A tin robot built in Japan in 1960 and expected to bring $60,000 to $80,000 has just changed hands for $134,550 after 41 bids on auction day. That is the result reported by Art Daily in its write-up of the Milestone Auctions sale in Willoughby, Ohio. It was the top price of the entire event.

The toy is the Machine Man, made by Masudaya of Japan, and it is the rarest of five large, boxy tin robots that collectors call the “Gang of Five.” It crossed the block at Milestone’s October 17 Antique and Vintage Toy Auction. An anonymous American collector won it by phone.

Forty-One Bids Pushed It Far Past The $80,000 Top Estimate

Milestone had put a pre-sale estimate of $60,000 to $80,000 on the robot. The final price cleared the high end of that range by more than $54,000. Forty-one bids came in on auction day.

Inquiries arrived from Europe, Japan, Australia and across the United States, according to the report. Milestone co-founder Miles King put the appeal this way: “Even the most advanced robot collection would not be considered complete without a Machine Man.”

King also had a plain-spoken reminder for anyone who likes to argue about what an old toy is worth. In his words, “it’s always the collectors who have the final say about the true market value of a vintage toy.”

Made For Just One Year And Ordered Through An Importer

There is a reason the Machine Man gets treated like royalty. Tommy Sage Jr., who heads the toy division at Morphy Auctions, has explained that the robot “was made for only one year – 1960 – and it had to be specially ordered from an importer,” as quoted by Antique Trader. The other robots in the group, including Radicon, Target, Non-Stop and Sonic, stayed in production longer.

The same report describes a battery-operated, tin-lithographed robot about 15 inches tall, with a bright red body and rivets and gears printed on the chest plate. Its eyes and ears light up through colored plastic, and it walks with a bump-and-go action. Probably fewer than a dozen exist, and only two or three are known to have the original box.

Radicon, by the way, was the first wireless remote-controlled robot toy on the market. The Machine Man never got that kind of fame in its own day, which is part of its legend now.

An Attic Robot Has Been Here Before

This is not the first time a Machine Man has made headlines. Antique Trader reported that Morphy’s earlier records for the robot included an unboxed example at $45,600 in 2012 and a high-grade unboxed one at $86,100 in March 2019.

Then in September 2020, Morphy sold a boxed Machine Man for $159,900. Antique Trader said it came from an attic and belonged to its original owner, who had it as a child but never played with it. In Sage’s words, “it came from an attic, right from the original owner.”

Morphy sold another boxed example in August 2022 for $84,000, according to Auction Daily. That one was also consigned by its original owner, who found it in the attic and had kept it undisturbed in a dry spot for more than sixty years. Prices move with condition, box and bidders on the day, and the Milestone result shows how hot a good one can run.

The Robot Was Not The Only Toy That Blew Past Its Estimate

The Milestone sale totaled about $1.8 million, a house record. The Machine Man led the list, but it had company.

• A Marklin oversize steam plant brought $81,900, against an estimate of $40,000 to $60,000.
• A Marx 1939 World’s Fair rocket ship prototype made $64,350, on an estimate of $10,000 to $15,000.
• A Turner Lincoln Yellow Cab sold for $31,590.
• A Yonezawa Atom Jet Racer reached $27,000, double the top of its $10,000 to $15,000 estimate.

If you have ever wondered whether the old toy box in your basement is just clutter, that rocket ship prototype is your answer. It sold for more than four times the high end of its estimate.

What To Check In Your Attic Before You Toss That Old Tin Toy

Start with the markings. Look for “Made in Japan” stamped on the tin, a battery compartment on the underside and bright lithographed artwork rather than paint. Tin robots and space toys from the late 1950s and 1960s are the ones collectors chase hardest.

Next, look for the box. In the Machine Man world, a surviving original box is the difference between a good price and a stunning one, and the same goes for most vintage toys. Keep every scrap, even a torn flap, and do not tape or glue anything.

Resist the urge to clean it up. Do not scrub the lithography, do not oil the joints, and do not put fresh batteries in an old toy, because leaking battery acid can ruin the works. A gentle dusting with a soft dry brush is plenty.

Take clear photographs of the front, back, bottom and any markings, then ask an auction house that specializes in toys for an opinion. Most will look at photos for free. Selling through a specialist auction puts your toy in front of the bidders who travel from Europe and Japan, as the Milestone sale showed, and that is where the big surprises happen.

The lesson from this sale is a warm and a slightly spicy one. A child who never got around to playing with a toy in 1960 may have left a family a small fortune, and the only way to find out is to open the boxes.

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