For more than 12 hours, bidders across the globe ignored the clock and stayed the course to bid in Milestones Jan. 13 auction, the Ohio companys first-ever toy sale to cross the million-dollar threshold. Finishing near $1.3 million, the 723-lot offering kept antique toy fans competitively engaged as they vied for rarities and prototypes. In so doing, the current strong market for quality antique and vintage toys continued its unabated run, revealing which types of toys currently hold most-favored status and which are enjoying a revival of interest. Categories that grabbed the spotlight and brought consistently high prices included robots, space toys, motorcycles, and the ingenious, sometimes humorous, tin toys of pre-WWII Japan that, in decades past, had been under appreciated and thought of as niche collectibles. The auctions top lot was something of a dark horse: an all-original and complete Exelo (Japan) battery-operated Mars Explorer space car that had been estimated at $12,000-$15,000 but ended up blazing a Red Planet trail to $42,120. Looking a bit like a 1950s/60s car of the future and manned by two astronaut passengers, the two-tone green tin vehicle was emblazoned with MARS on its sides and came with its complete and colorful pictorial box depicting a Martian landscape. Both the exotically-styled toy and its super-graphic box manifest a world of space travel as originally visualized by 20th-century Japanese artists. The amusing, sometimes bizarre, fantasies incorporated into the designs from that period in Japan are what make post-WWII Japanese space toys so irresistible to collectors. So much imagination went into the design of mid-20th century Japanese toys, said Miles King, co-owner of Milestone Auctions. You can get lost studying the art. On the Mars Explorer box alone, you might ask yourself whos inside the flying saucer that landed in the clearing, who fired the primitive rocket thats whizzing past in the sky, who paved the road on which the space car is traveling, and how much does a gallon of gas cost on Mars? Theres a lot going on, and thats what makes it such a great toy. As predicted, the top-selling robot in the sale was a fantastic 10-inch Yonezawa (Japan) windup Diamond Planet Robot, a rare variation of the largest tin robot ever made, with a silvery-blue body and red arms and ears. All original and complete with its distinctive googly eyes, an oxygen meter (on chest), and large windup key, it sold for $34,440 against an estimate of $20,000-$30,000. Only a few Diamond Planets in this color variation have ever come to market. We knew there would be competition, cited King. The all-original 38-inch prototype for Marxs Big Loo Giant Moon Robot also created a stir. The unpainted silver Big Loo had been acquired directly from the toys designer, Harry Evanoff, in 1963. It had its production numbers on its back and retained a Marx sample tag reading: 7650, Big Loo, Erie, Return to Harry E. The auction lot also included archival letters from Louis Marx about production issues and returns, and other unique documents such as a test-sample letter and a timesheet showing hours spent in development. It landed within its estimate range at $17,550. International competitors were keen on other types of space-theme pieces as well, like a Marx Flash Gordon Signal Pistol in a rare baby-blue color. All original and appearing as though it had never been played with, the early iteration of what a space explorers weapon might look like was also accompanied by its vibrant original box which bore the tagline The Screaming Flashing Signal Gun. It sold for $8,775 against an estimate of $3,000-$4,000. The formidable parade of toy motorcycles was led by a 12-inch red version of I Y Japans tin bike known by the name Friendly. A beautiful presentation with a male driver and female passenger, it was complete and in correct working order, including its ability to emit a motor noise. Three months earlier, Milestone had sold a different example of the same design, also in very nice condition, for $10,000. For the bike entered in the Jan. 13 sale, Milestone assigned a conservative estimate of $3,000-$5,000. Rarity and condition once again attracted collectors, and it rose to $19,305. There was strong overseas interest in pre-war Japanese toys, especially the rare lithographed-tin windup motorcycles. Two of the top entries were cataloged with individual estimates of $2,000-$3,000, but as time would tell, there was much more upside yet to achieve. One of the bikes was a Gun-Yo military trike motorcycle, fastidiously detailed and with a Japanese soldier driver kitted out with a gun and dagger. The other bike, a Welby trike motorcycle, exhibited a beautiful color palette and fine detailing, even down to the speckled pattern on the civilian riders shirt. Each of the bikes sold for nearly five times the high estimate, settling at $14,040. Early German toys were in demand, as well. A rare German tin single-cylinder flywheel motorcycle, 9 inches long with spoked wheels and a nicely-dressed rider figure, was in working order in spite of being well over 100 years old. Like the previously mentioned Japanese bikes, it sold for $14,040, more than twice its high estimate. From the revered German toy firm founded by Ernst Paul Lehmann, a flywheel toy known as Walking Down Broadway or, in the vernacular, Mr and Mrs Lehmann, was complete with the essential dog-on-leash figure and accessory walking cane. In excellent condition and accompanied by its original box, it was described in the auction catalog as one of the best examples Milestones specialists had ever seen. It ended its bidding run at $16,380 against an estimate of $6,000-$8,000. After the auction wrapped, Milestones co-owner Miles King commented: In our ten-year history, weve had other million-dollar-plus auctions, but this was our first auction solely devoted to toys that crossed into the seven-figure zone. It was a 12-hour marathon due to the number of Internet and phone bidders, and ended up being a very satisfying achievement for us. Both my business partner, Chris Sammet, and I have collected antique and vintage toys throughout our adult lives. We enjoy selling many types of collectibles, antique and vintage firearms, classic cars and automobilia, petroliana and other types of antique advertising, but we get a special kick out of the toys. Prices quoted in this report are inclusive of 20-percent buyers premium. To learn more, email info@milestoneauctions.com or visit www.milestoneauctions.com. All images courtesy of Milestone Auctions.