In September 2020, Soulis Auctions of suburban Kansas City, Mo., knocked down record prices at their headline-making sale of the Richard and Valerie Tucker collection of carnival shooting gallery targets. The collection was notable for two reasons: it was widely considered among the finest of its type, and it triumphed in spite of being sold in the midst of the pandemic. Offered alongside premier folk art, weathervanes, primitives and quirky handmade objects, the arcade targets found a niche in which to reside. In so doing, they added a vibrant finishing touch to a formula Soulis would refine in subsequent termed Mid-Americana Gallery Auctions, the next of which is slated for Sunday, Dec. 10. The pre-Christmas lineup includes several of the previously mentioned categories. The only way to uncover all of its hidden treasure is by browsing the catalog from cover to cover, which can be easily accomplished online through Soulis website or a choice of three bidding platforms. The main auction categories are folk, tramp, outsider and Native American art, along with weathervanes, textiles, country furniture and accessories in old paint, and, of course, an enviable selection of fresh-to-market figural shooting gallery targets. The most unusual target is essentially a 49-inch-tall nave artwork on sheet metal that depicts a lady lion tamer standing face to face with a rampant lion. Made ca. 1890, the impressive oversize target is probably of English or Continental European origin and has a clever mechanical action. A successful shot to the bulls-eye causes the ladys arm to lower and the lions jaw to open, revealing fearsome upper and lower teeth. Its estimate is $5,000-$10,000. Another top highlight is a scarce 1930s sheet-iron shooting gallery target that depicts a Cowboy Gunfighter. Although unattributed, it is similar to a model made by William F. Mangels of Coney Island. With old park paint in red, white, yellow and blue, the Old West figures attractive, naturally-achieved surface texture is uniquely its own after years of impact from countless lead bullets. It stands 41.5 inches tall, inclusive of display support, and comes to auction with a $6,000-$9,000 estimate. Also noteworthy, an early 20th-century Pancho Villa cast-iron target is attributed to Emil Hoffman of Chicago, Ill., and was illustrated and described in the companys ca. 1912 catalogs as Mexican Head-Illuminated Eye Target. Villa escaped from prison and fled to El Paso on Christmas Day in 1912, so the timelines between his notoriety and the targets time of manufacture appear to be in close parallel to one another. Despite the catalog description, the auction example was not constructed to illuminate. Its eye openings are backed by a circular iron gong that rings if a shot passes through an eyehole. Other key targets include a never-before-seen painted-iron Fishing Boy; a rack of seven excellent iron Native American knockdown target figures; and several by C W Parker: a Whippet, Decorated Pony with Rider, and a rare variation, a brass-plated Deer with a relief red heart to its flank, which serves as the target. A selection of antique weathervanes is led by a J.W. Fiske (attributed) copper vane replicating the legendary harness-racing horse St. Julien, King of the Trotters. The horse is shown running at full speed, with his celebrated real-life trainer and driver Orrin A. Hikok at the reins. The scene portrayed by the vane is very similar to one that was immortalized in a ca. 1880 Currier & Ives print, an example of which is held in the Library of Commerces 1880s lithograph collection. Also at the forefront of the weathervanes is a Cushing & White copper vane depicting a full-bodied dairy cow. Its original gilt finish is largely intact with naturally-occurring verdigris highlights. A second copper dairy cow vane, attributed to Harris & Sons (Boston, Mass.), is expected to make $5,000-$7,000, while a signed, ca. 1860 A. L. Jewell weathervane created as a likeness of the popular American fast-trotter Ethan Allen will be riding with the herd, carrying a pre-sale estimate of $3,000-$5,000. The equine theme continues with a very fine iron-spoked pull toy fashioned as a top-hatted man riding an articulated horse with a dog running alongside them. The toy was exhibited at The Museum of American Folk Art, the Brooklyn Museum, and New-York Historical Society. It is also a reference-book example and was formerly in the Kahn Collection, as noted on the cloth tag affixed to its underside. The estimate will be $2,000-$4,000. Another important piece is the rare mid-19th-century carved and painted pine whirligig crafted in the form of a gentleman wearing a top hat. The mans suit consists of a coat with tails, brownish-red trousers, and a mustard-colored waistcoat. Affixed to a sheet-metal vane, it stands 28.5 inches high and 17.5 inches long, and will be estimated at $3,000-$4,000. Soulis Sunday, Dec. 10, Mid-Americana Gallery Auction will commence at noon CT/1pm ET. The gallery is located at 529 W. Lone Jack Lees Summit Road in Lone Jack (suburban Kansas City), Mo. All forms of remote bidding will be available, including live via the internet through LiveAuctioneers, Invaluable or Bidsquare. To learn more, call 816-697-3830 or visit www.soulisauctions.com. All images courtesy of Soulis Auctions.