Mr. Eric Alberta This is Me

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1. 1. www.antiqueweek.com

   www.antiqueweek.com/Article.as - [Cached]

   Published on: 6/22/2007   Last Visited: 6/23/2007

   Paneled in sumptuous wood, the department was headed by Eric Alberta, an esteemed veteran of the auction world and himself a passionate collector.
   ...
   Crafted in France around 1885, the automaton was the plaything of wealthy grownups and was made for members of Parisian society, said Alberta, who bought the piece from Pennsylvania-based dealer Richard Wright, who obtained the automaton from descendants of the original owners in Buenos Aires in the 1990s.
   ...
   "It must have been under glass," Alberta said.
   ...
   As for Alberta, he started selling toys in his native upstate New York when he was 12, sometimes adding his own playthings to the inventory. That helped to lay the groundwork for a distinguished career at auction houses, which included stints at Phillip""s, Christie""s and, most recently, Sotheby""s.
   
   "I had a castle of Disney figures, plastic on a cardboard background," he recalled. "I remember gleefully selling it at a flea market and investing the money back into my stock."
   
   Somehow, he managed to hang on to his boyhood Yogi Bear watch and a couple of squirt guns. Alberta collects toys ranging from American tin to Star Wars figures.
   
   "I love playing with toys," he said.
   
   He began his tenure at FAO Schwarz with what might have been a dream buying spree.
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   "It""s very New York and that adds to its desirability," Alberta said.
   ...
   "It""s a neat illustration of an early toy design," Alberta said.
   
   At a show in Allentown, Pa., he found a highly collectible 1910 FAO Schwarz catalog.
   
   "We sold it for $1.25 in 1910 - and for several thousand times that this time around," he said.

2. 2. www.brucemuseum.com

   www.brucemuseum.com/calendar/i - [Cached]

   Published on: 5/21/2006   Last Visited: 3/1/2007

   Lecture entitled "Antique Toys" by Eric Alberta, Head of the Antique Toy Department, FAO Schwarz, and former Director of the Collectibles Department, Christie's, who explores the magical world of vintage toys from the Victorian period through the early 20th century, including American, German and Japanese toys.

3. 3. Columbia Spectator Online - This NYC Toyland Is Not for Kid-Sized Wallets

   www.columbiaspectator.com/vnew - [Cached]

   Published on: 11/29/2004   Last Visited: 11/29/2004

   Eric Alberta, the head of the Antique Toys and Dolls Department of FAO, maintains the display of the collection, which includes original Star Wars' collectibles and tennis-playing dolls of the early 20th century. Alberta, who in the past has auctioned toys for Sotheby's and has been involved with the Antiques Road Show, knows about every toy in the section.