A22—Lancaster Fuming, Saturday, May 24,1980
Carriage goes
INTERCOURSE If you
noticed a few more cars with
out-of-state license plates
winding down the Lancaster
County roads near In
tercourse last Thursday,
Friday, and Saturday, these
folks probably weren’t just
the usual Dutch country
tourists.
Over 600 buyers registered
at the 9th annual Carriage,
Sleigh, and Antique Auction
held by Martin Auctioneers,
Inc. They came from about
40 states and Canada.
The tents at the sales
pavillion were crowded with
people and horse drawn
vehicles.
Strolling around the
grounds, some of the
carnage specimens took a
bit of imagination to
visualize them actually
rolling down the road, either
in the past or future. But to
an expert’s eye, these
weather beaten, seen-there
better-days carriages of
fered a challenge in
restoration.
Others were shined and
polished to a piano-top finish
so that a passer-by could see
his own reflection. And even
Rows and rows of carriages rolled across the auction block at Martin’s Ninth
Annual Carriage, Sleigh, and Antique sale.
the novice carriage en
thusiast could appreciate the
time and effort put into
reshaping the antique mode
of transport.
Around 250 vehicles were
sold on Saturday, bringing to
a grand finale the two
previous days’ sales of
antiques and horse related
items.
' According to Martins, the
Friday evening sale of horse
equipment went on into
Saturday’s early morning
hours.
“The people stuck with us,
so we sold until 1:45 in the
morning. If we hadn’t sold so
late on Friday, the Saturday
sale would have lasted until
midnight instead of finishing
up at 8 p.m.”
The top price paid for a
carriage this year was
$12,700. Douglas Cater, of
Gallupville, New York,
became the proud new
owner of a 6-passenger mud
wagon made by Abbott &
Downing.
The extra light vehicle
that looks like a stage coach
to the untrained eye did not
top the sale record for price
paid for a single carnage.
for $l2
Martins said that several
years ago, a stage coach sold
for $25,000.
One of the top-pnced
vehicles will be rolling out to
the windy state of Kansas.
An immaculate carriage,
known as a panel boot vic
toria, sold for $7700 to a
Kansas carriage enthusiast.
Thomas Gerrity, from
Moscow, Lackawanna
County, bought a hearse
manufactured by Cun
ningham Carriage Co.,
Cleveland, Ohio about 1887.
The hearse came complete
with a plain wood coffin, and
sold for $3OOO.
The carnage lamps that
were on the hearse were sold
separately, bringing $BOO for
the pair.
Following the hearse in the
sale, a carnage called a
rockaway because of its
unique suspension for a
smoother nde sold for $4lOO.
What was special about
this rockaway? It was made
by the Cunningham Carriage
Co., Cleveland, Ohio, and
was in original condition,
with a front seat that was
reversible.
Another unique vehicle
grand
that rolled across the auction
block was a vis-a-vis
wagonette. This four
wheeled carnage was im
ported from England and
was totally restored.
It was equipped with three
With the carriage lamps of a top-selling hearse in the foreground, sleighs and
carts in all sizes and states of repair filled the tents and grounds around the
sales pavilion.
seats, two facing front and
with the one behind the
driver’s seat facing to the
rear. That’s why it’s called a
vis-a-vis, because that’s
French for face-to-face.
The Martins’ carnage
auction, famous throughout
the world, is over for this
May. For anyone interested
in seeing probably the
largest collection of horse
drawn vehicles gathered
under tents in one sales
pavilion (at least in Lan
caster County, if not the
world), they should plan to
wander on down to In
tercourse in August when the
next carriage auction will
bring back memories of
yesteryear.
n