A hand carved doll from Calvin and Ruby Black's roadside attraction, Possum Trot, was the star lot of a sale at Slotin Folk Art Auction.
The lot realised $60,000 in the Self Taught, Outsider and Folk Art auction, held in Buford, Georgia on April 30.
 Evonne is one of a number of Possum Trot dolls outfitted with a speaker |
The Blacks moved to the small town of Yermo in California's Mojave Desert in the early 1950s and opened a rock and mineral store.
In a bid to entice passing travellers they created an elaborate set of dioramas featuring wooden dolls.
Later they established the Fantasy Doll Show, with the dolls singing and performing skits.
Calvin performed the show. Each of the dolls was outfitted with a speaker and its own distinct voice and personality.
This doll is named Evonne and wears clothing handmade by Ruby.
After the Blacks died the site was dismantled and the individual dolls sold on to collectors.
William Hawkin's The Willard Hotel realised $35,000.
Hawkins (1895-1990) was a colourful character who held down a range of jobs over the course of his life, from trapper to brothel keeper.
This specimen is painted in enamel on Masonite and dates to 1987. Most of Hawkins' output dates from the 1970s onwards.
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