Arguably the most formidable alliance of high-level toy collections to appear in the marketplace in recent years, Bertoias 500-lot Signature Toy Auction confidently powered its way past the $2 million mark on March 15. The all-star lineup combined Part II of the renowned Curtis and Linda Smith Collection, Tony Cuffs European toys and trains, Japanese tin cars from the Ira Bernstein collection, and choice Lionel trains from the Bradley Kaplan Collection. After hammering the final lot, Bertoia Auctions president and principal auctioneer, Michael Bertoia, summarized the days highlights, The results showed what the toy-collecting hobby has always known, that great items bring great prices. Linda Smith and her late husband, Curt, were prominent in the toy-collecting fraternity and active members of the Antique Toy Collectors of America. They were known for acquiring pieces with illustrious provenance. The centerpiece was a late-19th-century Althof Bergmann Santa in a Goat Sleigh. This rarity is regarded as one of the finest pieces of American clockwork tin ever produced because of its impressive 20-inch size, bright colors, and endearing Christmas theme. The toy appears in the Barenholtz/McClintock book American Tin Toys as well as in The Toy Collector by Louis Hertz. When last seen at auction, it was hailed as the best of all known original examples. Against an estimate of $70,000-$140,000, the classic American bell toy realized $96,000. Also by Althof Bergmann, the only known complete, all-original example of a Fire Patrol Wagon displayed vivid handpainted colors and stenciled FIRE PATROL on its side. Large in scale at 16 inches long, the horse-drawn vehicle retained all five of its original firefighter figures in painted blue uniforms, yellow firemens hats and black boots. It blazed past its $6,000-$12,000 estimate to settle at $20,400. The Smith Collection was also the source of one of the finest of all George Brown toys: a clockwork version of the Civil War boat the USS Monitor. Made around 1870, roughly eight years after the original ironclad Monitor was launched, the historically-important toy offered by Bertoias was a sizable 14 inches long and had survived in an excellent state of preservation. The Monitor toys design significantly appears in the George Brown sketchbook. It sold well above its high estimate, for $34,800. The auction waters must have felt welcoming to fans of early ships and boats, as one antique craft after another set sail toward an above-estimate horizon. A gargantuan 1890s Jean Schoenner live-steam-powered ironclad ship, 34.5 inches long, reflected the style of the most advanced warships of the mid-to-late-19th century, with a large cannon on its bow and several guns on port and starboard. A top prize from the Tony Cuff Collection, the German behemoth surpassed pre-sale expectations, selling for $34,800. Ives toys put in a strong performance, with a scarce ca. 1870s double-oarsmen boat achieving $28,000 against an $8,000-$16,000 estimate. This well-documented piece is featured in both Blair Whittons reference book Clockwork Toys and the aforementioned American Antique Toys. Prior to the auction, there was a flurry of interest in a correct boxed set of four Bliss paper-over-wood battleships that pre-dated the Spanish-American War. The ships included the Cincinnati, the Iowa, the Maine, and a fourth vessel that was unmarked. The quartet came in its original cardboard box with a full pictorial label on the lid that was imprinted Toy Models of Uncle Sams Navy. In near-mint condition, it was chased to $14,400 against an estimate of $6,000-$9,000. Alongside the perhaps more-familiar production toys with a marine theme, wooden folk-art boats also grabbed their fair share of attention. A massive 53-inch-long clockwork paddle wheeler, the Robert E Lee, charmed bidders with the accuracy of its rigging, smokestacks, and railings, as well as the artistic excellence of its hand-painted details. Against an estimate of $2,000-$4,000, it cruised all the way to $18,000. The sale featured a small but select grouping of cast-iron mechanical banks, including a J & E Stevens Boy Scout bank. Extremely colorful with golden highlights to its grassy base and tepee, this popular and well-detailed banks design depicts a Boy Scout encampment. The auction example was in pristine condition, showing no touchups or repair. Importantly, the Scout figures arms were correct and authentic to the bank. With provenance from the Smith Collection, it conveyed to its new owner for $19,200 against an estimate of $6,000-$10,000. An outstanding Mason bank made by Shepard Hardware Co. was complete with its original wooden factory box marked ONE COMPLETE MASON TOY SAVINGS BANK. It took in $24,000, the highest price realized by any of the sales mechanical money boxes. A fleet of large, candy-colored 1950s/60s Japanese cars came from the collection of Broadway executive and industrial designer Ira Bernstein (1929-2023), who was hired by General Motors in 1953 as a stylist for Oldsmobile. Iras stellar Japanese cars were led by a Rock Valley tin rendition of a 1958 Chrysler New Yorker. A full 13 inches long with turquoise and pale lime-green motif, its tin seats were scrupulously lithographed to simulate red and white tufted upholstery. The pristine large-finned beauty even retained its original CH-19-58 framed license plate at its rear. Against a $1,200-$3,000 estimate, it swept the postwar toy competition, closing at $12,000. On the Lionel side of the train tracks, a big winner was the rare 1910 Knobby Roof baggage car stamped 1910, with red primer and three-rivet trucks (the underframe foundation). The 15.5 inch-long car from the Kaplan Collection rolled to a final bid of $11,400, nearly four times the high estimate. Of the many tempting European trains with provenance from Tony Cuff, a Bing (Germany) handpainted gauge 1 Sir Sam Fay 14-inch clockwork locomotive and tender fared best. In pristine condition, the historical Sir Sam Fay train loco and tender was right on par with the Lionel baggage car, commanding $11,400 against an estimate of $800-$1,200. For further information, email toys@bertoiaauctions.com or visit www.bertoiaauctions.com. All images courtesy of Bertoia Auctions.