c.1947 Marx Sparkling Mountain Climber In Original Box
Elusive clockwork tin litho "Sparkling Mountain Climber" by Marx. With provenance from the Kaufman collection this example is unsold store stock and has never been played with. I've seen only a handful of these "Mountain Climber" toys, but this one grades by far as the absolute best I've seen. The set is Near Mint+. The box is also the best and only complete, example I've seen. As part of the Kaufman collection the set comes with its original auction hang tag from Bertoia Auctions. Tracks never assembled Track sections for this set are lithoed silver on the top face and polished to a chrome-like finish on the underside. There are three types of track with two identical pieces of each type making a total of six sections. The coupler ends are also color coded silver, red, or blue. During manufacturing the identical pieces were stacked together to fit inside the box. As shown below the two identical pieces have never been separated. Two sections of all-silver track have ridges in the center. These engage the clockwork motor to rotate a cog in the underside of the train. The cog fits into the ridges allowing it to "climb" up the "mountain". Once past the ridges, the motor is disengaged and turns off automatically. It restarts when the engine advances to the next set of ridges. In this way the motor runs for a much longer prior of time than if it ran continuously. Best of all it works beautifully! Tunnel sections unused The six tunnel arcs serve as connectors to support the track at inclines or declines. Each is shaped like the letter "A" with the track connecting to the cross member. Clockwork Locomotive (4¼") & Passenger car (3½") The red and silver clockwork locomotive has a spark producing motor and separate start stop lever. A large chrome plated strip in front represents the head light and nose of the train. The wheels are pressed steel. The Mountaineer Passenger car is also tinplate with pressed steel wheel. The two units are coupled by a simple turn and lock mechanism on the rear of the locomotive. Both the Locomotive and Passenger Car come in their original paper parts bag from the Marx factory. It also comes with it's original clockwork key which is a separate part. It too still has it's original Marx bag. The Box Beautifully printed in red, blue, and yellow on a white background the front cover shows the two locomotive and passenger car starting to make their way up the incline mountain. The back of the box includes a "hand-drawn" schematic showing assembly directions and flint replacement. The box itself is a single unit with the cover and bottom sections hinged together. A double locking tuck-in tab in front neatly secures the cover. The original $2.95 price sticker is still on one of the endflaps. Date Sold: Jun. 2011 $777
Price Sold: $ 777
