Monday, June 10, 2019

St. Louis Car Museum and Sales – Collectibles


…continuing with my last post about the St. Louis Car Museum and Sales.  Even though it is a car museum and showplace, the owner has very eclectic tastes and collects a wide variety of items…

Several  of the following photos aren’t accompanied by many words to match…but we enjoyed this mix of items in with and around the autos on display and for sale and the photos speak for themselves.


All of these toy cars and other miscellany greet visitors to the museum right at the entrance.  Fran greeted us and gave us an introduction to the museum as well as the price list for those vehicles that were up for sale.  She was very friendly and enthusiastic! 

We were the only visitors at the museum right after the lunch hour.  As I mentioned in my first post, this location on a secondary street keeps this gem of an attraction ‘hidden’ from the general public.

For your information, that large red ‘toy car’ at the right is a 50% scale of a 1986 Ferrari Testarossa Junior.  It was built by Go-Cart Prestige and it’s equipped with an electric key start motor, a 2-speed manual transmission, CD player, adjustable seats and much, much more.  These $50,000 toys were sold as Christmas presents for good little boys and girls through FAO Schwartz and Neiman Marcus… The last one that was on the market was sold to a Prince in Dubai for $110,000. 




I took a number of close-up photos of some of these first class ‘kiddie’ toys.  My favorite in this group was the blue car…


This old Monark bicycle has that classic look.  My first bicycle was similar in appearance but unlike Monark bikes it was heavy…and it was a girl’s bike…a hand-me-down from my mother.

Monark was based in Chicago and it started out as a battery manufacturer in the early part of the twentieth century.  Their Monark Silver King bikes were made from aluminum.  The company began building relatively lightweight bicycles under the name Silver King in the 1930s and continued into the 1950s.  

I found a 1935 version up for sale on the Internet that has a Montgomery Ward faceplate on it…my former employer.  Price: $1,799.00!  Check it out at https://budgetbicyclectr.com/1935-monark-silver-king-bicycle.html.


Perhaps you’re into clocks…or beer advertising objects.  How about this grandfather clock built to look like the tower at St. Louis’s Anheuser-Busch Brewery!


Into fast food icons?  How about Ronald McDonald or perhaps his buddy Grimace!  I actually prefer that Sinclair Oil Company Aircraft fuel pump.  I think that it’s the first one I’ve ever seen. 

Founded in 1916, Sinclair is based in Salt Lake City Utah and it’s the 51st largest private company in the USA.  There are 2,607 filling stations in 20 states.  It’s owned by Robert Holding whose net worth is estimated to be $3,200,000,000.


This is a 1916 Cretors Improved Special Model D Popcorn Wagon.  It cost $1,200 when it was new.  Cretors was established in 1885 with the invention of the first large-scale popcorn machine to pop corn in oil.  This Chicago area company is still owned by the Cretors family.  To check out what the company markets today, go to http://www.cretors.com/store/start.asp?i=1.

Note:

·       In July of 1988, the United State Postal Service issued a 16.7 cent postage stamp that featured an illustration of the Cretors 1902 Model of the No. 1 Wagon. 



One wall of the auto exhibit floor was lined with a plethora of different antique and collectible toys.  I took a close up of 2 shelves of the boat/water related showcase…


What would an auto museum be without a reproduction Rock-Ola Bubbler Jukebox Model CD8-B?!  Equipped with an updated sound system, this beauty is for sale.  Price: $6,495.


This is a strikingly beautiful 1860s era Wells Fargo Concord Stagecoach.  It was built by the Abbot-Downing Company, a coach and carriage builder based in Concord New Hampshire.  The business was founded in 1813 and dissolved in 1901.  The company name was sold to Wells Fargo which, since 2012 has used Abbot Downing as the name for its ultra-high-net-worth management service.

Note:

·       At one point in 1868, a train left the Abbot-Downing factory carrying 30 Concord Coaches that had been built for the Wells Fargo Company in Omaha Nebraska.  It was a special relationship and the name carries on…


This is an 1892 Colt Caliber 45-70 Gatling gun.  This early machine gun was invented by Dr. Richard Gatling in 1861 and was used by the Union Army during the war.  This weapon was last used in the Russo-Japanese War which ended in 1905.  (The Japanese won that war)

Although Dr. Gatling was an MD, he never practiced medicine.  He was more interested in a career as an inventor.  In addition to the Gatling gun, he patented inventions to improve toilets, bicycles, steam-cleaning of raw wool, a screw propeller for ships, a wheat drill (planting device), a hemp break machine, a marine steam ram and a motor-driven plow.


Sometimes it’s the little things that really catch the eye.  This hood ornament (actually a radiator cap) is a greyhound that is mounted on a 1934 Lincoln Model KA522.


The angel with the wheel is on a 1934 Packard Eight 1101.


This standing angel graces the hood of a 1926 Rolls Royce Phantom I Sedenca.


Love this archer!  He’s poised to shoot his arrow from the hood of a 1935 Pierce Arrow Twelve SS Limousine.


The last of the hood ornaments that I photographed was this swan.  It is mounted on a 1936 Packard Twelve Model 1408.

Automobile and truck hood (radiator cap) ornaments are very collectible and relatively affordable.  Prices are all over the place but I saw quite a few that I liked for under $100 (current bid) on eBay.  Check them out at https://www.collectorsweekly.com/classic-cars/hood-ornaments/auctions?sort=mostWatched.


The exhibit hall/show room walls were covered with old signs for gas stations, oil, tires, car parts and more.  Since I am in debt to my aunt who took care of my mother when her health was poor…and since her husband was an executive for Coca Cola, I was drawn to this old post office Coca Cola sign that probably graced a general store somewhere.  Of course, Coca Cola signs and memorabilia are hot collectibles…


Do you want to buy something different?  …something that belongs in another slower day and age?  How about this 2-passenger Portland Cutter Sleigh that was built by the Owosso Carriage and Sleigh Company.  It could be yours for $2,995.


Do you prefer warmer weather for your horse drawn excursions?  Well one option would be this vintage “SUV”, a surrey with the fringe on top.  Horse not included!  Price: $2,995.

Note:

·       If you want something a bit faster, the St. Louis Auto Museum also has 5 aircraft in their inventory.  Unfortunately they weren’t on display here at the museum.  They range from a Waco BSO Fixed Wing SE (#1 below) for $135,900 up to a 1954 Harvard T-6 MK IV for $199,900. (#2 below)

#2



I’ll end our tour of St. Louis Car Museum and Sales with something sporty, fast and patriotic!  This is a 2003 American Ironhorse Legend Chopper.  It was designed to commemorate how the USA came together as nation after the terrorist attacks on 9/11/01.  This motorcycle only has had one owner and it only has 282 miles on the odometer.  It’s powered by a 107 cl Super Sidewinder V-Twin.  Price: $13,900.

We really enjoyed the time we spent at the St. Louis Car Museum and Sales facility!  Our thanks to Fran Hernandez at the front desk, Danny working in the showroom and to Sarah Boothby, the company’s Marketing Manager.  Sarah’s objective is to raise the public profile of this interesting museum and display facility.  It is indeed a “hidden gem” in our opinion.  If you have any interest in autos, design, transportation collectibles this should be a ‘must stop’ for you in the St. Louis area.

St. Louis Car Museum and Sales is located at 1575 Woodson Road in St. Louis Missouri.  Phone: 314-993-1330.  Admission for adults is $8.00 and children 12 and under are $4.00.  The museum is on Facebook and the website is at: www.stlouiscarmuseum.com. 

Just click on any of the photos to enlarge them…

Thanks for stopping by for a visit!

Take Care, Big Daddy Dave

2 comments:

  1. I miss the old hood ornaments and still have the Ram's head from our old Dodge Ramcharger.

    ReplyDelete