auction was the first example of the toy to emerge in North America.
The Lesser collection was displayed at the Brooklyn Museum of Art in November 2000 through February 2001, and was viewed by thousands of visitors each day. They then moved to the Chicago Museum of Science and Industry, where they were exhibited from November 2001 to January 2002, and again from June 2005 until September 2007, when they were shipped to Smith House Toy & Auction Company.
Every piece comes with that extraordinary provenance: all are museum-quality toys once owned by one of the most prominent collectors in the world.
The Robert Lesser Robot and Space Toy auction will open for bidding on April 24 and close on May 9. Catalogs will be mailed in mid-April; to order a copy, send a check or money order for $35 U.S./$45 foreign to Smith House Toy & Auction Company, P.O. Box 129, Telford, Pa., 18969. A live preview of the Lesser collection will be held April 18 through 20 at the Inn At Towamencin Best Western in Kulpsville, Pa. Previews are by appointment only. To reserve a time, call 215-721-1389 or e-mail smithhousetoys@comcast.net.
Smith House Toy & Auction Company has been dealing in fine toys and nostalgia since 1986. Craig Thompson expanded the bidding to the Internet in 2004, but has retained the personal service for which Smith House has always been known. Smith House is looking for consignments for future auctions, whether it is one quality item or an entire collection. For information, contact Thompson at 215-721-1389, or e-mail smithhousetoys@comcast.net.
