You never know what will happen at an auction, and the latest case to prove that point was Milestones Winter Premier sale featuring antique toys, banks and high-quality vintage collectibles held Dec. 6. The 633-lot selection chalked up $670,000 in sales, with several pieces well surpassing expectations and one sleeper rising from its long winters nap to command a price that was a staggering 51 times its high estimate. While undeniably beautiful, the group lot consisting of 20 Victorian-era three-dimensional pop-up Christmas cards harbored additional hidden value that probably would not have been recognized except by bidders with a deep involvement in Christmas antiques, ephemera in particular. They were three-dimensional pop-ups as opposed to standard-format cards, which set them apart from the get-go. But within the small specialty collection, there were also some rare examples, which did not evade the eyes of seasoned aficionados of Christmas goods. Estimated at $200 to $400, the lot was bid to $20,400, equating to an average price of $1,020 per card. This was a classic case of crossover-shopping success, said Miles King, co-owner of Milestone Auctions. Collectors of toys, banks, pop culture items and holiday antiques are very smart about scouring auctions that arent specific to what they collect. They always have an eye out for something great that might appear in an auction that isnt focused solely on the specialty they collect. We were delighted to see how much interest there was in this lot and also to be able to deliver the good news about the selling price to the consignor. Two banks, in particular, had a big day at the sale. A rare J&E Stevens Bread Winners mechanical bank, presented in VG-Excellent condition, realized $15,000 against an estimate of $5,000 to $8,000. Amongst the still (non-mechanical) banks, an Ober (Chagrin Falls, Ohio) nickel-plated Clown with Crooked Hat bank, known to be uncommon, was graded Excellent to Near Mint and entered with an estimate of $400 to $800. It delivered an auction-day surprise, matching the Bread Winners bank dollar for dollar achieving $15,000. The bells were ringing cheerfully as nearly five dozen rare antique cast-iron bell toys paraded across the auction block. The Drummer Boy Chariot made ca. 1895 by Gong Bell (East Hampton, Conn.) showed off crisp casting and well-executed details as well as bright original paint and no cracks or repairs. In Excellent-NM condition, it sold for $12,000 against a $4,000 to $8,000 estimate. An endearing Gong Bell Mary & Her Little Lamb bell toy with no condition problems claimed a strong $9,300 against an estimate of $1,500 to $2,000, and from Gong Bells crosstown rival, N N Hill, a charming bell toy depicting early comic-strip superstars Buster Brown and Tige swept past its $1,200 to $1,500 estimate to settle confidently at $4,680. All prices quoted in this press release are inclusive of buyers premium, as detailed on Milestones website. For more information, visit www.milestoneauctions.com. All images courtesy of Milestone Auctions.