SFAW Public Auction

They are looking for quick cash, period. The last intact antique carousel that was sold at auction was mine, nearly two years ago. It fetched $715,000, considerably under the estimates. It had just gone through a $250,000 mechancal overhaul, and was cosmetically in pristine conditon. The market for this stuff is much softer than it was fifteen years ago. I wager they think they can get a million and a half for it when all is said and done. They'll be lucky if they get half that. *** Edited 12/23/2005 5:14:30 PM UTC by Dutchman***

And which carousel was that?

The Broadway Flying Horses, formerly of San Diego Seaport Village.

Just out of curiosity, what SF park doesn't have a carousel?

Do you have any information on that carousel? I'm curious!

What do you want to know Rob? I helped restore it, and managed and maintained it for twenty five years. It was a 46' three abreast stationary horse Looff originally built in 1890,first operated on Coney Island. It's last owner on the Island was Wm. F. Mangels,partnered with a man with the last name of Gut. It survived the Dreamland fire, and was eventually sold to the Culver and Batdorf families of Salisbury Beach, MA. At this time it was converted to a jumping horse machine (with M.C.Illions converting the inside two rows to jumping configuration). A new steam power plant and a Gebruder Bruder book organ were furnished with it.
It was erected in Salisbury Beach mid summer 1914.The families owned and operated it untill 1933 when it was sold when the partnership was dissolved. At that time it was purchased by Samuel Rogers, who named it the Broadway Flying Horses (it was located on Broadway in Salisbury Beach).He replaced the steam power plant with a 15hp Westinghouse electric motor. Members of the Rogers family operated it untill 1975 when it was sold to local amusement operator Roger Shaheen. He operated it for one year, and then sold it to Bryant L. Morris Development,INC. It was to be restored and placed in his new bay front center in San Diego.
The restoration was started by a firm called Amusements for America. However it ran into financial difficulties, and the carousel had to be retrieved. At his time former Cedar Point restoration artist Thomas Layton was hired to oversee the completion of the machine. It was completed mid summer 1980 and operated there untill April 17,2004, when the bank that took control of the family trust that owned it had it sold at auction. The bank had told the media that they felt that "it was not an appropriate asset" for the trust.
I had interested six individuals who were interested in operating it at that location. However controling interest in Seaport Village had been sold to a property management company, who refused to write anything but a two year lease, as opposed to the longer leases the previous management wrote. Under these terms all but one of the prospective bidders dropped out of the picture. That gentleman had owned one of the premier carnivals on the west coast. When the bidding went above $650,000, he dropped out, apollogizing to me saying above that price he couldn't make it work. It sold to an unidentified individual for a total of $715,000, far below Norton's estimate of $850,000. The winning bidder had everybody involved in the transaction sign a non disclosure agreement. I know who dismantled it shipped it out, but it's final destination is unknown.

Wow... thanks! That is exactly what I wanted to know!

I love carousels with a rich history and it sounds like yours definitely has one. I really hope that the carousel surfaces again in the near future- do you have any indication that the current owner plans on keeping the machine whole instead of selling it off piece by piece?

I don't suppose you have any pictures, do you? If you do, PM me and I'll give you my email address. I'd love to see what the machine looks/looked like!

Good news about the SFAW carousel:

http://www.ydr.com/newsfull/ci_3348128

The 1.2 million reserve means that it's being sold intact, at a price where it would not really be economical for a dealer to buy it to break it up. Someone could do something insane, of course, but it's unlikely.

Sounds like there's a pretty good chance it will end up being moved to another park.

GWH

Or it won't be sold at all. That's a hefty reserve, not likely to be met for that size machine. It's not an elaborate machine, although it does have a nice selection of menagerie figures. If I recall has a step platform and painted scenery typical of a late Gustav Dentzel carousel, before he started using his son Williams designs (that would be around 1903)which were the elaborate Jester sheild and mirrors that are associated with the later output of the firm.

What I meant is, moved to another SF park :)

The menagerie figures in the inner two rows are pretty typical Dentzel menagerie. However, the outer row standers by Muller are really spectacular - the armored horse is one of the two or three best examples he ever did. The same is true of the lion, the hippocampus, and the Indian pony.

It's the last operating example of a carousel with all the fancy outer row Muller figures, so on that basis alone it would be a real shame to lose it.

(The Muller carousel at Cedar Point is missing its outer row of standers - it started as a 5 abreast carousel, but was modified long before CP acquired it.)

GWH

It would depend upon which park. Some of them take great pride in their antique machines, while some others would just as soon get rid of theirs and put a new Chance-Morgan in it's place. As far as the CP Muller, I'm a CP alum from over thirty years ago. I always prefered the Dentzel that was in Frontiertown (now at Dorney).

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The same is true of the lion, the hippocampus, and the Indian pony.

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the hippocampus? That sounds like a carousel that belongs in a hospital!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hippocampus

A hippocampus is a mythical sea horse. The medical term is derived from the original meaning. The figure on the carousel is a horse with a fish's tail and scales. ..not a giant piece of brain. Considering that the Bronx zoo now has a bug carousel, a medical carousel is probably inevitable. :P

Here's a picture of the non brain related hippocampus at Astroworld.

http://www.sixflagshouston.com/photos/Dentzel-Carousel/AstroWorld_Hippocampus_2004_01

This is one of the rarest of all carousel figures. *** Edited 12/29/2005 3:50:30 AM UTC by ponypainter***

Very nice indeed.

Figures it originally came from Pennsylvania (as do most good things). Maybe it will come back to PA. Let's see, if I take my Christmas money and bonus, I'm only short $1,199,050. And that's if nobody else bids on it.

It's an awesome looking and sounding carousel. Only a total doofus would not recognize the intrinsic artistic and historical value of it. Yeah, well...

Good thing there are no doofuses left in the world ;)

In true theme park fashion...
"Parking will only be available at the park's administration building at 9001 Kirby Dr.,and parking is $10 for passenger vehicles and $50 for trailers."

The Carousel and steam train were both removed from the auction before it ever began (likely some other park(s) offered to buy these two ride privately)

These rides were sold at the auction:
Gunslinger (Chance Yo-Yo) for $23,000
Looping Starship (Intamin) for $17,000
Barnstormer (skycoaster) for $5,000
Serpent (Arrow mini mine train) - track only for $4,000

These rides were bid on, but didn't meet the reserve price Six Flags set (buyer has option to buy at reserve price, otherwise Six Flags will find some other way to sell):
Mayan Mindbender (Vekoma) high bid of $9,000
Viper (Schwarzkopf Looping Star) high bid of $8,000
Greezed Lightnin' (Schwarzkopf Shuttle Loop) high bid of $8,000
XLR-8 (Arrow Suspended Coaster) high bid of $7,000

*** Edited 1/8/2006 12:33:53 AM UTC by SFZIP***

SFZIP,

Thanks for the update, just out of curiousity, what were the reserves for the coasters that didn't meet the reserve.

If it's like eBay, only the seller is aware of the reserve price.