SALESMAN SAMPLE: Late 19th C. American (4) wheeled hand carved all wooden horse drawn flat bed cargo wagon, in excellent condition with original red stenciling to the wheels, the chassis, the sides of the bed, and the rear ladder. Black detail paint compliments the front rail, ladder ends, and wheel surfaces.
The front chassis rotates freely back and forth to accomodate a horse pulling the wagon. It also goes up and down. The ladder in back folds down from the top to the ground for unloading cargo. Metal chain would have been used to harness the horse.
This scaled down version of the real flat bed cargo wagon was likely promoted by itinerant sales people who represented the manufacturer and traveled the countryside and rural American farm communities, seeking out farmers door to door, or they would take orders by leaving an example (salesman sample) on display in a merchant’s establishment, canvassing his clients.
Note: While this COULD be a toy; my opinion is that it is a salesman sample. I think if it were a toy it would have come with a horse. I have been dealing and collecting toys etc. for quite some time and have never seen this piece, so if it was a toy, it would be fairly scarce with a commensurate value. Also, I purchased it from an extensive salesman’s sample collection from a knowledgeable collector.
Dimensions: Overall length is 28″ x 8 1/4″ wide x 5′ High
With the front rail pointing up; the length of the carriage is 15″.