Determining Values – Getting Started

What’s it worth?  When it comes to vintage wagons and western vehicles, this may be the most common question we all hear.  It’s a query laden with challenges because no matter how similar a set of vehicles may appear on the surface, no two are exactly the same.  Complicating the matter even more, poorly appraised or non-supported asking prices (too high or too low) are sometimes assumed to be the same as actual confirmed values. 

In Volume One of our book series, Borrowed Time – A Tribute to the Wheels that Built the American West, we introduced the first-ever profile of what we believe are the typical value-drivers of these early wood-wheeled vehicles.  Within that bonus feature, a dozen elements are highlighted and explored.  While ‘condition’ and ‘confirmed originality’ are two themes crucial to collector-quality vehicles, each of the twelve points, when carefully considered, can be of tremendous assistance in helping determine the most rewarding purchases. 

Clearly, not every old set of wheels will grow in value at a pace consistent with the best pieces.  That’s why it’s important to look closely and knowledgeably in every circumstance.  On the flip side of the same coin is the subject of how to best care for your vehicle to help protect and grow its value.  We’ll share more on that topic later in this blog. 

Secrets to Cleaning

As I’ve shared before in this blog, the January 2012 horse drawn vehicle symposium conducted by the Carriage Association of America and the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation was full of fascinating material.  Each of the presentations was followed by a period of questions from the audience.  One of the most interesting queries in this segment was posed to conservator, Brian Howard of B.R. Howard & Associates.  An audience member asked how best to clean a fresh, original horse-drawn vehicle "find."  Mr. Howard’s answer pointed to a Q-tip and steady supply of saliva.

While the abbreviated answer may not have 'seemed' to carry the details that some may have expected, it was a very appropriate reply for a number of reasons.  Mr. Howard later shared that enzymes in saliva can actually help break down oily films and, with such capabilities, this readily-available fluid is often used in sensitive cleaning tests.  Of course, vehicles with flaking paint require a different approach utilizing experienced direction and steady caution. 

Ultimately, the straight-forward response clearly reinforced another important implication; that every project is unique and any purported “cleaning” should not be rushed but approached with a slow and very deliberate, professional intent.  Too often, irreplaceable history and information, not to mention vehicle values and condition have been forever lost due to impatience, inexperience and disregard for the true worth of an original condition, antique wood-wheeled vehicle. 

We offer our sincerest thank you to Brian Howard and his extraordinary team of professionals for their consistent, responsible and scholarly approach to conserving so much of the world’s history.  Shown in this blog are a few images highlighting conservative work done on the legendary "Aluminum Wagon" built by Studebaker Bros. Manufacturing Company in 1893.  If you’d like to see more of their exceptional conservative work, you can visit their website at www.brhoward.com

Army Wagon Information

While we’re on the subject of military vehicles (see last week's blog), I thought I’d pass along a quick review of a book published in 2009 that covers early war wagons for the U.S. military.  For those looking for solid research and accurate details on military escort wagons and other vehicles, Thomas Lindmier’s book, “The Great Blue Army Wagon,” is an excellent resource.  The subject is well laid out into multiple eras, making it extremely helpful for collectors, re-enactors, writers, historians, museums and enthusiasts.  Published by the Carriage Museum of America, the book offers well chronicled insights into colors and designs as well as a multitude of specifications that haven’t readily been available in the past.  The work even includes military harness information.  Mr. Lindmier was involved in years of research that ultimately took him all the way to the Smithsonian Archives.  The finished piece is a book that instantly found a home among the trove of reference materials in our Wheels That Won The West® Archives.

Needles & Haystacks…

Over the years, we’ve been extremely privileged to have been able to help uncover and document so much previously unknown information related to America’s early western vehicles.  As part of those successes, however, there have been plenty of times the lack of answers has delivered a strong dose of humility.  This wood-wheeled subject is huge, daunting and may never be completely studied.  Fortunately, the thrill of the chase has provided plenty of impetus to keep digging. 

 

 

A good case in point;  Roughly six years ago, we acquired a pair of old photographs showing what appeared to be some type of U.S. military supply wagon.  It’s not one we’ve seen promoted or written about nor were we able to quickly locate a source to properly identify the vehicle.  Recently, though, we finally placed a stamp of success on this search when we uncovered military paperwork showing the unique design to be a “Tool Wagon” built to carry a multitude of equipment for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.  The rare photos we had collected are from the mid-teens in the 20^th century and are now accompanied by an original, near-century-old set of plans drawn up by the War Department.

 

In discovery after discovery, the Wheels That Won The West® Archives have grown significantly while simultaneously gaining a reputation for sleuthing out obscure or lost horse drawn vehicle history.  As we continue this blog, we’re looking forward to sharing even more documented findings and encourage you to share your own questions related to early heavy vehicle design, use, brand, purpose and so forth.  We look forward to hearing from you.

Springfield & Schuttler

While we’re on the subject of Peter Schuttler and that brand’s relationship to the Springfield Wagon Company, I thought it might be pertinent to share a few images recently passed on to us by Doug Hansen of Hansen Wheel and Wagon Shop in Letcher, South Dakota. 

For years, I’ve looked for surviving examples of Schuttler-labeled wagons built by Springfield.  After all, we know the transitional history of the brand (see last week’s post) and I have catalogs from Springfield showing the Schuttler-branded vehicles they offered.  In spite of that awareness though, I’d never seen one until Doug relayed these images of a wagon he ran across. 

From all indications (there are numerous ‘blended’ features from Schuttler & Springfield), this Schuttler wagon appears to be one of the intermediary vehicles built by Springfield shortly after their acquisition of the Schuttler brand in the mid 1920’s. 

The Ultimate Insult?

For collectors and fans of the legendary Peter Schuttler wagon brand and the quality vehicles built by the company, learning how the name was used later on may seem a bit unpleasant. Many are aware that the Springfield Wagon Company in Springfield, Missouri acquired the rights for the Schuttler name after the Chicago company closed in 1925. Fewer are familiar with all the ways the name was used afterward.

While Springfield certainly branded some wagons as Schuttler, they also identified one of their gears as the Schuttler “Donkey”. Clearly, this was intended to help grow sales and distribution as a sister product to Springfield’s “Missouri Mule” wagon gear. But, with such a strong western history and immensely powerful reputation, being labeled as a ‘donkey’ seems a bit over the top today. No doubt, at the time, the resilience and strength of the four legged animal was likely meant to be a compliment and selling feature. Go figure.

Arizona’s Wagon Masters

Earlier this year, our January 11^th post shared some details related to freight wagons used in the construction of the Roosevelt Dam at the turn of the twentieth century.  As a follow-up to that listing, archeologist Jon Czaplicki with the Arizona Bureau of (Water) Reclamation, Salt River Project recently wrote to let us know of a segment of their website they just completed. 

Celebrating the Centennial Anniversary of the completion of the Roosevelt Dam, the “Wagon Masters” section of the site includes some wonderful, early shots of heavy, wood-wheeled vehicles at work in and around the dam site.  Take a look at the collection of early freight wagon and coaching images at the link below.  Thanks again to Jon Czaplicki and the Arizona Bureau of Reclamation, Salt River Project for helping preserve this important part of America’s horse-drawn history.  Click Here to check out their site…