Morphy’s 1,100-Lot Auction Features Rare Carousel Lion, Fortune Teller and Vintage Advertising
Morphy Auctions is bringing an unusually broad mix of antique machines, advertising pieces and Americana to Las Vegas next month, with more than 1,100 lots set to cross the block during its October 16-17 Coin-Op & Advertising Auction. Among the headliners are a massive carved carousel lion, a working Victorian-era fortune teller, a 19th-century mechanical music machine and a Campbell’s Soup sign shaped like the company’s familiar tomato soup can. Several of the top pieces carry estimates reaching $50,000 or more.
One of the most visually striking pieces is a circa-1890-1910 carved carousel lion attributed to Philadelphia’s Dentzel Carousel Company. Standing 70 inches tall on its wooden display platform, the painted lion is shown in a striding pose with its head raised, mouth open and mane deeply carved around its head and neck. Details include inset glass eyes, carved teeth and tongue. Morphy has placed a $40,000 to $60,000 estimate on the piece.
Another highlight looks like something pulled straight from an old penny arcade. The Roover Brothers “Madame Zita” fortune teller automaton once allowed customers to insert a penny and watch the elaborately dressed figure go through the process of selecting and dispensing a fortune. The machine turns its head, retrieves a fortune, moves again to drop it into a chute and operates a lever used to dispense the fortune card. Reproductions of Madame Zita exist, but Morphy notes that relatively few originals survived. The example in the auction remains operational and includes its keys. It is estimated at $30,000 to $60,000.
The auction also reaches back into the early days of mechanical music. A circa-1870 Imhof & Mulke orchestrion from Germany was originally built with a pinned barrel before being converted in the 1890s to use a Welte roll-playing system. That modification greatly expanded the music it could play. According to Morphy, the machine was used at the Philadelphia Opera Hall during the early 1900s and was later restored by Hayes McClaren. It remains operational and will be sold with a selection of music rolls. The estimate is $20,000 to $50,000.
Vintage advertising is another major part of the sale, including an eye-catching Campbell’s Soup porcelain thermometer sign shaped like a tomato soup can. The single-sided sign carries the slogan “On so many days – Soup is just the thing!” and retains a working thermometer. Morphy describes its condition as outstanding and estimates it at $15,000 to $30,000.
Also among the higher-valued pieces is an 84-inch-tall cigar store figure from the late 19th century attributed to the shop of American woodcarver Samuel Robb. The carved and painted figure holds a bundle of cigars in one hand and a large advertising shield reading “SUPERIOR QUALITY CIGARS” in the other. It carries a $35,000 to $45,000 estimate.
The full auction stretches well beyond those marquee pieces, with antique coin-operated machines, advertising, mechanical devices and other vintage material filling the two-day event. Morphy’s Coin-Op & Advertising Auction will take place October 16 and 17 at the company’s Las Vegas gallery at 4520 Arville Street. Bidding begins at 9 AM Pacific on both days, with absentee, telephone and live online bidding available in addition to bidding at the gallery.
Because some of the larger pieces are too heavy or oversized for standard shipping, Morphy says buyers of those lots will need to arrange third-party shipping or pickup. The complete auction information and bidding are available through Morphy Auctions.