“Motorcycle makers cutting staff and product lines as sales plunge - Los Angeles Times” plus 4 more

Motorcycle makers cutting staff and product lines as sales plunge - Los Angeles Times
Women take a seat in Transportation Hall of Fame - KJCT8
N.Y. woman honored for her drive - Washington Times
Car Calendar - sign on sandiego.com
Bertoia's Nov. 13-15 Holiday Toy Trimmings Sale captures spirit of ... - LIVE AUCTIONEERS

Motorcycle makers cutting staff and product lines as sales plunge - Los Angeles Times

Posted: 24 Oct 2009 05:39 AM PDT

A year ago, it looked as if fuel-sipping motorcycles might be the option for motorists facing increasing gas prices. This year, little seems to be working for bike makers.

Sales of motorcycles plummeted 37.3% in the third quarter from the same period a year earlier, with the biggest drops coming in cruisers and sport bikes, two of the industry's biggest product lines, according to the Motorcycle Industry Council. Sales of scooters, which were gaining a year ago, also have fallen sharply.

The council, which doesn't release revenue figures of the mostly privately held member manufacturers, said overall sales of bikes fell to 136,876 in the quarter from 218,242 in the previous year's quarter.

The only bright spot was that sales were dropping at a slower pace: The number of bikes sold in the second quarter fell 53.5% from the same period a year earlier. Historically, the second and third quarters are strongest for the industry because the weather is warm throughout the country and buyers are gearing up to ride.

Industry leaders tried to put a good face on the numbers, saying the sales climate was "challenging" or "tough." But they also called it "painful."

"Every category is down, and it keeps going down," said analyst Don Brown of Irvine. "It's not the old, 'Let's get out there and sell more' that works anymore. . . . People just don't have the money."

Despite a federal stimulus that allows new bike buyers to write off the sales tax, companies are cutting staff and other expenses.

Last week, publicly held Harley-Davidson Inc. reported an 84% drop in quarterly earnings to $26.5 million. The company said it was getting out of the sport bike business, shutting down the longtime Buell line and selling its MV Agusta operation, a high-end Italian brand it bought last year.

Already this year, the Milwaukee manufacturer joined the likes of Honda, Kawasaki, Yamaha, Suzuki and Victory in laying off employees, reducing production and lowering prices to help dealers shrink swollen inventories.

Even high-end motorcycles have been hit. Confederate Motor Co., the Alabama maker of the $92,000 Wraith, expects to sell 30 bikes this year, down from 37 last year, company founder Matt Chambers said.

His affluent clients aren't as affected by the economy, he said, but with the deep recession, "it was very fashionable to not be buying a high-end luxury product like ours."

Many manufacturers have introduced programs to add value to their products.

Twice in the last year, for instance, Harley-Davidson operated a "ride free" program, which allowed buyers of new Sportsters to get credit for the original retail price of the bikes on trade-ins for more expensive models. Yamaha Motor Co. introduced its Pro Yamaha initiative, directing dealers to be more informed about products and follow up with customers to ensure that they were happy.

Ducati North America, which has seen a 30% quarterly drop in sales, began giving its customers one year of free scheduled maintenance. And Victory Motorcycles, which suffered a 56% decline in sales in the July-to-September period, began offering a five-year warranty to show "significant confidence to buyers," said Mark Blackwell, Victory's vice president.

"We haven't laid everybody off. We haven't totally stopped advertising. We've kept up the product development because we're positioning this business for when the market stabilizes and grows," he said.

Blackwell predicted that the market wouldn't begin to stabilize until at least next spring and that growth wouldn't come until later.

Harley-Davidson and Victory Motorcycles, a division of Polaris in Minnesota, hope to stem U.S. losses, in part, by growing overseas sales. Harley is pursuing emerging markets such as India and China; Victory is going after Europe, where motorcycle sales haven't fallen as much as in the U.S.

For 14 years, through 2006, U.S. motorcycle sales had increased every year. Sales started to drop in 2007, but still topped the 1-million mark.

Last year, as gasoline prices pushed toward $5 per gallon, fuel-efficient two-wheelers got a boost. Despite the worsening economy, street bike sales were down only 3.3% for the year, and scooters had their best year ever, posting a 41.5% gain from the previous year, the Motorcycle Industry Council said.

"Last year, with gas prices, we could sell scooters without a whole lot of work," said Kevin Andrews, Vespa's North American brand manager. "With the economy, we're talking about operational cost."

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Women take a seat in Transportation Hall of Fame - KJCT8

Posted: 24 Oct 2009 04:20 AM PDT

By CAROLYN THOMPSON
Associated Press Writer

BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) - Bad roads, bad weather, flat tires, breakdowns. A lot of Alice Ramsey's challenges during her New York City-to-San Francisco drive could be any traveler's.

In 1909, though, and before any other woman had made such a trip, others were uniquely hers. Like when she was stopped by a posse of men on horseback who were tracking a murderer, or frightened by Indians in Nebraska, until finding they were just hunting jackrabbits. And long before GPS, there were driving guides with landmarks like "yellow house and barn" to steer her along.

One hundred years after spending 41 days behind the wheel to become the first woman to drive across the continent, Ramsey will take a permanent place in a new hall of fame dedicated to women in transportation.

Ramsey, who told her story in the 1961 book, "Veil, Duster and Tire Iron" and died in1983, will be honored posthumously at a ceremony in Buffalo Friday. Other inductees into the new National Transportation Women's Hall of Fame include a Seattle woman, Emily Anderson, who retraced Ramsey's historic journey in a 1909 Maxwell this spring.

The hall of fame will be housed inside the Buffalo Transportation/Pierce-Arrow Museum, which has a collection of antique and classic vehicles ranging from Pierce-Arrows - luxury cars made in Buffalo through the 1930s - to carriages, motorcycles and bicycles from the 19th and 20th centuries.

"We started to research to find out what is there in the United States that depicts women and what their accomplishments have been in transportation, and there is none," said James Sandoro, the museum's founder and president.

With the museum and its strong women's exhibit already in place, they decided to establish a permanent exhibit that will depict women in different forms of transportation, not just automobiles, Sandoro said.

"This is such an honor and I am proud to be a part of it," said Lauren Fix, a race car driver and host of "Talk 2 DIY Automotive," a television auto repair show.

Fix, who lives in Depew, near Buffalo, joins Ramsey in the first class of inductees. Others are Marguerite Hambleton, president of the AAA in New York state; Donna Luh, a former Buffalo Niagara International Airport project coordinator; and former Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority Commissioner Mary Martino.

The Buffalo Transportation/Pierce-Arrow Museum is undergoing a $15 million expansion, which will include construction of a Frank Lloyd Wright-designed filling station. Wright designed the station with overhead, gravity-fed tanks for the former Tydol Oil company in Buffalo in 1927 but it was never built. Sandoro secured the rights to build a non-working version of the structure several years ago.

___

On theNet:

Buffalo Transportation/Pierce-Arrow Museum: www.pierce-arrow.com

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N.Y. woman honored for her drive - Washington Times

Posted: 24 Oct 2009 03:01 AM PDT

By Carolyn Thompson ASSOCIATED PRESS

BUFFALO, N.Y. | Bad roads, bad weather, flat tires, breakdowns. A lot of Alice Ramsey's challenges during her New York City-to-San Francisco drive could be any traveler's.

In 1909, though, before any other woman had made such a trip, such challenges were uniquely hers. Like when she was stopped by a posse of men on horseback who were tracking a murderer, or frightened by Indians in Nebraska, though they were just hunting jackrabbits. And long before GPS, there were only driving guides with landmarks like "yellow house and barn" to steer her along.

Ramsey, who told her story in the 1961 book, "Veil, Duster and Tire Iron" and died in 1983, was honored posthumously at a ceremony in Buffalo Friday. Other inductees into the new National Transportation Women's Hall of Fame include a Seattle woman, Emily Anderson, who retraced Ramsey's historic journeyin a 1909 Maxwell this spring.

"This is such an honor and I am proud to be a part of it," said Lauren Fix, a race car driver and host of "Talk 2 DIY Automotive," a television auto repair show.

Miss Fix, who lives in Depew, near Buffalo, joins Ramsey in the first class of inductees. Others are Marguerite Hambleton, president of the AAA in New York state; Donna Luh, a former Buffalo Niagara International Airport project coordinator; and former Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority Commissioner Mary Martino.

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Car Calendar - sign on sandiego.com

Posted: 24 Oct 2009 01:57 AM PDT

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2:00 a.m. October 24, 2009

THIS WEEKEND

Today Auto Product Recycling, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., Public Utilities Operations Center, 5571 Kearny Villa Road; sponsored by the city of San Diego and the California Integrated Waste Management Board. San Diego residents only, proof required; no business waste accepted. Items accepted include used motor oil, oil filters, auto batteries and antifreeze. Information: (858) 694-7000.

UPCOMING

Oct. 31: San Diego Region Porsche Club Concours d'Elegance, 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., Spanish Landing Park, next to the marina. Information: Steve Lopez (619) 787-3290.

Oct. 31: "Biker's Guide to Business" book signing, 1 to 3 p.m., North County House of Motorcycles, 1725 Hacienda Drive, Vista. Meet author Dwain DeVille who has compiled decades of business experience with a lifetime of riding motorcycles for the book. He's working on another book and would like to talk with other bike-riding entrepreneurs. Information: nchouseofmotorcycles.com or e-mail DeVille at Navigator@BikersGuidetoBusiness.com

Nov. 6-8: Bronco Daze '09, Palm Canyon Resort and Hotel, Borrego Springs. Off-road runs, drawings, reunions and more. Information: earlybronco.com or e-mail bdaze09@earlybronco.com .

Nov. 7: Second annual Classic Thunderbird Club Toys for Tots Drive at Kearny Pearson Ford, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Kearny Pearson Ford, 7303 Clairemont Mesa Blvd. Presented by the Classic Thunderbird Club of San Diego, the show is expected to have about 50 cars on view, the majority of which will be from 1955-57, with a few "square" `Birds from 1958-59 and a few retro `Birds. Bring a new, unwrapped toy for donation. Information: David (619) 787-8843.

Nov. 7: Second annual SoCalROC Show and Toy Drive, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Datsun Heritage Museum, 41610 Date St., Murrieta 92562. Sponsored by the Southern California Datsun Roadster Owners Club, the show will feature Datsuns 1983 and older, vendors, drawings, food and music. Show registration $15 and an unwrapped toy with a value of at least $10. Vehicle judging will be by race driver John Morton and SpeedTV personality Jamie Howe. Information: e-mail socalroc@gmail.com or www.socalroc.net . Nov. 7: Fifth annual Lost Lizard Fun Run, Ocotillo Wells State Vehicular Recreation Area, state Hwy. 78, north of the Blu-In, east of San Felipe Wash. Presented by the San Diego Off-Road Coalition, the run is open to all four-wheel-drive vehicles, cycles, buggies and ATVs. The main route will be family friendly, but some less experienced riders may find it difficult. There will be five checkpoints with games and tickets for opportunity drawings. Proceeds will benefit the general fund of the SDORC. Information and preregistration: sdorc.org .

Nov. 8: Seventh annual Super Indoor Custom Car Show, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., San Diego Convention Center, Harbor Drive. With 150,000 square feet of exhibit space, this show gathers a wide range of customized show vehicles, including motorcycles, hot rods, trucks, lowrider cars and vintage American vehicles. Admission $20 in advance, $25 day of show. Information: supercustomcarshow.com or (619) 284 2600.

Nov. 21: Auto Product Recycling, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., Balboa Park, parking lot at Park Boulevard and Presidents Way; sponsored by the city of San Diego and the California Integrated Waste Management Board. (San Diego residents only and no business waste will be accepted.) Items accepted will be used motor oil, oil filters, batteries and antifreeze. Information: (858) 694-7000.

Dec. 12: Auto Product Recycling, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., Montgomery High School, 3250 Palm Ave. at Hawaii, San Diego; sponsored by the city of San Diego and the California Integrated Waste Management Board. (San Diego residents only and no business waste will be accepted.) Items accepted will be used motor oil, oil filters, batteries and antifreeze. Information: (858) 694-7000.

Dec 12: Monday Nite Car Club Toys for Tots Show & Shine, 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., Albertson's shopping center, Alpine. Entry fee is one new, unwrapped toy. No trophies, just camaraderie. All toys will be donated to children of deployed military personnel. Information: (619) 440-6168.Jan. 1 Second annual New Year's Day Drive, presented by Sports Cars and Classics. Entry $55 per person, which includes lunch and goodie bag. Limited to 40 cars. Information: e-mail alfaracer72@gmail.com or (619) 913-1516.

Jan. 23: Auto Product Recycling, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., Mission Bay South Shores parking lot, east of Sea World Drive; sponsored by the city of San Diego and the California Integrated Waste Management Board. (San Diego residents only and no business waste will be accepted.) Items accepted will be used motor oil, oil filters, batteries and antifreeze. Information: (858) 694-7000.

Feb. 20-21: Lakeside Off-Road Days, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Lakeside Rodeo Grounds, 12584 Mapleview St. The event will feature off-road vendors, clubs, racing organizations and OHV land agencies. Also featured will be motorcycle and lawn-mower racing in the arena, children's zone and food. Information: sdorc.org and (858) 822-8274.

CRUISE NIGHTS

Cruisin' Coco's, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. every third Sunday of the month, Coco's Restaurant, Rancho Bernardo Plaza, 16759 Bernardo Center Drive. Information: Coco's, (858) 485-9419, or Ken Owen, (858) 774-3898.

Monday Night Car Club, 6:30 p.m. Tuesdays, VFW Hall, 12650 Lindo Lane, next to Lindo Lake Park, Lakeside. Information: (619) 440-6168.

Chicken Pie Diner Cruise Night, 6 to 8 p.m., Wednesdays through October, 14727 Pomerado Road, Poway, in the Wells Fargo Bank parking lot. Information: (858) 748-2445.

Ramona Cruise, 3 to 8 p.m., Saturdays, 600 block of Main Street, Old Town Ramona, and the parking lot at Sixth and Main streets next to Ramona Mainstage. Continues through October. The cruise highlights hot rods, customs, muscle cars and special-interest vehicles.

Clairemont Neighborhood Cruisers Saturday Night Invite Cruise, 5 to 8 p.m. every fourth Saturday of the month through September, Clairemont Town Square, Clairemont Mesa and Clairemont Drive (next to Outback Steakhouse). The cruise features vehicles from 1976 and older. Information: (858) 573-9285; cncsd.org ; or e-mail CNC-SD@san.rr.com .

East County Cruisers, 6:30 p.m. Tuesdays, Tyler's Taste of Texas Barbecue, 576 N. Second St., El Cajon. Information: (619) 312-0129 or eastcountycruisers.com.

Classic Malt Shop, 6 to 9 p.m. Fridays, 3615 Midway Drive, Loma Portal. Cars from the 1950s and older. Information: (619) 226-1600.

Fallbrook Rods & Relics, 7 to 9 a.m. Saturdays, Sunrize Cafe, River Village, state Route 76 at Mission Road, Bonsall. Information: (760) 723-4020.

Great Autos of Yesteryear, gay-friendly club for owners and those who appreciate vintage autos. Cruise nights and times vary. Check Web site for details: Greatautos.org .

Siggy's Car Cruise, 3 to 6 p.m. second Saturday of the month, 26820 Jefferson Ave., Murrieta. Free entry; trophies awarded. Information: (951) 830-7010 or (951) 316-9927.

Dalton's Roadhouse, noon to 4 p.m., first Sunday, 775 Center Drive, San Marcos. (760) 746-8340.

RADIO

"You Auto Know," hosted by Dave Stall, 3 to 5 p.m. Saturdays, KCBQ AM 1170. Call in: (888) 344-1170.

"So-Cal Off-Road Radio," hosted by Dave Stall, noon to 2 p.m. Sundays, KCBQ AM 1170. Call in: (888) 344-1170.

"Click & Clack," Tom and Ray Magliozzi, 10 to 11 a.m. Saturdays on KPBS-FM 89.5; repeated 1 to 2 p.m. Sundays.

"The Car Show," with Art Gould and John Retsek, 9 to 10 a.m. Saturdays, KPFK-FM 90.7 (Los Angeles) or listen online at kpfk.org .

ONGOING

Miramar Speed Circuit, 8123 Miralani Drive, off Miramar Road. Indoor kart racing with Sodi karts and 6.5-horsepower Honda engines on a 1,500-foot asphalt track. For adults at least 54 inches tall. Junior classes for children at least 48 inches tall use slightly de-powered engines.

Hours: 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday; 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday, 11 a.m. to midnight Friday, 10 a.m. to midnight Saturday; and 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday.

Pricing: Adult and youth races $23; members $18. Information: (858) 586-7500 or miramarspeedcircuit.com .

K1 Speed Karting, 6212 Corte Del Abeto, Carlsbad, off Palomar Airport Road near Legoland California. Italian electric Pro Karts with roll hoop, racing harness and a reverse gear on a 2,000-foot-long asphalt track; helmets and other gear are provided. Corporate groups encouraged.

Arrive and drive: $25 for nonmembers; lunch-hour special: $20 nonmembers, Monday-Friday, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Hours: 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday; 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday; 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday; 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. Saturday; 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday. Information: k1speed.com .

Horseless Carriage Foundation Library, 8186 Center St., La Mesa. For automobile research and restoration. Open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Friday. Information: hcfi.org , (619) 464-0301 or e-mail research@hcfi.org .

San Diego Automotive Museum, Balboa Park; open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily; last admission at 4:30 p.m. Admission: $8, seniors (65 and older) and active-duty military with ID $6, students with ID $5, children ages 6-15 $4.

Automobiles, motorcycles and memorabilia take visitors through automotive history. The core collection includes more than 80 vehicles.

Speakers are available for a fee at the museum or at your facility. Programs last about 30 minutes. Information: Kenn Colclasure, (619) 231-2886, or www.sdautomuseum.org

Simpson's Garden Town Nursery and Auto Barns, 13925 state Route 94, Jamul; 8:30 a.m. to 4:50 p.m. Wednesday through Monday, closed Tuesday. More than 70 restored or customized cars and trucks in two barns, ranging from Model A's and T's, through the 1930s and 1940s to muscle cars of the 1960s and 1970s. The nursery grounds include more classics and travel trailers. Free. Information: (619) 669-1977 or simpsonsnursery.com .

J.A. Cooley Museum, 4233 Park Blvd., North Park, off El Cajon Boulevard.

The museum specializes in early years of automotive history and features 24 cars in original condition, including an 1895 Benz, a 1903 curved-dash Oldsmobile, 1907 International, 1910 Hudson, 1910 Russell, 1913 Oakland, 1904 DeDion, 1936 Cord and three early Cadillacs.

Admission: $2 to $5. Hours: Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sunday, noon to 4 p.m. Guided tours for three or more people are available. Information: (619) 296-3112.

Motor Transport Museum, 31949 state Route 94, Campo, about a mile from the railroad museum. Open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturdays. This old-truck museum is loaded with weather-worn hulks of sleeper-cab tractors, heavy equipment, light trucks and more dating to 1912.

The main building contains about a dozen restored trucks, including a Diamond T, Federal, Mack and Autocar.

Admission is free, donations accepted. Take Interstate 8 to Buckman Springs Road, south to state Route 94, turn left and go a half-mile to the museum, on the right. Information: (619) 478-2492 or (619) 233-9707.

The San Diego Collection, 7215 El Cajon Blvd. Open 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday; 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Sunday; closed Mondays; free admission.

About 25 vehicles on view (some are for sale). Information: (619) 667-3136; Web site: thesandiegocollection.com .

Petersen Automotive Museum, 6060 Wilshire Blvd. at Fairfax Avenue, Los Angeles. The museum has more than 150 vehicles on view, ranging from motorcycles, race cars, hot rods, customs and trucks to specialty vehicles and special displays.

Museum hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesdays through Sundays. Admission: $10; seniors and students with ID $5; ages 5 to 12 $3. Parking: $2 per 30 minutes, $8 maximum with paid admission for up to four hours. Information: (323) 930-CARS or petersen.org .

NHRA Motorsports Museum, 1101 W. McKinley Ave., Pomona. Presented by the Automobile Club of Southern California. The museum is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday.

About 60 cars are on view. An array of photographs and memorabilia chronicle more than 50 years of U.S. motor sports.

Admission: NHRA members free; nonmembers $5; seniors 60 and older and juniors 6 to 15 $3; younger than 5 free. Information: (909) 622-2133 and nhra.com/museum. E-mail calendar items to carcalendar@uniontrib.com .

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Bertoia's Nov. 13-15 Holiday Toy Trimmings Sale captures spirit of ... - LIVE AUCTIONEERS

Posted: 23 Oct 2009 11:24 AM PDT

Pratt & Letchworth 4-seat cast-iron brake, 27 inches long, with seven seated figures. Estimate $18,000-$22,000. Image courtesy Bertoia Auctions.

VINELAND, N.J. - The Bertoia family has taken great pleasure in welcoming a global community of bidders to its ongoing series of sales featuring the Donald Kaufman collection, and they've kept that international approach in mind during the planning stages of their 2,100-lot Holiday Toy Trimmings sale, scheduled for Nov. 13-15, 2009. Bidding will be possible via the Internet from anywhere in the world through LiveAuctioneers.com.

"We have equally strong selections of American and European toys to offer bidders, as well as some Japanese rarities," said Bertoia Auctions associate Rich Bertoia. "While we keep the standard high for things we accept from consignors, not everything in the sale is necessarily a high-dollar item. We like to go after things that are interesting, and this sale is loaded with interesting things."

The opening day's session could easily qualify for the title of "Cast-iron Friday." In the horse-drawn cast iron, there will be autos, busses, motorcycles, farm toys and fire toys. The category also includes a Carpenter Tally-Ho and engine house, and a private collector's early Pratt & Letchworth 4-seat brake and hose reel/ladder wagon in pristine condition.

Moving into the motorized cast iron, specialty pieces include a Kilgore TAT airplane and a Hubley Sea Horse boat. A gem of a construction vehicle, a Hubley bright red and green Truk Cement Mixer, "walked through the door on its own," Rich said.

A special attraction of the Nov. 13 session is the entire Dick Ford Air-Flow toy car collection spanning cast iron, pressed steel, tin and celluloid, and as a special bonus, Dick's actual full-size, mint condition1934 Chrysler Air-Flow automobile, one of very few known in an all-original state.

Part two of the Dick Sheppard still bank collection features many rare, hand-painted buildings, such as a slanted-roof variation of the Old South Church bank. Cast-iron mechanical banks include a Darktown Battery, Coin Registering, Jonah and the Whale, and a 6-part Trick Dog bank.

Figural cast-iron doorstops are a hallmark of any Bertoia sale because of company owner Jeanne Bertoia's expertise in the category. The 100+ cast-iron figural doorstops offered include a pristine Giraffe, Taylor & Cook designs, a Little Red Riding Hood, Girl Kicking Flowers, Bradley & Hubbard Huck Finn, and a Popeye in near-mint condition.

Friday concludes with early American toys, highlighted by Althof Bergmann's Bicyclist and Carousel; an Ives Creeping Baby in white, an Ives Creeping Monkey, a Stevens 1883 Chicken pull toy and a boxed E.R. Morrison Walking Man. Ives walkers include: black man (boxed), Santa, "Chinaman," and "Walking Jackass."

Next up will be a band of Ives drummers and other toys, including a Double Dancer, Revolving Mule Dancer with Clowns, and a series of dancing characters on wood bases: Punch and Judy, Irish dancers, jiggers and The Giant. Other American toys include paper litho over wood stables, small butcher shops and other buildings; and 200+ boxed games apportioned into 30 lots.

Saturday's session opens with German zeppelins, airplanes, very early monoplanes, a "pusher" seaplane, and a fleet of hot air balloons - one with a parachutist and one with a daredevil figure. The Continental group continues with a charming Vielmetter Clown Artist, a little boy calculating on a chalkboard, a few Gunthermanns, and a boxed 1900 French moving sidewalk with people standing around it.

Those seeking European autos will not be disappointed with highlights such as the largest-size Gunthermann Gordon Bennet racer, a boxed 20-inch Gunthermann Bluebird racer and beautiful foot-long Bing four-seat tourer in a striking orange color.

Automotive stars from Japan include an Ashi 1962 Chrysler Imperial in black, which is joined by an Ichiko red and white Lincoln 4-door hardtop with box and a 1954 Chevy 2-door made by Marusan for Linemar.

The Saturday session will take to the water with a diverse fleet of boats, tin ships, battleships, cabin cruisers and destroyers. The extremely rare Rock & Graner Furst Bismarck to be auctioned is the actual example in Richard Claus' book The Allure of Toy Ships. Among the other rarities are a circa-1870s Buckman (American) paddle wheeler and a boxed Ives steam launch in pristine to near-mint condition. The latter toy is accompanied by its original box, which identifies it as "The Neptune."

The rest of the day presents buying opportunities in many categories: premium buttons, advertising signs, Schoenhuts, a wonderful selection of skittles, composition-on-wood platform animal toys, dolls and teddies, and a nice grouping of clockwork-driven platform toys, including a Descamps boxed rabbit in cabbage, Roullet et Descamps' mechanical kitten in teapot, and Vichy's Le Picador, which has a box marked "Exposition Universelle, Paris, 1878."

Sunday's session is devoted entirely to Christmas antiques and will include hundreds of glass and cotton ornaments, and the largest group of Dresdens ever offered by Bertoia's. A series of coveted belsnickels is led by a magnificent 20-inch-tall Pennsylvania German bearded belsnickel, all original and with numerous trinkets resembling Christmas cracker toys affixed to its beautiful period outfit. On its foot is an original label with the name and address of a Philadelphia toy company - Partridge & Richardson, North 8th Street - which burned down in 1905.

Many more Christmas collectibles will be available, including stockings, lights, stands, small candy containers, celluloid pieces, and an associated group of Christmas-theme tin sandpails. Halloween items include a rare clockwork witch toy. The event will close with 100 uncataloged, excellent-quality box lots, each containing choice items.

For questions about any item in the sale, call Bertoia's at 856-692-1881 or e-mail This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . To view the fully illustrated catalog and sign up to bid absentee or live via the Internet, log on to www.LiveAuctioneers.com.

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