Collection Of Bud And Judy Newman To Cross The Block On April 23
Antique Game Boards To Highlight Sale
By Noel Barrett - April 16, 2021
There are two types of collectors. Many come to the hobby later in life, often by happenstance: meeting another collector and acquiring the contagion or seeing an object that speaks to them somehow. Others are born, perhaps with some sort of recessive gene, and they begin as children when something sparks an interest. Bud Newman is in the born group; in the third grade he fell victim to the allure of stamp collecting, and the collecting never stopped, only the categories changed. Later in life, with his wife, Judy, early Pennsylvania furniture fell into one of their had to have categories, then onto American folk art including painted childrens sleds and decorated stoneware. Collecting board games came to Bud through his business, Newman & Co., a major force in paper recycling and cardboard manufacturing. The company was started by his grandfather in 1918. Among the major buyers of Newmans specialty cardboard were game and toymakers, including Parker Brothers, Milton Bradley and Selchow & Righter. Seeing what they were producing with his product, combined with Buds interest in things of Americas past, it was only a matter of time before he discovered the magic of late 19th and early 20th century board games. Their appeal is two-fold, as they are early masterpieces of graphics and color lithography, and they have much to tell us of our American past. I first encountered Bud Newman in 1992, when I had the honor of offering at auction the collection of the pioneer game collector Herb Siegel. That sale was a watershed event for vintage game collecting, as well as in the personal journey of Bud in his quest for these playthings of the past. Buds collection includes about 30 pieces from the Siegel auction. Our upcoming Friday, April 23, sale is the first installment of his amazing collection, and it includes some of the earliest manufactured games, from the linen-backed lithographed paper games of the 1820s right up to the early baseball and football games of the late 19th and early 20th century. Its the largest grouping of brightly colored lithographed games by makers such as McLoughlin, Parker Brothers, Bliss and Singer. Highlights include McLoughlins 1883 Bulls and Bears, a holy grail piece for game collectors. It brings to life the eras stock market shenanigans of Jay Gould and Cornelius Vanderbilt. Many games in the collection have crossover appeal. The McLoughlin masterpiece Yellow Kid Ten Pins, is as sought after by game collectors as by enthusiasts of comic character items. Outcaults Yellow Kid is considered the first American comic strip, and this game offers 10 kids in all. The collection of sports games also appeals to two different collector constituencies. The highlight in this category is the astoundingly rare Zimmers Baseball Game; the colorful lithographed paper playing field displays portraits of 18 baseball players of that era, with Buck Ewing and Amos Rule as catcher and pitcher among others in the dugout, including Cy Young. The color lithography is by the incomparable McLoughlin Brothers. It is a grail piece for game as well as sports devotees, with only 10 believed to have survived. Buds collection is primarily games but also includes toys and puzzles made by some of the game makers. Along with almost 275 items from the game and toy collection, we will also be offering almost 200 pieces from Bud and Judys American folk art collection, including painted childrens sleds, New Hope impressionist paintings, decorated stoneware, paint decorated furniture, needlework samplers, and more. The auction will start at 9 a.m. at Pook & Pooks gallery in Downingtown, Pa. To schedule a preview appointment, call 610-269-4040. For questions regarding condition or requests for additional photographs, email conditions@pookandpook.com. Online bidding will be available on Bidsquare.com, Invaluable.com, and LiveAuctioneers.com. For additional information, visit www.pookandpook.com. The second installment of the Newman toy and game collection will be featured in our Dec. 3 Antique Toy Auction.
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