Posted 13 years ago
pickingupb…
(197 items)
Awsome garage sale find today. We don't use too many sleds in Texas so didn't know much about them. I have used some Flexable Flyers in Christmas displays but not a sled like this. 35" in length 10" high all wood with metal facing the runners. I asked how much and he said make an offer. I explained that I'm a cheap buyer so I'll offer $5 and when he countered at $10 I almost ripped my pocket getting the money out. I did some research this was referred to as a transport sled for carrying supplies. Made in Switzerland Davos sleds were used by German soldiers to carry ammunition through the snow. Also saw it referred to as a childs sled on one auction site. I'm going with transport sled. No way to guide it and has pull on front to attach a rope. Maybe someone from snow and ice country can solve the mystery Hope I didn't pay too much!!! Has been persnolized with the name Serbin on underneath. Thanks for looking.
Thanks BELLIN.
Thanks scottscuff. going after rope in case it snows temp has dropped to 70
I would say transport sled. The reason I say that is because we sold a child's sled that was all wood and the slats were much thinner. The version we had didn't have any steering either, it was for pulling as opposed to downhill sledding. Scottscuff is right about where the rope should be attached. You control it by pulling the side opposite the direction you want to turn.
This is a nice find a good investment and one heck of a good price paid.
I would agree with categorizing and verifying this item to the extent possible. The reason I would do so is strictly for value purposes. If you can pin down the history of the sled it could well make a major difference on the final value if and when it is sold. It would also provide a target audience if listed for sale. A military collector might well pay a good deal more than someone looking for a sled that reminds them of their childhood. Regardless of the investment I think we all like knowing about our items history and also what our return on that investment will be at a later point in time.
Thanks fhrjr2 & scottscuff for both analysis. I never thought of a transport sled til I saw this and did the research. Sleds were always toys. I , like scotts, collect for personal reasons but in the end someone you love may sell your stuff. I want them to know all I know about an item.I've learn a lot from this web site.
Thanks scottscuff I appreciate your input. You been in snow and ice a lot more than me.More than likely you are right. I have seen others that were described as the one on your website but I still can't see a child going fast downhill without anything to hold on to or to control it. Is it just made to pull a child around?
Checks in the mail LOL !!! CW also agrees it has been recatorigized to just outdoor sports. When I read the brand thru a glass other faint lettering is viseable I think Davoser. Thanks for all your work. Awsome job !!!
You earned your money on this one. I'm a real novice on research and a computer often fire then aim. Tal
I'm going to question the seller a bit more. He only told me he had owned it forever. Going to get a more eagle eye on the brand
Thank you packrat
Hi There
I know this was posted years ago bit was wondering if you went back to the guy you bought it from and asked about the history? I just got one like this and am interested in if you found out more history and value??
Just to add a few comments here. This is a Davos sledge - originally made in Davos in Switzerland and very common in Europe. It's used by children and adults alike primarily for pleasure and made of ash wood so very durable. I have two. One belonged to my mother who grew up in Germany and was probably made in the mid 1920s. It was bought new for her older sister and then passed to her in the early 1930s. She passed it to me when I was a boy in about 1958 and I've owned it ever since. It looks exactly the same design as the one in the picture but the seat rails are a little broken. The other was bought for my brother in 1959 and somehow was passed on to me as well. I have this with me in California and it was a few seconds of phone video of my two and a half year old grandson being pulled on it in the snow at Lake Tahoe yesterday that had me fondly remembering my youth and looking for other people's experience on the internet...
This sledge is usually ridden in the upright seated position with legs out in front to steer or brake. As children we would also ride lying flat with feet behind to steer and brake in the traditional tobogganing style. It's not very fast given the design but it's a fun ride - even now in my sixties.
Was it ever a transport sled? Possibly given that it's been around for such a long time - but I don't think it came into existence for that purpose. Think it's fashioned after a Norwegian style of sled which was a little larger and longer and would almost definitely have been used for transport in earlier days.
Hard to tell how old the one in the picture is since the design has changed remarkably little over the 140 years or so that they've been made. It looks similar to my 1959 model since both still have bright varnished wood but equally it could have been made any time in the last 60 years. The one I have from the mid 20s is now very dark gray and weathered since the older models tended to loose whatever protective coating they received early on. (It was already gray and weathered when I first started to use it in the fifties!)