Massive circa 1880s bear trap hits $3,491 at SoldUSA.com A vintage circa 1880s Oneida Newhouse No. 6 bear trap, made in the 1880s and weighing a whopping 43 pounds, sold for $3,491 in an Internet and catalog auction that ended March 19 by SoldUSA.com.
News-Antique.com - Apr 15,2011 - (MATTHEWS, N.C.) – A vintage Oneida Newhouse No. 6 bear trap, made in the 1880s and weighing a whopping 43 pounds, with three wicked-looking teeth mounted on each massive jaw, sold for $3,491 in an Internet and catalog auction that went online in February and ended March 19 by SoldUSA.com, the hunting and fishing collectibles and militaria auction website.
The trap still had its original anchor chain – also heavy and massive – and a slickpan with raised letters that read, “S. Newhouse Oneida Community, N.Y.,” with “No. 6” in the center. The trap folded up for storage and was an impressive 44 inches when fully opened out. It still had a good deal of the original black paint and the rest showed old surface rust that patina’d out well.
“We got this bear trap in about a week before the sale ended,” said David Reichle of SoldUSA.com. “That’s too bad, because I believe if more people had known about it for a longer time, it could have brought $5,000 or more. What a piece. It was found in an abandoned house in Colorado by the consignor, who called us looking to sell.”
The trap was one of about 1,700 lots that changed hands in an auction that featured ammo (600 lots), guns (50 lots), militaria (350 lots), advertising items (50 lots), and coins (50 lots, all silver and copper). The auction attracted over 25,000 registered online bidders, from as far away as Australia, New Zealand, France and Canada. Phone, fax and absentee bidding was also brisk.
“I really do believe the economy is picking up,” Mr. Reichle observed. “This was easily the most active auction of the last three we’ve held, and bidding was spirited across the board. I just came back from the Wannamaker’s Gun Show in Tulsa, and that place was jammed with gun enthusiasts and fans of militaria. You’d never have guessed there’s a recession going on.”
Following are additional highlights from the auction. All prices quoted include a 13 percent buyer’s premium.
The top lot of the sale was a gorgeous and quite stunning fancy double eagle coin necklace in a coronet setting, the centerpiece of which was a rare U.S. $20 gold coin set in 14kt gold. The coin was flanked by 43 diamonds, totaling 2.03 carats. The necklace even had a nice storage pouch, as well as a dated jeweler’s appraisal sheet. A determined bidder paid $3,995.
An early Colt 2nd model new line .22 caliber pocket revolver, made sometime between 1873 and 1884 and having 99 percent of of the original nickel plate and genuine elephant ivory grips, hammered for $1,068. The weapon was serial #4559 (proving it was an early production model) and it boasted nearly all of the fire blue on the hammer, trigger, cylinder, pin and barrel.
Ammo boxes are hugely collectible, and this sale had some wonderful examples. An original, unopened 50-count box of Winchester model 1873 .44 caliber cartridges (two-piece, fully sealed, with the correct green box
