JMK Shows is very honored to announce that Bertoia Auctions of Vineland, NJ, will be showcasing a world-class exhibit of museum-quality antique toys at the March 8th and 9th  Atlantic City Antiques Show. Regarded world-wide as the premier auction house and experts in antique toys and banks, this exhibit is being personally curated by owner and co-founder Jeanne Bertoia with many of the amazing pieces coming from her personal collection as well as other prominent private collections. The opportunity to view these “works of art in toys” will be a once in a lifetime chance for many.

In conversations with both Rich and Jeanne Bertoia, the passion and extensive knowledge they possess for this genre of antiques is both infectious and inspiring. “Antique toys, particularly the very finest examples from the 19th and early 20th centuries, are a journey through American history through the eyes of the children at that time.”

Among the important and historic examples that will be in the exhibit titled “Antique Toys — A Retrospective,” will be an extremely rare circa 1902 Marklin Ferris Wheel (PHOTO 1). Coming from the private collection of Jeanne Bertoia, this particular toy features six (6) exquisitely carved and painted gondolas and center box with musical movement.

Between the years of 1890 and 1930, this German toy manufacturer was considered the best in the world. They employed the best designers, painters and even engineers to create toys that were owned by the very wealthy and/or the very royal.

Also from Jeanne Bertoia’s private collection will be an absolutely charming very rare blue-robed Father Christmas (PHOTO 2) which was actually a store window display in a German shop in the 1890s. This work of art stands 29 inches and the tree limb is actually made of feathers which have survived in exquisite condition these many years.

From a private collection, a set of three Dent oversized fire toys (PHOTO 2) truly are a glimpse into the culture and history of America at the time. Originally founded in 1894 as The Dent Hardware Company, in 1898, Henry Dent, a man of vision and innovation, began creating the finest cast-iron toys ever made. Known also for their extremely large size, measuring between 23” and 33”, these three examples are the largest horse-drawn examples of this kind. Each toy is an exact replica of the horse-drawn fire equipment that  was used.

Rounding this exhibit will be several fine examples of pre-WWII American toys as well as a grouping of character toys from the 1920s through the 1940’s. There will also be cast iron mechanical banks, a particular specialty of Bertoia. These mechanical banks, while classified as toys at the time, were actually educational for the children as a tool to learn about money and saving it.

Finishing the exhibit will be American tin toys from the turn of the century and toy trains from the early 20th century.

The March 2014 Atlantic City Antiques Show is going “Back to the Boardwalk,” being held at the Trump Taj Mahal. Not only is this a venue befitting the exceptional antiques, fine art and collectibles that will be offered by the exhibitors, it is also the perfect venue to showcase this museum-class exhibit of some of the rarest and finest antique toys in the world.

The Atlantic City Antiques Show is produced by JMK Events. The Trump Taj Mahal is located at 1000 Boardwalk in Atlantic City, NJ. Show hours are Saturday, March 8th, 10 a.m to 6 p.m. (Early buying available Saturday, 9am to 10am) and Sunday, March 9th, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information, please contact Allison Kohler at JMK Shows and Events, 6 Pilgrim Drive, Succasunna, New Jersey 07876; (973) 927-2794 or cell (973) 224-2797; or visit www.jmkshows.com.