Featured Cast Iron Fence Opinions about Age and How to Sell

Yesterday I Bought a bunch of iron fence parts I know they are desirable and just need some opinions about age and how best to sell. I have three of the posts and 69 of the other pieces. The post are 38" tall and the others are 24 1/5" tall. First of all what is the correct name for the 24 1/2" pieces. Also any idea of age. I checked every listing in Iron fence and found nothing similar. Also my first inclination is to list these on ebay by the piece asking $9.99 for each 24 1/2" piece and $99.99 for each post. I also have antique booths and sell at the Springfield Extravaganza which is one of the countries largest antique shows and flea markets. I guess my question is is how would you sell it. I like the idea of keeping it together because someone could easily by rails and make a nice section of fence out of it. Also if I list it what kind of keywords would you use.

TIA, Bryan

 

Hi Brian,
To keep them together is going to be one hell of a shipping cost. we usually call the posts a post or gate posts. They would make great newel posts for stairs. Three of them would have been perfect in my old house staircase. You could use pick up only or get a weight with a shipping company. I would call the other parts balustrade or spindles.
greg

 

Yeah the posts are heavy they weigh at least 30 pounds each. My biggest problem is just that this could easily be used to make a nice set up if kept together and part of the reason I got a good deal on it was that the seller wanted someone to buy the whole set. I was there when another buyer offered $100 for one post and he sold me all of it for $300. I know the money is there to be made and I believe that the spindles would sell over time for $9.99 each if not more. I saw some nicer spindles sell for over $90 for five of six matching pieces.

 

Those are spectacular! Someone would cough up well for those I should think.

 

I had this same fence at one point and sold about 50 linear ft. of it to another dealer for $600.00. Your pickets do look shorter than the ones I had. It came from an 1870s era house in Bloomington , IL. Given that you really do not have too much of this, I would piece it out.

 

So it would be safe to call this Victorian or should I just say 19th century

 

Also is this Cast Iron or Wrought Iron. I would lean towards wrought iron

 

Looks like cast iron to me. I'd put money on it.

Look at the huge number of metal to metal welds that would have to heated and hammered. Which would of course show the metal as non continuous and would lose the element profile.

 

It is cast. Each decorative element was cast separately and slid on to a U-shaped rod. I am not quite sure how they stayed on. Some of mine did come off. The rest were rusted firmly in place I still have a few of the pickets. Definitely Victorian.

 

Ok Brad sounds like mine, but after closer inspection I believe this is from a Widows Walk there are globs of tar (just a couple on the base plates of the posts. I was kinda wondering why the bases were flat with mounting holes. Makes more sense as a widows walk

 

Reminds me of plot fencing from a cemetery.
https://www.google.com/search?q=cem...=X&ei=WeN0Vdm-KomsyQTFkIHICA&ved=0CAcQ_AUoAg#

 

I agree it looks a lot like those but I believe the base plate, height, and the globs of tar make it almost definitely a widow's walk
https://www.google.com/search?q=wid...YQ_AUoAQ&dpr=0.9#tbm=isch&q=widow's+walk+iron

 

Hi Brian,
I agree with you the flat bottom and tar points to widows walk.
greg

 

I've always wanted a home with a widows walk, makes me homesick for the New England coast.

Here's the same design post in a cemetery, much taller than yours.
http://www.dillonheraldonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/GEDC09361.jpg

 

Just thought I would update on this I listed the posts at $175 each and they all sold within a day also have sold 39 of the spindles at $10 each. Someone replied to my listing and told me this fence was made by Champion in 1862. Not sure how they knew. Funny thing is that a house in my small town has a fence with the exact same posts except taller. Makes me want to go ask them if they would sell it LOL

 

NEWS FLASH.....
Metal fences in small town go missing !!!
Is it Aliens ????

( well.....we ain't gonna tell !! )

 

Yeah I wish I even had the guts to go to some of the houses around here knock on the door and say hey do you want to sell that. I will do it at garage sales if I see something I want. Just yesterday I got a stained glass door surround for $15 it is pretty plain but old put $325 on it in my booth

 

The photo link I posted was actually from this article.
http://www.dillonheraldonline.com/2012/05/12/wrought-iron-fencing-being-stolen-from-governors-grave/

 

All they can really say is no. But then...they may offer to show you other 'stuff' they might be able to 'take' you on.
You never know what you will hit when you dig.
Even if they don't have anything to sell they certainly know others who do or will.
Unless they are belligerent I would leave my # were I you.