THE FIRST BRASS RING CAROUSEL NEWSLETTER FOR 2000
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HIGHLIGHTS
1. AUCTION!! AUCTION!! AUCTION!! 3 OF THE GREATEST AUCTIONS OF THE YEAR COMING SOON
2. CAROUSEL CLASSIFIEDS BECOMES THE NUMBER 1 FREE CLASSIFIED SITE FOR CAROUSEL COLLECTIBLES
3. BUYERS BEWARE!! NUMEROUS FAKES ON EBAY
4. ELK CITY OKLAHOMA GETS A NEW WOODEN CAROUSEL
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1. THREE FANTASTIC AUCTIONS HAPPENING ALL IN A ROW
Yes start saving up, some of the finest carousel collectible pieces are being sold.
The first auction is the famous Dave Norton's consignment auction in Tampa, Florida on February 12th. It's not too late to consign or get those plane reservations. This annual event is something to experience. It's held in conjunction with the Showmen's Convention. This show is where everyone comes to buy and sell carnival rides in beautiful and WARM Florida. This auction brings out everything from carousel animals to side show oddities; circus posters to arcade equipment. Anything nostalgic in the amusement world can and does show up at this auction.
Whether you want to buy or sell, this is the auction to go to. If you need more information either to buy or sell you can email Dan Satow at nortonsold@cbpu.com
The second auction of the year is Jim Aten's March 11th auction in Pasadena, CA.
Jim's auctions are known for having the best in the carousel world. Don't be surprised if a record setting prices aren't obtained. Jim's auctions are more of an event then a auction. Everyone in the carousel field attends and there will be booths with some of the greatest experts and restorers in the country to help you with your purchase. You not only get to attend one of the best carousel events of the year, but you get an education at the same time. Again the weather should be fantastic, and you can enjoy Pasadena's restored old town. Don't be scared to ask questions. Only a few of the experts bite :).
You can get a catalog and more information by visiting http://carousel.com/aten
The third auction is Dave Norton's sale of the famous Looff carousel at Whalom Park in Massachusetts on April 15th.
We haven't seen the pictures and the details aren't all in yet, but this is a great carousel. A early Looff machine with managerie animals including 4 greyhounds!!!! This auction was just set up so for more information keep checking Norton's website at www.nortonauctioneers.com
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2. CAROUSEL CLASSIFIEDS BECOMES NUMBER 1
Brass Ring wants to thank everyone for making our free classifieds the number one free source to buy and sell carousel collectibles. Thousands of people everyday keep coming to the classifieds both to buy and sell.
We want to thank everyone for all of the praise for our work. We've had our growing pains. But thanks to Ted, our webmaster, we try to get everything up as fast as possible. Soon we will be expanding the classifieds with more categories and current events. Please give the staff a break. It's a volunteer effort to help keep the classifieds FREE. Sometimes it may take 24 hours to get your items up. Unlike eBay or other auction sites that charge a fee, we protect the sellers email id until the customer contacts them.
To visit the classifieds go here http://carousel.com/cgi-bin/classifieds/classifieds.cgi
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3. EBAY FAKES
Speaking of auction sites. Buyer beware on auction sites. Lately auction sites are selling some unbelievable prices on "antique" carousel animals. We are daily having people buying carousel animals asking for help in authenticating what they bought. A very large percentage are fakes. Dealers are not being hurt, but the first-time customer is being ripped off.
Dealers are continuously complaining to eBay about the problem. It's impossible to monitor. The best advice we can give is to ASK QUESTIONS. Contact a reputable dealer with the URL of the item and ask for help. Please remember most of the collectors and dealers are on eBay too. If the animal is selling for a unbelievable price and your not sure if it's real, it probably isn't.
Before you spend thousands to get disappointed, educate yourself a little. The first step should be to buy a good book. We recommend the book Painted Ponies. There are hundreds of pages with pictures of antique carousel animals and trim. If it's antique and real, you will find a picture of a similar animal in the book. If your still not sure you can contact the author for help.
You can purchase the book by going here http://carousel.com/books/books.html
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4. ELK CITY OKLAHOMA GETS A NEW WOODEN CAROUSEL
Brass Ring is happy to announce that Elk City, OK has just purchased a new wooden carousel. The machine will be a Brass Ring carousel featuring Ed Roth horses. We want to thank Ed and Adriana Roth for their participation in the project.
You can watch the carousel as it is being built by going to carousel.com/elkcity . Monthly you will be able to see the animals and frame as it is manufactured. The installation will be in time for the real millennium, 2001. It should be a great party: News Years Eve 2000 in Oklahoma.
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Sorry for the news letter being late
We at Brass Ring want to apologize for the newsletter being late. Between maintaining around 20 antique carousels and the holidays, it's been hard to find time. We hope to announce a regular staff person who will be in charge of the letter next month and expand into articles to include some from you, the subscribers.
The staff of Brass Ring wants to extend a late happy holiday to everyone.
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