Fancy a cuddle? Horrific toys and dolls once beloved by Queen Mary are up for auction but could be too scary to handle
- The coveted set of hand carved Forest Toys are tipped to sell for £200,000
Horrific toys, dolls and teddy bears that were beloved by Queen Mary have been put up for auction.
The coveted set of hand carved Forest Toys, which were a brand beloved by Queen Mary, the wife of George V, are tipped to sell for £200,000.
However they may not have a wide appeal as some appear to be much scarier than the toys that most children will be begging their parents for this Christmas.
The lot includes a ventriloquist puppet, akin to a prop from a horror movie, which was specially commissioned for a 1978 advert for Sekonda featuring Ronnie Barker and is expected to fetch £800.
Two sets of late 19th century professional Punch and Judy puppets, which belonged to Vic Taylor, the son of a travelling magician, in the early 20th century and feature some disturbing facial expressions, are also expected to go for a combined £3,500.
Horrific toys that were beloved by Queen Mary have been put up for auction. Pictured: A ventriloquist puppet, akin to a prop from a horror movie, which is included in the set
The lot includes two sets of late 19th century professional Punch and Judy puppets, which belonged to Vic Taylor, the son of a travelling magician, in the early 20th century
This figurine of a man riding camel toy is expected to sell for £300 alone in the auction
The sale, consisting of over 1,000 lots, also includes a group of ten World War One mascot ‘soldier’ teddy bears made as good luck charms and often carried by Tommies in their pockets could make £400 each.
A possibly unique John Dennison of Leeds’ 1890s counter-top clockwork penny in slot fortune telling machine, which was initially in Blackpool Tower, is valued at £3,000, while a Queen Mary’s dolls house is estimated at £300.
Meanwhile, the ventriloquist puppet in a gold lame dress and black fishnet stockings was sold to the vendor by Paul Baker whose father had worked with Sekonda and was given the prop when filming finished.
Queen Mary picked up a Noah’s Ark set of the Forest Toys brand while browsing the British Industries Fair in 1926.
She was so taken by it that she ordered 24 sets from their factory in Brockenhurst, New Forest, Hampshire.
This prompted a worldwide surge in popularity for the toys and a shrewd factory employee kept hold of a set, along with an archive of press cuttings.
A version of the Noah’s Ark set, which has been passed down generations of the family, is now tipped to fetch £7,000 at Special Auction Services, of Newbury, Berkshire.
This ventriloquist puppet, which was specially commissioned for a 1978 advert for Sekonda featuring Ronnie Barker, is expected to fetch £800
It was sold to the vendor by Paul Baker whose father had worked with Sekonda and was given the prop when filming finished.
These two figures of a collie dog and a farm horse are expected to fetch more than £100 each
A figure of a farm girl with bucket and goose (right) is expected to sell for £200 while the red deer stag and doe set (left) is expected to sell for whopping £400
These elephant and giraffe figures are expected to fetch £400 each
he auction includes these rare early 20th century Stollwerck Bros novelty chocolates, featuring a train set and a violin and bow
This press book archive from the Forest Toys company, starting in 1931, featuring original photographs of their 1922 models, a Circus supplied the HM the Queen and many other product photos is expected to sell for £1,500
A Special Auction Services spokesperson said: ‘After Queen Mary ordered two dozen of the Noah’s Ark set, the toys grew in popularity locally, nationally, and internationally with the factory receiving visitors from all over the world.
‘They were carved out of pine imported from North America via the Southampton docks and were made to scale to reflect the true proportions of the people and animals being made.’
Daniel Agnew, teddy bear and doll specialist at Special Auction Services, added: ‘This auction is full of the most amazing toys, dolls and teddy bears from the last 200 years, when items were made to last and were beautifully crafted, it’s a nostalgic peek into the past, as people gear up to the Christmas season.’
The sale takes place on December 6.
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