…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
I miss the old hood ornaments and still have the Ram's head from our old Dodge Ramcharger.
ReplyDelete:) Love, cat.
ReplyDelete