"RARE ANTIQUE 1800s LOT OF ORIGINAL US PATENT MODELS DRAWER OAR SCISSOR ARM!"
From the lost crate in Cliff Petersen's collection of original American patent models comes this lot of various patent models made of wood. They were saved from the fire at the US Patent Office that occurred on September 24, 1877. Thousands of patent models got damaged and ended up being broken, missing pieces and patent tags, but even with what is left, it is possible to see the ingenious minds of American inventors. I can recognize a furniture drawer with an ornate pull handle, a part of a bed frame, an oar of a boat, and a scissor arm extension with unusual metal cups in joints.
Cliff Petersen and his friend acquired many patent models that were stored in multiple crates. Some models were quite complete, while others had only a few parts somehow attached either with ribbons or placed in plastic bags. Since the models were saved from the fire of 1877 in such a hectic manner, it turned out that one model could be separated into multiple parts and end up in different crates. The crates were sold to many collectors or donated to museums across the United States. I believe it is still possible to reunite some of the disjointed patent models by carefully researching and documenting the parts and patent tags.
Each patent model, whether it is a complete example or not, is a unique historical example, an important link in a chain of American inventions. Up to 1880, the United States Patent Office required an inventor to submit a model that would represent the invention in miniature. Every such model was made by hand, either by the inventor himself or by a skilled model maker. Both would use different materials to create patent models. Some parts were borrowed from everyday objects like clocks, tin cans, and cigar boxes, and some were hand cast out of brass, bronze, iron, and miscellaneous alloys. The models were submitted by inventors even after the year 1880. If the patent was granted, the model would receive a special government red tape that was tied to the model to hold the identification paper, or later a cloth tag with a handwritten patent number, the name of the inventor, and the invention. Along with the paper tag, there was a receiving tag of a smaller size.
The Patent Office accumulated those models and displayed them in a big building available for the public to view. Unfortunately, the first fire broke out in 1836 and destroyed almost all early models and records. The second fire broke out in 1877. Many models were destroyed by fire or damaged. After 1880, the Patent Office ran out of storage space, and the models were placed abruptly in crates and stored in farm barns in horrible conditions. Many got damaged because of mishandling, insects, and humidity. What fire didn't have a chance to destroy, inappropriate storage did. That is why many models you see today have missing pieces, breakages, damage, or missing paper tags. It is a miracle that some of the models survived at all after going through so much in their lives! Please, handle these fragile historical pieces with care. Especially when it comes to the extremely fragile and brittle paper tags and the leftover pieces of original ribbons. Since the patent models were made in the United States and they are more than a hundred years old, I believe there should not be any duties on them. I can carefully design a reliable package and ship this lot anywhere in the world. Please note that free shipping is available only to the USA and Canada. If you live in a country other than the United States or Canada, please ask me for the exact shipping quote before bidding. I am also aware of changes in the Canada-US shipping policies, and I will do everything to either minimize or, if possible, avoid you paying any duties on items coming to the United States from Canada.
AUCTION TO HELP MY MOM!
Hello everybody, and thank you for visiting my eBay auctions! My name is Roma, and I am from Langley, British Columbia, Canada. These months, I will be listing some interesting objects from different collections to raise funds and help my mom with her medical expenses. This is a great opportunity for everyone, including collectors and museums, to get unusual, rare, and one-of-a-kind examples. All items come from a smoke-free environment. If you have any questions or suggestions, you are welcome to let me know. Be sure to check my other listings for something rare and exciting!