As predicted, the day’s top lot was the auction catalog’s cover piece, a magnificent
1904 Ferris Wheel made by the revered German firm Marklin. One of only three or four of its type known to exist, it was likely the nicest of that elite handful of survivors, retaining its six original gondolas, attractive stained glass, and original figures. It had passed down through the family of a gentleman who had worked for a Brooklyn department store and received the toy when the business closed down sometime before World War I. Sage purchased the Ferris Wheel at Sotheby’s in 1994 and, according to his son, toy authority Tommy Sage Jr, he thought so highly of it, he displayed it in his bedroom. Its unusually complete provenance conveyed with the toy in the form of paperwork, copies of circa-1910 photos of its then-owner (a relative of the original owner) holding the Ferris Wheel; and Sage’s 1994 Sotheby’s tag and receipt.
It ended its bidding run at a buoyant $156,000.
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