A pair of rare, giant display dolls of Walt Disney’s Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse have shattered existing records and sold for $151,534.35 (including the Buyer’s Premium) in the Hake’s Americana & Collectibles auction that concluded Thursday, September 27, 2007. The 44” tall Mickey and 48” tall Minnie were promotional items for the highly acclaimed Charlotte Clark line of dolls from the early 1930s and were purchased by a private collector and longtime Hake’s customer.

Following Mickey’s successful introduction as a Clark doll in 1930, Minnie arrived in toy shops the following year. Together the popular toys were produced in three sizes: 8.5”, 13.5” and 18” – and only a significantly limited number of the largest ones were made for display purposes for prominent movie theaters, retail stores and the occasional photo shoot with Walt himself.

Made of stuffed velveteen, Clark’s trademark material, Mickey is detailed with four 2” diameter natural pearl buttons, and Minnie wears a silk-like skirt with pantaloons that have lace accents. Each doll has a long, 32” tail.

“I’m really pleased to see the maturing of our auctions for high-end items through Hake’s Americana & Collectibles,” said Steve Geppi, owner and Chief Executive Officer of Hake’s parent firm Diamond International Galleries. “I think this event highlights our belief that with our mailing list, we can compete with anyone.”

“The overall strength of the character collectibles market is typified by the $151,534 price realized for these dolls,” said Ted Hake, the company’s Chief Operating Officer and Founder. “They are so rare I never thought I'd ever lay eyes on a set, let alone get a chance to auction this remarkable, near mint pair as the capstone to Hake's 40th anniversary year. These dolls stand at the pinnacle of iconic objects symbolizing the breadth and depth of American popular culture.”

Hake said the consignment was arranged by Production Manager Deak Stagemyer, who is himself a longtime Disneyana enthusiast.

“While the strong market for vintage Disney collectibles led us to have high expectations for these extremely rare dolls, we’re happy to say that our goals were definitely surpassed,” said John K. Snyder, Jr., President of Diamond International Galleries. “We also saw top prices for a significant number of other items in a wide variety of categories. It really is a terrific time for historic collectibles.”

“I hope this sends a strong signal to potential consignors of Disneyana that Hake’s is one place that collectors really ought to consider for their high end items,” said Alex Winter, General Manager of Hake’s.

For more details about this auction, visit www.hakes.com and check out the Auction Prices section of this week’s Scoop.