The Mailbag: Salesman’s Sample

Published on April 27, 2010 in History and The Mailbag. 0 Comments

One of our favorite correspondents wrote regarding this beautiful little pram:

I have attached a photo of a small (8 inch) doll stroller that I unearthed at a sale recently but although it has a label (Red Brand) Made in France I can’t seem to come up with any info or dates.

This lovely thing is a salesman’s model.  In the heyday of prams, it made sense for salesmen to carry small versions; hauling even one full-size model around wasn’t really feasible, and what could evoke the charm of a full-size perambulator more than a miniature version?  This model’s design is very typical of post-WWII prams, and undoubtedly dates from the late 1940s-1950s.

Our correspondent’s pram is especially nice because it includes the apron – an accessory often lost, even when it belongs to a full-sized pram.  Here’s a close look at the hood arms and the apron attachment:

There are even little leather suspension straps on the chassis, just like the ones on a “real” pram:

The full-size version would have had buckles, of course, rather than a fixed strap; some concessions were necessary as a result of miniaturization.  In spite of that, the detailing is quite impressive.  Look at the piping on the hood, for example:

There were probably other models, from other companies, but, as of now, I haven’t seen any survivors that weren’t marked “Red” and “made in France”:

It’s interesting that this style of pram is utterly English, and, though the sample was made in France, the label is in English, suggesting that the salesmen in question were from Great Britain or the USA.

It’s likely that the actual prams delivered, once the sale was made, differed at least somewhat from the samples, as tends to happen once an order is placed.  That’s often due to manufacturing variances, but, of course, buyers — whether retail or private — may also have been given the option of choosing from a range of custom colors.   I do wonder, though, how many prospective customers fell in love with these tiny versions, and might have settled just as happily for them, rather than the full-sized ones.

Spotted In The Wild: Verve

Published on April 21, 2010 in Spotted In The Wild. 0 Comments

King of Prussia, Pennsylvania.  Britax Verve:

Yep, another fuzzy one.  Low light, far away, no flash.  Included for the record because it’s the only Verve I have ever seen on the road.  It’s like a Zapp, but less felicitous.  For serious spotters out there, here’s what it looks like in focus:

The Verve is no longer on the Britax USA website.  In fact, both of Britax’s USA stroller offerings are pretty dubious; they look to me like lukewarm copies of types that weren’t particularly interesting or practical even in their original incarnations.  That there are only two models offered suggests that Britax isn’t very committed to the US stroller market; something to keep in mind if you might need parts later.

For Your Baby Goth

Published on April 20, 2010 in Miscellany. 0 Comments

Rock Star Baby has you covered:

Yes, that is a cute little baby skull.  Adorned with Swarovski “crystals” if I am not mistaken.  The Rock Stars in question?  Bon Jovi and Tico Torres.  And you thought I was odd.

Image from Rock Star Baby

Spotted In The Wild: Buzz

Published on April 19, 2010 in Spotted In The Wild. 0 Comments

King of Prussia, Pennsylvania.  Quinny Buzz 3:

It’s going into an elevator backwards because, as cool as the tripod wheels are, they’re not so hot for bridging gaps between elevators and static floors.  And it’s blurry because this was a chance shot.  Hey, if you see a rare warbler from very, very far away, it still counts, doesn’t it?  Same here.  It’s not precisely my fault if the documentation is fuzzy.  I try, heaven knows, I try.

The Mailbag: Taylor Tot

Published on April 16, 2010 in The Mailbag. 2 Comments

In the morning mail:

Brian writes:

Would you happen to have any information on this item.  I saw it at a Flea Market last weekend and had to have it.  The woman I got it from said it was from the 1920’s, but there are no markings on it.  It appears to be in original condition.  Could you estimate what it is worth?

These strollers are just irresistible, no matter what the condition, aren’t they?  Even neglected and rusty they have enormous character.  Taylor Tots are quintessentially USA American –  trim, metal and modern even in the pre-WWII era, and nothing like pushchairs from other lands.

This particular one is virtually identical to this model, from 1937:

Although, of course, it’s missing its handle and foot pan.  That’s often the case, as both detached, and tend to stray over the years.

I’ve previously written about determining value here, but Taylor Tot strollers, like a very few others, fall a little outside the general pattern I describe in that post.  Unlike many old strollers and carriages, it’s generally possible to sell a Taylor Tot, unless your price expectations are wildly inflated.

Thousands of Taylor Tots were manufactured from the 1920s through the 1970s, though by the mid-1960s the market was dominated by  flat-folding vinyl models, and “Taylor Tots” of that era were indistinguishable in general style  from every other similar stroller.

Although this particular model is much older than most available today, the strongest sales market is for the more common models from the late 1940s and 1950s.  The classic Taylor Tot, particularly from the 1950s, is beloved by many, and widely available.

Sellers frequently, and optimistically, list Taylor Tots for prices up to $400 (apparently in the mistaken belief that “old” means “rare”).  However, most, in quite good shape with paint intact, sell for between $20 and $70, and often at the lower end of that scale.  Now and then  you’ll see one selling for around $150, or somewhat above, which falls under the heading of  “if you find the right buyer, you may get far more than ‘market value’”, but that is the exception, rather than the rule.

This cute little model has minimal financial value, but is full of charm.

Spotted In The Wild: Bugaboo

Published on April 15, 2010 in Spotted In The Wild. 0 Comments

King of Prussia, Pennsylvania.  Bugaboo with helicopter:

I like a toddler who takes his tech seriously — and somebody in this family has a nice sense of style, too, even if it’s accidental.  Love those reds.

Replacement Straps For A Vintage Carriage

Published on April 14, 2010 in Carriages, Pram Museum and Restoration. 0 Comments

The Pram Museum’s little Herlag (below) arrived with nylon straps instead of the leather straps it originally came with.  Amazingly, whoever did the refurbishment realized that this little pram requires six straps rather than four, and had attached the nylon bits even in the fifth and sixth spots.

My replacement straps came from Ruud Mors in the Netherlands, who sells them individually.  This set is, I believe, the least expensive on his site.  (Click on “Accessories” on his website — the button’s over on the right — for more information about sizes, etc..  The website is in Dutch, German, and English; click on the appropriate flag on the home page to choose.)

I paid about 4 euros per strap.  Shipping and handling are high, of course, though not outrageously worse than the higher domestic USA charges.  However, checking around had amply demonstrated that there was no way I’d be able to get anything like this easily in the USA for anywhere close to this price. I might have been able to find one-inch-wide straps here, but at higher cost, and, in any event, they would not have been usable for the Herlag, which requires straps that are significantly narrower.

I was surprised to see that the buckles seem to be attached upside down; they have a very slight curve which curls up, rather than around, the circle formed by the buckled belt.  The curve is so slight that it doesn’t interfere with function, and it doesn’t matter for appearances in this case, as they are not visible when the pram is in use.  The tip on one strap was cut asymmetrically:  As two of the straps needed to be trimmed in length to fit, that, too, wasn’t the problem it might have been. I suspect that these issues are at least partly due to the low cost; I’m assuming that the specifications and quality control for more expensive ones would be correspondingly higher.

Ruud is extremely helpful, and very quick with email responses; he assured me that his straps would fit my Herlag perfectly (as they did!), and he sent them out very quickly. I wouldn’t hesitate to do business with him again, as he is responsive in a way one hardly sees any more, but I’d definitely be very specific with questions if, in the future,  I were buying straps that would show, especially since trans-Atlantic exchanges are not necessarily a reasonable way to resolve replacement issues.

Here’s the underside of the Herlag, after I installed the straps. (The white you see underneath has nothing to do with the Herlag; it’s cardboard to protect both pram and floor from scratches and dings.)

Everyone who loves old prams is used to seeing spring connectors at the four “corners” near the wheels, but observant souls will have noticed that the old high coach prams also have a third set, which goes from the underside of the pram bed to the lower frame on the chassis — just like this little guy.

The third set is to prevent lateral sway.  They are the straps that seem to be lying horizontally, across the bottom of the Herlag.  (They haven’t been trimmed yet, which is why they’re resting like that; the loop between the body and chassis is far too big.)

Here’s a close up of the strap installation.  I’ve turned the Herlag over, below, but still haven’t trimmed the sway strap, which you can see in the background.  Note that the strap next to the wheel is attached to a post that is, in turn, bolted onto the chassis.  Don’t make the mistake of accidentally attaching the strap to the axle, which is just under the post.

If you’re restoring a carriage like this one, or a true pram, you might think that you should make the center set of straps as tight as possible.  Nothing could be more wrong!  Make sure to attach them so that there is a little “give” between the chassis and the body.  You want the straps loose enough to allow a spring to the ride, but snug enough so that the pram will not move freely from side to side.

Once the straps are installed, you’ll need to check that your pram is level all around, and that you’ve got spring and sway adjusted just right.  Lots of modern prams and pushchairs are a joy to push, but nothing can match the roll of vintage carriages with leather “springs”.  Oh-la-la!

Related:  Long To See An Herlag?

Spotted In The Wild: Buzz

Published on April 13, 2010 in Spotted In The Wild. 0 Comments

King of Prussia, Pennsylvania.  Quinny Buzz:

Sometimes pram-spotting requires an eagle’s eye and a fast hand on the shutter.

Sulky, Redux. And Doubled.

Published on April 12, 2010 in History. 0 Comments

The Pram Museum has a single-seat sulky, and a fair amount of documentation about sulkies in general, but nothing describing this sweet little vehicle, a two-baby transporter:

(Normally we obscure the faces of little ones on this blog, but it’s safe to say that the identity of these two cuties is not likely to be compromised by publishing this photo.  I suspect they are at least seventy years old now, and not readily identified by peering at this photo.)

The wooden armrests are a nice touch, and there may be some minimal padding along the seat backs (a nicety that our sulky lacks) .  The tires look as if they came off a classic tricycle, and it looks as if there are four of them — which makes one wonder:  Why is this a sulky, and pulled, instead of a stroller, and pushed?

Related:  Mailbag:  A Sulky

Spotted In The Wild: 4Rider Light

Published on April 9, 2010 in Spotted In The Wild. 0 Comments

King of Prussia, Pennsylvania.  Mutsy 4Rider Light in “college ocean”:

mt4-300Must be a 2009, since it appears that “college ocean” isn’t a color choice (in the USA, at least) in 2010.  Too bad; it’s striking.  I’d confirm this guess, but Mutsy’s site is purgatorial.  Pushed by a dad, who seemed to be enjoying the walk very much.

A static picture just doesn’t capture it, but you can’t miss the beauty and grace of this buggy.  Aesthetically speaking, among contemporary prams, it’s the crème de la crème.