Grandpa Found Case Old Abe Statue in Scrap Pile
February 26, 2017Grandpa found something pretty cool.
I got a Facebook message this weekend from Mark Reid from Stratford, Ontario. Mark has an interesting item he’s looking for help selling. Here’s a pic:
Yep, a cast iron Old Abe dealership Eagle statue. The story on how Mark’s grandpa found and acquired it made me smile. I’ll let Mark tell the tale:
“It used to belong to my grandfather and was proudly on display for as long as I can remember on his property,” said Reid.
“Grandpa collected all kinds of things from fine china and pottery to old tools and glass lamps. It was like growing up in an antique warehouse. He was always on the lookout for the next best piece. As a mink farmer he traveled lots of places. Well, broken down one day he stopped at a garage. While waiting for the repair grandpa spotted the statue in a scrap pile behind the garage. He made whatever deal and Old Abe came home in the back of that repaired truck. The details of how the eagle got to garage scrap pile will always remain a mystery.”
Here are couple more pics of Old Abe:
Old Abe statues were on display at Case dealerships back in the 1930's - 1940's. So, what do Case dealership Old Abe Eagles sell for? Prices all over the map the past few years. Here are a few I’ve seen sold at auction:
10/22/16 auction Illinois: $9,500
8/6/16 auction Minnesota: $10,000
12/14/14 auction South Dakota: $11,750
6/3/15 auction Saskatchewan: $24,000 (CAD)
3/15/14 auction Pennsylvania: $3,700
6/6/14 auction Maryland: $8,100
6/6/14 auction Tennessee: $4,250
5/25/10 auction (online) Kansas: $2,860
Here’s Youtube video from 11/14/15 collector auction in Illinois of an original brown Case Old Abe that was owned by a renoun architect who actually worked on the Case factory building back in the day. It sold for $40,000!
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