Notice of a Blind Auction to be closed on 31st October 2024
In the early 1920s, Alf Smith was making and selling wooden toys at his Fancy Goods Store. This was one of Montville’s first ventures into the tourist market. Fifty years later, the Toymakers and Craft Centre, was part of an Arts and Crafts boom that attracted tourists to Montville from all over. Owners, Paul and Sutira Sykes, renewed Montville’s reputation for toymaking. Today, the Blackall Range Woodcrafters Guild (Woodies) make, sell and donate to charity 100s of wooden toys every year. Toymaking has been a part of Montville’s creative history for over a century.
The Montville History Group (MHG) has been bequeathed a 4foot x 3foot metal sign advertising the Toymakers and Craft Centre in the 1970s. As the MHG does not have a museum function, it has decided to offer the sign for auction. It believes this sign could feature in a studio or workshop or be an historic feature on a wall of any of our older, historic houses, holiday rentals or tourist orientated businesses.
The MHG decided on a Blind Auction, because it believes that this way the market will determine the value of this historic piece of memorabilia. Interested bidders have until midnight on the 31st October to make a bid. All bids will remain confidential and the winning bid will be notified on 1st November. Bids can be submitted by mail; Montville History Group, PO Box 5, Montville, 4560 or by email; montvillehistorygroup1@gmail.com .
Doug Patterson
Secretary MHG