Collection of Alice & Art Booth Wayne By Pook & Pook Inc.

VINELAND, NJ – On January 30-31, the Bertoia family will open their auction gallery doors to reveal a breathtaking winter wonderland of Christmas antiques, including exquisite European Santas and belsnickels, tree ornaments, candy containers, Steiff teddy bears, dolls, and other coveted toys that once awaited good boys and girls on Christmas morning. Additionally, the sale’s selection includes other types of early holiday collectibles, from whimsical Halloween characters to Easter and patriotic pieces. The spotlight will shine on five top-tier collections with instantly recognizable name value, especially to those who are members of the Golden Glow of Christmas Past or the Antique Toy Collectors of America (ATCA).

First, there’s the acclaimed Ed & Brenda DeGarbolewski collection. Longtime holiday aficionados, Brenda and her late husband both had a well-practiced eye for quality and reveled in attending auctions, shows, and club conventions hosted by both the Golden Glow and ATCA. The DeGarbolewski name speaks for itself within the hobby.

Married for 58 years, Jerry and Darla Arnold can trace their interest in Christmas antiques back to Darla’s college days and a visit to a museum where she fell under the spell of antique ornaments on a tree. Jerry joined Darla in her newfound pursuit and, over time, also became known for expert restoration work and his own original holiday designs.

Bob & Maurine Young, members of both Golden Glow and Keystone Kringles, avidly collected Christmas antiques for 20 years. Maurine got her start at the Eastern National Doll Show (Gaithersburg), where she acquired a stunning Christmas diorama. She would go on to collect many dioramas of Christmas and winter scenes. Several of her most highly prized examples are musical and even illuminate. The Youngs’ collection also features an oversize nativity set, feather trees, and ornaments, including a large grouping of cotton-batting types.

A retired nurse practitioner in California, Linda Morrow has been collecting Christmas and Halloween for 40+ years. It started with the purchase of a Santa at the Rose Bowl swap meet in Pasadena. She then moved on to pipe cleaner Santas and, eventually, antique German pieces, including candy containers, Dresdens and feather trees. Linda scoured West Coast antique shows and flea markets, later expanding her search to the East Coast and Germany. Along the way, she also discovered contemporary artists like Jack Rhoads, Kathy Patterson, Roberta Taylor and Debbee Thibault, all of whose work can be found in the Jan. 30-31 sale.

ATCA member the late Richard Mueller accumulated one of the world’s largest collections of vintage pull toys He was also a highly successful self-made businessman who operated the largest number of Domino’s locations of any single franchisee in the United States. Part of Richard’s extremely fine toy collection was offered in Bertoia’s November 21-22, 2025 auction. For the end-of-January specialty sale, collectors can look forward to viewing and bidding on some of his premier paper-litho-on-wood boats, Noah’s Arks, Schoenhut wagons and more.

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