Toy & Doll

With an International reputation in Toys & Dolls, Morphy Auctions has the pleasure of selling some of the best collections of toys to ever hit the market. Whether you collect marbles, trains, robots, figural cast iron or tin toys, we have an expert to handle every part of your collection.

Tom Sage, Jr. is the Head of the Toy Division and joined forces with Dan Morphy in 2004 to establish Morphy Auctions. Tommy is well known in the industry for his expertise in toys, trains and sports memorabilia. His primary duties are to gather consignments, provide catalog descriptions and to represent Morphy Auctions at various shows around the world. Tommy grew up in the antiques trade and attended his first show with his father at the age of six, started selling trains at the age of 12 and ran his first antique shop in the Poconos at the age of 16. It’s not surprising that the younger Sage was attracted to the antiques trade at an early age. He recalls, “I was exposed to the business through my father, a long-time dealer, and was able to learn what collectors wanted, how to find it, and who to sell it to.” In the 1980s, Tommy relocated to the Adamstown, Pa., area to continue his pursuit of the antiques business. He is now an integral part of Morphy Auctions and brings vast knowledge and experience to the forefront of the company’s daily operations.

Mechanical & Still Banks

For centuries, mechanical and still banks have been a toy produced to help educate children on saving money. A still bank is is a money box designed to store coins. A mechanical bank is a toy bank in which a coin is deposited by a mechanical process that is usually activated by pushing a lever.

Dan Morphy has been collecting mechanical and still banks for 30 years. He grew up in a family of avid collectors, with his parents constantly encouraging the appreciation of antiques in the home and fostering a love of collecting among their children. Dan Morphy wrote and published The Official Price Guide to Mechanical Banks which provides an in-depth guide to collecting mechanical banks and is known as the #1 mechanical bank reference book. Dan’s book also provides information and references for identifying fakes and reproductions, how to detect repairs and restoration, grading and how to build a mechanical bank collection.  This book can be purchased through Morphy Auctions for $100 .

Also in 2007, Morphy Auctions sold the Stephen Steckbeck Mechanical Bank Collection for a world-record $7.7 million. Active member of Mechanical & Still Bank Collectors Club.

Dolls & Bears

Jay Lowe joined Morphy Auctions team as the Head of the Doll Division in 2015 as a result of Morphy’s purchase of James D. Julia’s Antique Toy, Doll, Coin-operated Machine and Advertising Division. While at Julia’s, Jay was responsible for some of Julia’s most successful doll and toy sales events over the past decade. Jay specializes in the identification and valuation of antique dolls and related materials, but is also a nationally recognized expert on trains, coin-operated machines, and advertising. He has over 45+ years professional experience in the toy trade, beginning as a youngster in 1968 when he started focusing on fine vintage trains. His interests grew to include coin-operated machines in 1971 and antique dolls in 1981. Jay was fortunate to learn firsthand from many old time, legendary collectors and dealers who today are considered pillars of the vintage toy industry. Jay is an active and veteran member of several well-known professional toy societies, including United Federation of Doll Clubs, National Antique Doll Dealers Association, Train Collectors of America, Schoenhut Club, Antique Toy Collectors of America, and Coin Operated Collectors Association. He was a guest appraiser on season 15 of the iconic PBS “Antiques Roadshow” TV program. Jay and his team of six experts are committed to growing Morphy’s Doll Division into the preeminent and most respected auction choice for buyers and sellers from all over the world, and to helping customers reach their collecting or deaccessioning objectives.

Figural Cast Iron

John & Nancy Smith joined Morphy Auctions in the spring of 2004 as our figural cast iron consultants. As widely recognized authorities on doorstops and figural cast iron, they provide the catalog descriptions on much of the figural cast iron offered in sales conducted by Morphy Auctions.