Models, Toys, Dolls & Games

A medieval walrus ivory gaming piece, recently found by a Gorringe’s valuer in a sock drawer, comes for sale in Lewes on October 8. As part of the Interiors & Decorative Arts Sale it has an estimate of £10,000-15,000

Such is the size of the ‘museum of collectables’ formed by the British toy designer Patrick Rylands, Hansons (26.5% buyer’s premium) in Derbyshire is selling the array in five separate auctions.

Sometime c.1900, a craftsman or accomplished amateur spent a lot of time building or converting a 6ft 7in (2m) cupboard into a fully fitted dolls’ house.

Bumper collection of the 18th century creations sold at auction 42 years ago re-emerges in south London

It was on March 1, 1849 that Nathaniel Cook, the editor of the Illustrated London News, registered the design that would provide the ancient and cosmopolitan game of chess with its first standardised set.

The importance of an original box in good condition to the value of a toy is well known. But what about a display without any toy in sight, box or no box?

This rare 1880s Jean Roullet ‘Le Berger Watteau’ shepherdess with lamb automaton starred when the second part of one of the largest doll collections on offer in recent times went under the hammer.

Thousands of items are available to buy from dealers online. Here we pick out one that caught our eye this week.

Toy specialist Lankes (25% buyer’s premium) in Döhlau, Germany auctioned the extensive inventory of the private museum in Prague belonging to Ivan Steiger, who is equally well-known as a caricaturist and a collector of toys.

Snappy the Happy Bubble Blowing Dragon is a scarce battery-operated toy made by Marx in Japan in the 1960s.

Canadian saleroom offers 180 lots from group amassed by a big fan of the German toymaker