This lot is closed. Bidding ended on 6/30/2005.
Although carousels have been around in one form or another since the early days of the Byzantine Empire (circa 500 A.D.), they reached their greatest fame during their short "Golden Period" in America in the first few decades of the 1900s. Most prolific at the famed Coney Island, the Brooklyn amusement park boasts over 25 of them in its history. This wooden motorcycle was riding on a Coney Island carousel from the 1910s through approximately WWII. It is completely original, hand carved and has not been restored or repainted. It measures over 50" long and 33 1/2' tall, with intact padded leather seat, hammered tin rear fender and accents. It is bolted to a metal base with a 1 1/2" hole through the front wheel, where it would have been attached to the carousel pole. The manufacturer "Atha's" is painted in black letters on either side above the front fender. It is missing the front headlight mount and surrounding wood, but the headlight base and wiring is intact. There are several cracks and chips throughout this vintage piece. Once decommissioned, it was stored in the special Coney Island Amusement Repository where old rides were retired to. In storage for over 25 years, our consignor purchased it over 30 years ago directly from the Repository, which would occasionally sell stored items on the direct authority of Coney Island. The only other known motorcycle carousel dates from 1916 and is currently at Martha's Vineyard. Also included is a vintage 7 1/2" diameter roll of numbered 15 cent beige amusement ride tickets, a perfect match for this rare carousel motorcycle. Shipping will be expensive for this item.