When we were little we totally wanted to have a train set that went around our house like Ricky Shroder had on Silver Spoons. We mention this because it was all we could think about when we saw that Sotheby's is currently getting ready to auction off a mammoth 35,000 piece toy collection. According to the auction house it is "the largest and most comprehensive collection of magnificent quality European and American toys and trains ever assembled."
The Jerni Collection (as it is called) is being sold off by Jerry Greene, who spent the last 50 years putting it all together. Though collecting has been his "abiding passion" he felt it was "now time for everyone to enjoy and appreciate these wonderful objects. I hope they bring as much joy to others as they have brought to me.” We're sure the money he hopes to make on the sale wasn't a factor at all.
According to Sotheby's the pieces in the collection—about 20% of which are on view until the end of the month—are all from roughly 1850-1940 and "form an encyclopedic collection of toys and trains from every major European and American manufacturer operating during this period." We're talking everything from replicas of train stations and bridges to villages, carousels and Ferris wheels. But it doesn't appear there are any model trains large enough for us to ride...
And now, because if it is stuck in our heads it might as well be stuck in yours, the theme song from Silver Spoons:
