Pennsylvania auction to benefit restoration of historic 1905 carousel

POTTSTOWN, Pa. – Citizens of the historic eastern Pennsylvania city of Pottstown have banded together with additional supporters of The Carousel at Pottstown project to plan a fundraising auction for Wednesday, April 23rd. All profits from the event will go directly toward the ongoing restoration of a 1905 Philadelphia Toboggan Co., carousel for Pottstown’s city center.
An outstanding selection of donated antiques and quality collectibles will be offered at the auction, which will be held at Maurer & Wilson Auctioneers’ 132 E. 3rd Street gallery. Licensed auctioneers Kathy Maurer and Curt Wilson will preside over the uncataloged, country-style sale commencing at 10 a.m.

“Pottstown has always been known as a pickers’ paradise for rare antiques,” said Carousel at Pottstown committee spokesperson George Wausnock. “The people of our city have been very generous and supportive with our past fundraisers, but this time they’ve outdone themselves. We’ve received some terrific auction items, which will go a long way in helping us achieve our remaining goal of $400,000.”

One of the sale’s top highlights comes from veteran Pennsylvania auctioneer Ted Maurer, who happens to be Kathy Maurer’s father. He has donated a 3ft by 3ft galleon made around 1900 by inmates at New York’s Sing Sing prison. In addition to its impressive size, the model ship boasts hand-knotted rigging and realistic plank decks.

Two-gallon stoneware jug with cobalt blue sunflower motif and embossed with manufacturer’s name ‘J.M. Harris, Easton, Pa.’ (Submitted photos)

Among the toys to be auctioned are a Lionel Model 385E standard gauge train set with individual boxes, an early Steiff bear on wheels, and numerous tin and cast-iron toys, including an antique horse-drawn cast-iron circus wagon. Another sub-category is Disneyana, with featured lots including Mickey Mouse watches in their original boxes, and a boxed set of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs figures.

An enviable collection of milk glass includes musical milk-glass unicorns. Additionally, the auction includes rare stoneware, large and small advertising items, Oriental rugs, and an antique European carousel horse. A large, single-owner collection of commemorative knives includes coveted World’s Fair souvenirs.

The sports collectibles category is led by a rare, SGC-graded 1953 Topps Mickey Mantle baseball card. Other sports memorabilia runs the gamut of baseball, football, golf, boxing and car racing, with a number of racing photos and programs pertaining to Indianapolis and local racetracks. There are many other early, signed sports photos and ephemera items.

The auction is rounded out with a broad selection of old tools, quilts, comic books, Boy Scout memorabilia, kitchen utensils (including agate), and Beatles LPs.

The Wednesday, April 23, 2014 auction will be held at Maurer & Wilson Auctioneers’ gallery at 132 E. 3rd St., Pottstown, PA 19464, commencing at 10 a.m. The preview will be held on Tuesday, April 22 from 4-6 p.m., and from 8-10 a.m. on auction day. The carousel committee welcomes any additional auction donations up to and including the day of the auction.

For additional information, call George Wausnock at 610-327-4062, email wausey@comcast.net; or call Fred Hoffman at 610-327-2871. To view images of the carousel’s progress, log on to pottstowncarousel.org.