Smith House Toy and Auction Co.'s sale of the Robert Lesser collection of robots and space toys, predominantly Japanese, is a phone and online auction that opened for bidding April 24 and ends May 9.

The 200-plus lots in the collection - begun 30 years ago by the author, best known for his works on pulp publications - can be viewed at www.smithhousetoys.com, where minimum bids and/or bids thus far rendered also are listed.

Among the sale's top items are a series of battery-operated mechanical men made in the 1950s by Masudaya that Lesser dubbed the Gang of Five.

The rarest, Machine Man, was made about 1963. Lesser's is one of about 15 known to exist in collections, and though some have sold for as much as $74,000, this one has a presale minimum of $25,000.

Other Gang of Five members being offered are a Radicon made about 1955 ($7,500), a sonic or "Train" Robot ($2,500), a dart-gun-toting Target Robot ($6,500), and a nonstop "Lavender" Robot ($3,750). The sale also features one of the earliest mass-produced robots, Lilliput, made about 1939 ($5,000), and a Radar "Topolino" Robot ($7,500).

For more information, call 215-721-1389.

Coins at Morphy. Another ongoing online sale is being conducted by Morphy Auctions in collaboration with Legend Numismatics. It will conclude with a live session on eBay beginning at 6 p.m. Tuesday, but online bidding has already begun at www.mlcoinauctions.com.

Reading the online catalog takes a bit of getting used to, as well as some scrutiny of the coin's illustration. A "1c 1856 FE PCGS PR65" with a presale estimate of $27,500 to $28,500 refers to a one-cent U.S. coin dated 1856 and its rating in the Professional Coin Rating Guide. A "1c 1914-D" with a presale estimate of $24,000 to $25,000 turns out to be a Lincoln penny.

The top lot in the 320-lot sale is probably an 1876 proof set consisting of a 1C, 3C, 5C, 10C, 20C, 25C 50C and $1, one of 1,150 sets minted. It has a presale estimate of $40,000 to $50,000.

A 20-cent piece minted in 1877 that comes from the Three Aces collection has a presale estimate of $15,500 to $16,500. An 1873 $3 coin - one of only 100 pieces minted, according to the catalog description - is expected to sell for $18,500 to $20,000. Information: 717-335-3435.

Modern and contemporary. Freeman's spring sale of modern and contemporary art will be conducted at the gallery at 1808 Chestnut St. beginning at 2 p.m. May 18. But in addition to being able to download the illustrated catalog as a PDF at www.freemansauction.com, you also can leave a bid now on any of the nearly 200 lots.

A highlight of the auction is the five lots of drawings and paintings by the Indian artist Francis Newton Souza (1924-2002). Driven in part by India's booming economy, a Freeman's news release says, Souza's works regularly draw five-figure prices; one of his untitled paintings of a head is expected to bring $50,000 to $80,000.

The top presale estimate is for a bronze face and torso by Lynn Chadwick (1914-2003) titled Maquette VI Sitting Elektra that is expected to sell for $70,000 to $100,000.

Several other lots have five-figure presale estimates, including two by Andy Warhol. His 25 cats Name Sam and One Blue Pussy is expected to sell for $40,000 to $60,000, and his portrait of novelist Herman Hesse is expected to bring $50,000 to $80,000

Other five-figure lots include: Picasso's La Grande Corrida, Avec Femme Torero ($20,000 to $30,000); Alexander Calder's Les Imprientes $25,000 to $40,000; Marc Chagall's Daphnis and Chloe: Temple and History of Bacchus ($10,000 to $15,000), and David Hockney's The Wave ($20,000 to $30,000).

The catalog for Freeman's sale of 20th-/21st-century design beginning at noon May 17 is not yet available. Previews will be from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. May 14, 15 and 16. Information: 215-563-9275.