De-accessioned from the inventory of the ill-fated Middle Passage Museum (see museum history below), this very unusual and atypical, 19th century, estate document is offered for sale, the purpose of which was to itemize and execute a division of property from the estate of the deceased, southern plantation owner. This document was purchased in the 1960s by one of the founders of the Middle Passage Museum from a descendant of this Sumter County, Georgia, plantation owner...

Measuring 12.25 inches long x 8 inches in width, this two-sided, 19th century estate document listing all of the worldly goods of LEWIS MATTAIR is de-accessioned from the inventory of the ill-fated Middle Passage Museum (see museum history below)...

Having conceived of the revolutionary idea of a lithographed, molded-mask doll face in 1901, New Yorker, Albert Bruckner applied for and was awarded the patent for his idea that same year. All Bruckner dolls were then stamped, "PAT'D JULY 8th 1901" on the lower right neck edge.

From 1901-1924, Bruckner produced this original, 12" Topsy Turvy doll for Horsman's Babyland Rag Doll line that features Caucasian, "Betty", on one end and African American, "Topsy", on the other...

Measuring 17 inches long, this delightful, folk-art styled, cloth, black Mammy doll was made circa 1920's.

Detailing in construction sets this mammy doll apart! Her creation was very carefully executed through a combination of hand and machine stitching. Mammy was lovingly dressed in clothing made from old, red, black, and white-patterned handkerchiefs, while both her body and her interesting pair of black pantaloons were constructed of old, black stockings...

Measuring 1 3/4 inches in diameter x 3/8 of an inch high, this circa 1920’s, dexterity game puzzle depicts a fancily dressed and top-hatted black man! Likely German-made, the puzzle is without markings. Vibrant color and detailing! The puzzle contains 4 tiny white balls, that with the proper manual dexterity, are to be placed in the gent’s mouth, eyes and bow tie!

Constructed of tin with a cardboard lithographed image and a glass cover, this game is backed with its original mirror...

Measuring 1 7/8 inches in diameter x 1/4 of an inch high, this seldom-found, circa 1920’s, dexterity game depicts a surprised or startled African baby. Likely German-made, the puzzle has no markings. It contains the 3 tiny metal balls, that with the proper manual dexterity, are to be placed in the baby’s mouth and two eyes. Two of the balls are currently fixed in place, likely due to the metal backing being very subtly pushed in...

Measuring a diminutive 1.5 inches wide x 2.5 inches tall x .5 inches deep, this darling, French, paper packet or package features African, Zoulou-tribe natives as advertising symbols on the packaging, making for a very picturesque graphic!

The paper package contains nearly all of its original powder, having never been opened; however, as noted in the second photo, the corner edge wear has resulted in some minor leakage of the powder...

Measuring 3 3/4 inches long, this circa 1920s, miniature, Black Mammy doll is unique in construction- its head and body have been fashioned from an old black rubber baby nursing nipple!

This Mammy nipple doll is more unusual and less seldom found because she holds a tiny, plastic, white baby in her left arm...

Offered are two, circa 1930's, Made in Japan, ceramic bisque, African-American, baby dolls. A very sweet pair, these dolls measure a diminutive 2.5 and 3.5 inches long. The larger doll is marked "Made in Japan", while the smaller is simply marked "JAPAN".

Both dolls retain their 3 original pigtails, all tied off with tiny pieces of string...

Offered is a bucolic and beautifully-colored, medium-folio, copyrighted 1854, Nathaniel Currier, New York, lithograph entitled, "Catching A Trout". The image measures approximately 10" x 14", and depicts a fancily-dressed African-American man "netting" the trout caught by one of the two well-dressed gentleman enjoying a relaxing day of fishing...

Protected in a 15.25 x 24.75 inch, black hard plastic frame with glass and coordinating mat, this authentic GOLD DUST Trolley Sign was manufactured by the N.K...

Those who are ardent collectors of the famed Florence Upton creation - the Golliwogg - recognize this 19th century, first edition, children's book as an extraordinarily RARE find indeed, very seldom available for purchase in today's market!

"The Golliwogg at the Sea-Side", published in 1898 by Longmans, Green & Co, London & New York, was illustrated by Florence K. Upton, with story written by her mother, Bertha...

Offered is the 1955 edition of Helen Bannerman's, Little Black Sambo book published by the Platt & Munk Company of New York and illustrated by one of P & M's noted artists, Eulalie...

Produced as a souvenir piece for the 1884 New Orleans Exposition, this diminutive, antique, metal match holder measures just 2.5 inches high!

Marked "Pat Applied For" on its base, this darling match holder features two small black boys playing around a rather large cotton bale (the bale is labeled "COTTON").

Well-executed detail! A lovely piece seldom found in today's collectible market!

Measuring just under 2 inches high, this cast iron, Black, Uncle Sam pencil sharpener was made in Occupied Japan in 1948. In wonderful condition with very minor paint loss due to light use, this piece is stamped on the backside of Uncle Sam's head: "Made in Occupied Japan".

A wonderful and rarely found piece of Black Americana!

Measuring 33 inches long x 15 inches high, this vintage 1869, black ink, original lithograph was published as an art supplement to Appleton's Journal.

The litho was executed by John Karst with his signature appearing in the lower left hand corner. Highly detailed, the litho reproduces a bustling New Orleans' dock scene featuring numerous slaves at work.

This litho was professionally re-framed using museum-quality, acid-free materials in 2004...

This 1930s, Art Deco, VIGNY, 2 ounce, Golliwog Perfume Bottle is a rare find! This particular marketing of the very highly sought-after and well-known Paris Vigny Golliwogg perfume, was sold by the famous Fred Harvey stores which dotted the new railroad lines running through the American Southwest.

This 4 inch tall bottle retains the majority of its Fred Harvey price sticker on its base...

This rarely found, 1937, tin, wind-up, DOUBLE JITTER-BUG Mechanical Dancing Toy was made by the Buffalo Toy & Tool Works. The Buffalo Toy & Tools Works was located in Buffalo, New York, and was established in 1924...

This artisan-made, vintage 1950s, utterly delightful, little Black Boy Hand Puppet is in wonderful, minimally-played-with condition!

This sweet little pop-eyed character was recently acquired from the artist's daughter who stated that her mother made the puppet for her in the late 1950's.

With hands and head constructed of papier mache and a machine-stitched cotton body, this 10.50 inch long puppet sat for years in a doll cabinet seeing minimal childhood play. The body is very lightly soil...

Offered are three different 78 RPM records featuring JIM CROW era, minstrel music of the 1900-1920's. All three records come with their original paper jackets. They are priced at $30 each.

The records are in used condition with minor scuffing and/or scratching typical of used records of 80+ years of age. These records have not been recently played and are presented as historical artifacts, and as such, they are offered for sale without guarantee of "playing quality".

Offered are:

1) 1912 "...

A wonderful and extremely RARE, 1st Edition, hard cover book by Carolyn Sherwin Bailey, copyrighted 1938 by Platt and Munk Publishers and measuring 6.50 x 8.25 inches. Platt and Munk Publishers, like McLoughlin Publishers, were widely known to employ the most talented illustrators of the time period. Platt and Munk books are highly sought after for this reason.

Fabulous colored and black and white illustrations (see photos) adorn this 26 page book! The book features the adventures of a little...

In the mid-1800's, an unknown artist painted the face of a young Black boy in warm, soft colors, and unbeknown to the artist, forever immortalized the young boy's image! Since that time a variety of items were been produced in the image of the "Young Black boy with the Torn Hat" or "Johnny Griffin".

This circa 1920-30's Johnny Griffin inkwell is constructed in solid brass and has a hole for both placement of pen and glass insert for ink. This piece is offered without the pen and glass ink ins...

Offered is a wonderful 1934 edition of Topsy Turvy and the Tin Clown by Bernice G. Anderson and illustrated by Esther Friend.

This seldom found copy was originally published in 1932 by Rand McNally & Company of New York.

This copy has superficial scratches to the front and back covers, as well as surface soiling, and wear on book cover edges.(see photos). The front cover has a slight tear at the crease that does not effect strength or integrity of the cover board. A couple of pages have mino...

Measuring 14 inches in height, this vintage 1920's, 100 year old, Mammy Bottle Doll is in well-loved condition, with completely hand-stitched and highly detailed clothing that has been recently laundered and carefully pressed.

Mammy bottle dolls were constructed to be quite functional; they were used as doorstops back in the day. Their sand-filled bottles added enough weight to readily keep that door in place.

Her interesting and expressive face is also completely hand-stitched and bears a...

Measuring a diminutive 4.50 inches long x 2.50 inches high, this very unusual tin and pot metal piece features a small black shoe shine boy with shoe polishing brush in hand, about to polish a giant ladies lace-up shoe!!

The piece has two tiny holes in its bowl suggesting that this was once screwed or fastened into another piece. Logic suggests that perhaps this may have been an advertising display item of some sort.

Remnants of red paint are easily visible on the back of the black boy's h...

Offered is this extremely RARE 1920's, cardboard, D.L. Clark Company, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 120 count, BLACK JACK Caramel "PENNY CANDY" BOX which features a singing Black Dandy strumming a banjo.

Cardboard candy boxes with African-American themes remain EXTREMELY RARE finds in today's market due to their inherent fragile nature!!!

This wonderful piece is in very good condition with the expected aging, and edge and corner wear given its 100+ years of age.

The top left seam of the cov...

Measuring 11.75 inches high x 8 inches wide, this striking 1950's, ceramic, Black African in a Sea Shell, hanging wall planter is marked on back "House of Venice California".

In lovely condition with age crackling to the backside of the seashell, this stunning piece appears to have never been used for its original purpose as a hanging wall planter. The black paint is in impeccable condition and any white dots that appear in photos are the result of light reflection off of teeny glaze imperfect...

Measuring a total length of 26 inches including strings, this fabulous, late 1940's, black character marionette is in wonderful, never-played-with condition!

The puppet, itself, is 14 inches tall and is colorfully dressed in blue and white checked pants, red shoes, orange and whit polka dot shirt, straw hat and red patterned neck scarf.

The puppet's face is composition and bears evidence of some age-related crackling as noted in photos. He has a tiny piece if composition missing on the le...

Measuring 13 inches in height, this vintage 1930's, Mammy Bottle Doll is in lovely condition, with nicely detailed clothing and a very darling face! Mammy bottle dolls were constructed to be quite functional; they were used as doorstops back in the day. Their sand-filled bottles added enough weight to readily keep that door in place.

This mammy's cute face is completely hand-stitched and is accented by original celluloid hoop earrings. She wears a flowered bandanna, a cream colored flowered sh...

This delightful Black Mammy Rag Doll has a face with a story to tell! What an expression!

Measuring 18 inches tall, Mammy is constructed of black, machine-stitched, vintage 1930-1940's, polished cotton which has been stuffed with cotton batting. Facial features have been hand-embroidered, are quite expressive, and are exceedingly well done. Her hair has been styled in six pigtails adorned with bows.

Mammy's red, machine-stitched dress is also vintage 1930-40's fabric and features the class...

This delightful grouping of 3 black Aunt Jemima composition dolls from the 1930s enjoyed an interesting, more recent life as advertising display pieces in an old Vermont Country store!

The 3 dolls were grouped together in a creative display that supported the sale of Aunt Jemima Pancake products! Their costumes are all identical and were hand-stitched and made especially for the planned Aunt Jemima display.

Each of the dolls remain intact inside an encasement of glue and paper wrapping and ...

Measuring 11 inches tall, this wonderfully detailed, circa 1930's, gentleman, African-American doll is phenomenally well detailed!

ENTIRELY hand-stitched, this gent is dressed in fancy striped pants, straw shoes and hat, green belt, and in a navy blue and white polka dot shirt with a tiny breast pocket that holds a teeny pack of CAMEL cigarettes, labeled with a "C"! His outfit is topped off with a red tie that is held in place by a bean tie tack!

His face is hand-stitched with careful atten...

Offered are two utterly fabulous, one-of-a-kind, DOUBLE-SIDED, hand-painted signs that hung at Joe's "Colored Only" fish shack near Albany, Georgia, on the Flint River during the years that segregation was still enforced in the South. These signs were created by the black folks who owned the fish shack which closed in the early 1960s. Visitors had an area to eat in and were served pig ears and fish-- and the shack owners also caught, cleaned and sold fish.

The signs were purchased directly fr...

Measuring 6.25 inches long x 5 inches wide, this rarely found and well detailed, circa 1910, brass ashtray depicts a smiling black male native reclining on a stylized seashell.

In fabulous condition with 100+ years of all original surface patina, this phenomenal piece is very highly detailed and displays wonderfully! It authentically depicts the highly fashionable Art Nouveau styling which was so wildly popular at the turn of the 20th century. This brass ashtray promotes the English settleme...

Measuring approximately 11 inches tall, this wonderful, vintage 1940s, Black Americana Chef cookie jar, remains in all original condition-- no repairs or repaint-- and it is NOT a reproduction!

This wonderful piece is unmarked but is documented in numerous guides as the Black Chef cookie jar made in the 1940's by the National Silver Company. It likely once had a "NASCO" foil label on its base which dried up and fell off over the course of the jar's lifetime.

Fabulous cobalt blue accenting m...

Salvaged from a battered and heavily damaged 1907 story book, this delightful, hand-colored lithograph drawn by L. Hobbins is entitled, "Teaching Hannah Mariah To Skate".

Measuring 9 by 11 inches framed, this litho retains its vibrant colors! A delightful piece which features the accompanying poem on the reverse side.

The frame is a temporary and inexpensive one to allow the potential buyer to view the poem on the backside, but the piece should be properly framed to enable its continued co...

Measuring 15 inches long by 13 inches wide, this delightful, unsigned, watercolor features a charming rendition of a young black boy straddling a fence while clutching a plump watermelon!

Remaining in its original frame with original wooden and paper backing, this watercolor retains its framer's identifying sticker which reads, "Staton's Art Shop 5409 Germantown Ave." Perhaps this Germantown address indicates Philadelphia area origin? In the interests of proper conservation, the new owner shou...

Offered is a truly one-of-a-kind piece of Black Memorabilia!

This 1920-30s, hinged, wooden game piece box features an original, hand-executed, ink-on-paper drawing of a black figure in a tuxedo that has been pasted to the box cover. The drawing has been preserved with a shellac covering.

The box contains fifty, sequentially numbered 1-50, wooden game pieces painted red and white. The game pieces are in mint condition and appear to have only been lightly used. They remain firmly in place with...

Measuring only 2.75 inches high, this darling 1920's Black Memorabilia souvenir piece is in amazing condition considering its delicate, sea shell construction.

A tiny bisque black boy holding a watermelon slice is seated on a throne of sea shells. The name of the location that this sea shell souvenir was meant to commemorate is worn and is no longer readable.

Two very minor chips are present as shown in photos which do not detract from the beauty of this piece!

Wonderful vintage 1940s hand-made sewing needle case of a little black girl with yellow bows in her braided hair and a pumpkin colored dress. Front of dress lifts up and there are two flaps for storing sewing needles. Very nicely made with fine detailing to face and hair construction--her little curls are tiny French knots. Excellent condition. Measures 6" long by 3" at the widest.

This wonderfully rare, 1920s piece of Black Memorabilia ephemera is in utterly fabulous condition!

Measuring 7.50 inches long x 3.25 inches wide, this Belgian cigarette or cigar, heavy paper/cardboard box features a fabulous litho of a very dapper Black Gentleman smoking one of the "JOHN" cigarettes. Its small size offers many options for display including framing for shelf or wall enjoyment.

A truly scarce find in phenomenal condition!

A wonderful example of hand-crafted Black Americana Folk Art!

This wonderful Depression Era piece features a whimsical 10 inch long cutout figure of a little wooden black mammy with hand-painted “surprised” mouth and eyes! She is dressed in a machine-stitched cotton costume with great yellow ric-rac accenting —a wonderful kerchief on her head, and a cute little apron.

Her feet feature two brass-finish hooks, presumably to either hang keys or pot holders from. Overall condition is fin...

In lovely condition with the exception of subtle fading to Mammy's red head kerchief, this delightful 1940's pin cushion doll appears to have been unused! No pinholes can be seen!

Mammy's head and body are actually constructed of a single wooden clothespin that was then inserted into her cotton-batting-padded skirt. Her face is hand-painted, she has a tuft of white cotton batting hair peeking out from her kerchief, and her apron is stamped in black ink "Souvenir of New Orleans".

A very sw...

Measuring 3.25 inches high, this delightful English child or baby transfer porcelain mug is a quite rare find!

In excellent condition with the exception of some minor wear to the gilt rim and scripted banner, the cup or mug features two gentleman sharing a tub bath- one Caucasian and one African-American. The African-American gent is surrounded by musical notes indicating that he is doing quite a bit of whistling, while the Caucasian gent covers his ears in annoyance. The scripted banner abov...

Measuring nearly 8 inches tall, this fabulous and rarely found, early, lithographed, tin toy, No. 1750, retaining its original box, was made by the Lindstrom Tool & Toy Company of Bridgeport, Connecticut.

This late 1930's toy is the later version of the two Mammy walker toys produced by this company. It is marked on back just under the white apron tie, "Lindstrom Corporation Made in USA". The marking is very faint, and thus, difficult to read without scrutiny. The contrast in this photo has ...

Measuring just 4.5" wide x 5.5" long, this very rarely found, circa 1940's, metal mechanical toy features the beloved Golliwogg character!

Unmarked, this toy is in very good condition with tiny superficial surface scratches wherever metal rubs metal during toy movement. To operate the toy, one simply squeezes the metal lever on the back, which causes the clown to hit poor Golly on the head with a mallet!

A brief history of the Golliwog doll: The Golliwog is based on a Black minstrel doll tha...

Measuring 5 inches wide x 4.5 inches long, this 1920's, brass ashtray represents a very seldom-found offering of vintage Black Americana!

This piece was actually created to serve as an ashtray! It depicts a delightful image of a young black boy in a wide-brimmed straw hat!

In wonderful condition, this piece is stamped "LL" on back.

An uncommon piece of Black Americana that should not be overlooked!

A simply fabulous and extremely rare, circa 1870-1880's, solid brass, Black Americana SLAVE FACE BOWL!! A striking image!!

Prominent facial features- eyes and brows, nose, cheekbones, lips and teeth -and tight curly hair rise from the surface of the bowl. The bowl is rather heavy for its diminutive size and has no markings. Measures 4 inches in diameter and 1.5 inches high. Condition is excellent with some tarnishing that may be cleaned if desired; our preference was to offer this 140+ year ...

While the photo depicts a grouping of 3 different, vintage 1930-40's, French Rum labels, only the oval label is available at $14.00, as the other 2 have been sold.

The label is unused and is in excellent condition with wonderful, even coloring (any appearance of fading is due to light reflection only).

Approximate measurements: the oval label measures 4.50 x 3.50 inches.

Would look wonderful framed!!

Please take a moment to view my other grouping of vintage French rum labels!

Measuring 9 x 12 inches, this all original, 1930 Copyright sheet music features a fabulous cover graphic that would be magnificent framed!

Great condition with some corner wear, but please note that all pages have completely separated from the center seam so are no longer in "booklet" form. No missing pages though!

A difficult item to find in today's market!

Measuring approximately 16 inches long, this wonderful, vintage 1950's, cloth Mammy Laundry bag is in wonderful condition! This bag features a curved wooden band at the base of the bag which allowed the bag to retain its form.

All cloth and done in a great, red paisley fabric, this darling Black Mammy bag features an interesting, smiling face! Due to its small size, this bag would have held undies or stockings or also may have been placed on one's bed and used to hold one's nightie during th...

This vintage 1920's Austrian, cast iron figural group is an authentic piece that was carefully hand-painted some 100 years ago! Austrian pieces of this era were known for their fine craftsmanship and attention to detail.

The darling boy and girl seated on a tree stump measures 2 3/8 inches high. With the exception of the girl's missing right leg, this seldom-found piece is in overall fine condition with age-related paint scrapes here and there. (please see all photos)

A very unusual and in...

Measuring 6.5 inches long and approximately 4 inches in both width and depth, this wonderfully RARE, Black Americana, Red Cap, Railroad Porter, pottery string holder is in very fine condition with just a sprinkling of white speckling where the black cold paint has worn away.

A stunning and very visually striking piece, it is labeled on back, "Fredericksburg Art Pottery USA", a pottery once located in Fredericksburg, Ohio, manufacturing between 1939-49. The back has 2 original hanging holes fo...

Measuring a very diminutive 2 inches long x 1 ½ inches wide x ½ inch deep, this tiny cardboard match box was made in Sweden in the 1930’s. It still retains its wonderful lithographed image of a Black Man carrying jugs of coconut juice among the palm trees. It is entitled “THE PALMTREE” and is additionally labeled “IMPREGNATED SAFETY MATCH, MADE IN SWEDEN” along the bottom of the litho. It is in near mint condition but no longer contains any matches! The box simply slides out of its ...

Measuring 6 inches high, this darling, mint condition, Black Memorabilia, pudgy, Boy Child Nodder was made in 1950’s Japan by the Ardalt China Company. Dressed up as a little clown, his arms are bent upright at his sides as if he were in the middle of a trick! Such a darling piece!

The child’s head nods up and down in a "yes" motion by pivoting on a tiny metal bar inserted through his neck (see photos).

Condition is mint, and the piece is signed on the bottom of his right foot: “Hand...

Measuring 6 inches high, this darling, mint condition, Black Memorabilia, pudgy and naked, Girl Child Nodder was made in 1950’s Japan by the Ardalt China Company. She modestly attempts to conceal herself by holding a pair of pink and red polka dotted panties in front of her! Such a sweet piece!

The child’s head nods up and down in a "yes" motion by pivoting on a tiny metal bar inserted through her neck (see photos).

Condition is mint, and the piece is signed on the bottom of her right ...

A wonderful and quite rare piece of 1950's Black Memorabilia!!

This unique, Japanese made, 6" tall Black Sailor or Pirate ceramic nodder by UCAGCO is in mint condition--no cracks, chips, paint wear or repaint!!! Any white spots, etc in photos are purely the function of poor photography!

This interesting fellow wears blue and white striped pants, yellow and green shirt, and yellow jacket. His head nods "yes" and his flowered-painted fan can be made to wave in any direction.

Both head & ...

Offered is an authentic signed baseball from former Negro League player CLIFFORD LAYTON. The ball was signed for me at an autograph show and is dated 4-15-05.

Mr. Layton was a skilled pitcher with a strong bat who had a four-year career in the Negro Leagues, playing for the Indianapolis Clowns, the New York Black Yankees and the Raleigh Tigers. One of his teammates was a promising infielder by the name of Hank Aaron, who signed with the Boston Braves in 1952, and eventually became a Hall of ...

Black Memorabilia sewing items are becoming very difficult to find! Offered is a wonderful, 1930’s, cloth Mammy Pin Cushion!

While her little body was machine stitched together, the remainder of Mammy is all hand-completed! She has a sweet, cheerful, hand-embroidered face that is framed by a tall red, white and blue bonnet! She continues her patriotic look with a red and white checkered top and blue and white flowered pants---how racy---pants instead of a skirt!!!

Mammy clutches a gold...

Measuring 6 1/4 inches high x 5 3/4 inches wide, this circa 1930's, VERY RARE, Japan made, Polka Dot Kerchief, Mammy Head String Holder is in near mint condition with no chips, cracks, or hairlines! Mammy is the mate to the Maruhon Ware Mammy series--Cookie Jar, Basket Handle Biscuit Jar, Teapot and related kitchen items-- all made with this same Mammy's face.

The String Holder is stamped "JAPAN" on the back side, and it has a hole in the center of her mouth to accommodate the string! This w...