“Hello again!
Twice a year Martin’s Auction holds a carriage auction of amazing proportions! Tim and I decided that since we were in the market for a marathon or presentation cart, we would take two days off and head to Pennsylvania to look the auction items over.
The auction featured every kind of horse drawn vehicle one could imagine including, Phaetons, commercial delivery wagons, presentation carts, marathon carts, Albany cutters, surreys gigs, landaus, vis-à-vis, runabouts, concord buggy’s, breaking carts, meadow brooks, jaunting cars, tandem carts, democrats, victoria’s, the list seemed endless. There were also several almost one of a kind vehicles including an English bakery cart and a sheepherders wagon complete with a bed, cupboards, stove and covered with canvas. There was a restored horse drawn school bus from Ohio, horse drawn fire apparatus, a restored SOHIO oil wagon, a flower wagon, a pony fire pumper, a pony sized milk wagon, so many interesting vehicles.
One of the first things we saw as we entered the building for the auction was an Amish “limousine” made by Indiana Coach. It was an enclosed coach with three doors on each side and five bench seats. I am not sure how long two horses would be able to pull the vehicle but it was interesting! One of our Mennonite friends, Isaac, had Tim and I laughing when he mentioned that his son Harlan, recently married, could use it for the large family that Isaac hopes that he will have!
Near the back of the building, we saw a Seagrave water tower which is purported to be one of only three remaining in the country and the only one that remains non-motorized. It was in rough shape so we were surprised when it sold for $82,000.00! These vehicles were used in New York City to reach the tall buildings way back in the day and it was a great piece of history for us to see.
Coaches included a “Road Runner” from Brewster and Company in New York, a Park Drag by Demarest which sold for $48,000.00, a scale reproduction John DeLaGrange concord coach, and a Tom Winkler Stage coach.
The Kunle Company had quite a nice display of carts and wagonettes and we spent a fair amount of time examining every model at the auction. Anyone who is serious about carriage driving on an upper level will recognize the Kunle name and there were quite a few used Kunle’s at the auction as well.
Soon we had all settled on our favourite vehicles. Sleighs were the order of the day for the men in my family. Jack fell in love with a small sleigh and he looked so cute sitting in it! Tim was smitten with an old, unrestored sleigh. He loved all the paneling on the sleigh and could envision how beautiful it would be once restored. I, on the other hand, adored the two horse drawn hearses that sat in the back of the auction house. One was brand new and manufactured by Roberts and one was restored. I joked with our friends that I was going in to the funeral business! I think what appealed to me about this vehicles was the elegance of them. A horse drawn hearse, to me has so much more elegance then a motorized version. The one I feel in love with eventually sold for $10,000.00.
After looking at everything twice, we settled on the real reason for our visit; to find a presentation cart or marathon carriage. We spent quite a bit of time with coaching and driving aficionado, Jim Grinetto, who was up from North Carolina for the auction on his way to Canada to pick up some horses. Jim and his wife are so gracious and we enjoyed spending the better part of the afternoon with him. Jim was a great help in looking over some of the carriages we were interested in and, he and Tim could often be found in a corner of one of the vehicle rooms engaged in very quiet conversation, this was an auction after all!
We also had some help from friend Bob Cook via cell phone from North Carolina about our carriage selection. His daughter, Cindy O’Reilly was the only woman driver competing in 4-in-hand at the 2010 WEG and he was so proud of her. We had hoped to see Cindy at the auction as she was making a stop there and then heading off for a much needed vacation with her husband on their boat but, unfortunately our paths never crossed.
Meanwhile, there were literally thousands of other horse related items up for sale so as the day progressed in the carriage sale arena; we took some time to look over the offerings of carriage appointments and antiques. I found a sterling silver trophy from 1911, almost 100 years old, that I wanted to bid on. I love old sterling silver dog and horse trophies and to me, they are just so rich with history that each tells its own story. Tim saw a Currier and Ives Lithograph called “The Parson’s Colt” that he felt would look great in the library of our new home. Both of us also found ourselves laughing at the cast iron “Naughty Nellie” boot jack that was the favorite of many.
By Friday afternoon, I found myself at the auction for the silver trophy. While Jack and I managed to get seats in the packed auction area, Tim stood in the back. Once the bidding started, I quickly found myself at the upper level of what I felt comfortable spending. I turned and glanced at Tim and the next thing I knew, he was bidding! When the gavel landed, the trophy was mine! With the “Naughty Nellie” secured from an earlier bidding contest and now the trophy in hand, Tim’s lithograph came up. He had a price in mind but the lithograph was popular and he ended up going over by about twenty dollars in order to be the winner in the end.
While the auction continued at a frenzied pace, and Tim and Jim back in consultation, I walked round and soon found myself at the DD Rapps (www.ddrapps.com) booth looking at driving hates and aprons. In fact, I visited the booth many times because every time I went back, I would see something new! Forget about the hats at the Kentucky Derby, the carriage driving hats are so much better in my view. There were several styles of aprons for purchase as well. One of the things that so appeals to me about carriage driving is the style of the dress. Utterly gorgeous!
As night fell, the presentation carriage that Tim had his eye on was coming up to the auction block. Jim had said that it was a crapshoot to wait until late in the auction as, the prices could skyrocket. The prices for the auction vehicles had been down this year according to many, largely due to the poor economy so we were hopeful that the cart would sell for a good price and we were willing to take the chance knowing we would walk away if the deal couldn’t be made .
When the cart entered the block and bidding began, I truly did not know what to expect. We knew what a new one would cost and this one had only been used three times. All I could do now was wait and let Tim work his magic on the bidding. After what seemed like a long time, in which I refused to even look up from my lap, the gavel fell and the cart was ours! We were delighted with our purchase having saved ourselves several thousand dollars over the cost of buying it new from a dealer.
Saturday dawned sunny but with a Nor’easter working its way up the coast it was windy! Uncatelogued wagons and sleighs from the field selection were auctioned off on this day and although we walked the grounds, nothing appealed. Tents were full of all manner of horse goods and harnesses. I had my eye on a fur muff that ultimately went for far more then I was willing to spend. The horse blankets also exceeded a price that I could get them for from our Amish seamstress so we passed on those as well, getting out of the bidding early. I think sometimes auction fever overtakes folks and they end up spending more than they would buying from a local tack store. Tim and I always try to have a top dollar figure in our minds when we go to auctions involving goods or livestock.
By noon we had visited with some old friends and made many new ones. All that was left was to load the new cart into the back of the truck and even though we had measured, we still held our breathe as we loaded it as well as the spare set of tires, poles and shafts. We were pleasantly surprised that it fit like a glove and seemed meant to be. The ride home was quick and there were many smiles from motorists who passed us and saw the beautiful cart in the back.
Martin’s (www.martinauctioneers.com) does a great job in presenting the carriages for sale and, the entire process is an experience that should not be missed! If you are ever in the area when a Martin’s carriage auction takes place, it is well worth your time to stop in and see what wonderful things they have to offer.
Until next time, please keep up with us on our website www.northpointfarm.com or follow us on Twitter!”
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