By BONNIE VANAMAN
AntiqueWeek Correspondent

As of 2007, there were 806 million cars and light trucks on the road worldwide, one for every eight people on the planet. Cars have become so essential, it’s impossible for most people to imagine life without them. Yet, there are people who remember or whose relatives remember transportation before the automobile. This was when a wagon’s power wasn’t measured in watts or RPM’s, but in how many horses powered the vehicle. Organizations like The Carriage Assoc. of America also haven’t forgotten the pleasures of driving these classic vehicles and work hard to preserve them so collectors and enthusiasts can continue to enjoy them today.

A carriage for every occasion
To the uninitiated, the varieties of carriages and sleighs can be bewildering. Arthur Ingram’s Horse Drawn Vehicles since 1760 in Colour lists 325 different types, many of which have found their way into modern car nomenclature — coupe, Victoria, Brougham, limousine. Carriages were designed for everything from ensuring physicians were able to get around in bad weather (sometimes called “storm buggies”) to coffee-urn carts used to convince people to stop drinking alcohol.

Ken Wheeling of the Carriage Assoc. of America (CAA) appreciates the confusing array of details associated with carriages and says the best thing a potential collector can do is “to learn the ‘language;’ what is a surrey, how should it be painted, and trimmed. Does it work, is it safe. You cannot talk carriages unless you know the whole lingo from maker to rarity.”

Wheeler adds that, in evaluating carriages, the key elements are maker, condition, provenance, and the style and color. For instance, an unrestored C-spring sleigh of unknown origins might sell for $2,500, whereas delivery wagon in good condition with historic documentation and its shafts, pole and double-trees can sell for around $12,000.

Carriage makers
Looking at carriage makers first, there were more than 7,000 carriage and wagon makers by 1900, but a few rose to the top to become the crème de la crème. The American carriage builder Brewster & Co. became internationally known after awards at the 1878 Paris Exposition (and was immortalized in a Cole Porter song).

Wheeling said Brewster’s vehicles were superb and patronized by many discerning clients. The CAA has a database of Brewster records available to its members, thanks to the Brewster Company depositing its records and books with the New York Public Library and their drawings with the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
There were other manufacturers, of course, some equal to or even better in quality than Brewster, such as C. P. Kimball of Chicago, D. P. Nichols and Chauncey Thomas, both of Boston, Studebaker of South Bend, Ind., Demarest of Nyack, N.Y.,  and Joubert & White of Glens Falls, N.Y.

Carriage condition
Condition is perhaps the easiest determining factor when buying or selling a carriage. The first thing to look for is whether the piece is structurally sound. Do the wheels need attention, are the brakes working properly, is it safe to drive? Then, there’s the amount of original materials and accessories remaining with the vehicle. A carriage that’s untouched might be worth thousands of dollars more than one which is solid, but has been altered or refurbished by a non-professional.

Provenance, the place or source of origin, is one of the most difficult factors in carriage appraisal.

Few people keep historical records of ownership or usage of antique carriages, or at best, there’s just an oral history.

Without a documented history of ownership, a vehicle’s true age and authenticity can be very hard to pinpoint.

A carriage that still has the maker’s name somewhere also can see a bump in value.

Mike Zaetta, a dealer in antique carriages out of Arlington, Va., who also runs the website Antiquecarriages.com, says he places great value on a maker’s name or maker’s mark, because it adds more history. Zaetta has been seeing more interest in vehicles and appointments that are in factory original condition, adding, “This is also true in the car world, where collectors are realizing that ‘it’s only original once.’

Carriage style
When you consider style as an evaluating factor, things get even more interesting. The Carriage Museum of America breaks the categories into four classes: two-wheeled vehicles, four-wheeled single seat, four-wheeled multiple seats, and four-wheeled coachman driven. Examples of two-wheeled transports include the dog cart, originally used to carry dogs into the hunting field, and the governess cart, a light wagonette used primarily by children and their caregivers.

Four-wheeled single seaters include the iconic buckboard featured in TV shows like Bonanza and movies like Gone With the Wind. The buckboard was an American creation from the early part of the 19th century and had a wooden floor with springy planks attached directly to the axles which substituted for actual springs.

The multiple-seat four-wheelers included the ladies’ phaeton, a smaller, lighter vehicle, which was usually low to the ground for easy access by the “delicate sex,” and often characterized by graceful curving lines. Many even had a rumble seat for the horse’s groom to ride on. Another interesting member of this class was the skeleton break, used for training young or unruly horses, as well as exercising the teams.

The largest class was the four-wheeled coachman-driven vehicles with such interesting representatives as the Concord coach, which takes its name from the Abbott-Downing Co. of Concord, N.H., where they were originally made. The largest of these weighed a ton and could carry 12 passengers and a lot of luggage. Often called “hotel coaches” or “stagecoaches,” they were also used to transport mail, currency and gold throughout the western U.S.

Within the various classes, carriages were also identified by special usage. For instance, there was quite a wide variety of florist’s wagons, made with light bodies, but wide dimensions for carrying large plants and flowers. Like many such business-oriented vehicles, if you can find one in original condition, you’ll probably see hints of the company name on the side in bright paint.

Lunch wagons and those used by popcorn or other food vendors were also popular. The prohibition-oriented coffee-urn carts were part of this class. Dr. John Kennion of Brooklyn was known for setting out these carts to convince people to stop drinking alcohol, offering them coffee instead, and “a good piece of bread and butter” to go along with it. The lunch wagons were especially helpful for night workers, as vendors brought midnight meals at a time when there weren’t any Denny’s or other restaurants open 24 hours.