OMG! WOW! Whatever superlatives, this is just amazing. Today an orange-painted 4' Old Town display model canoe sold at auction for a whopping $102,500! With buyer's premium, the total price before sales tax is an unbelievable $128,125!
Yes, the orange Old Town went much higher than I expected. It also set a record in 2015 as described at the link below. The green one attributed to Robert Glidden also did well with a hammer price of $9,500.
I have researched Robert Glidden and suspect that he didn't build it. The model does share some characteristics with a Carleton and the red model at https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot/-1-c-2994595AED from 2015. I’ve found no indication that Robert ever lived in Old Town or worked as a canoe builder. He was born in Brewer in 1899 and was listed there in the 1900 census. He was in the adjacent town of Eddington for the 1910 census. His 1917 draft registration gave his address as Brewer along with his mother. His occupation was listed as a repair man for the Central Maine Power (CMP) Company in Waterville. This seems odd since the service area for CMP is considerably south of the Bangor/Brewer area which was serviced by the Bangor Hydro Electric Company at that time. The 1920 census listed him back in Eddington and still living at home. His occupation was listed as a laborer on a “construction crew” and his father was a foreman of a “construction crew.” Robert was in Greenfield, Massachusetts for the 1930 census and his occupation was listed as a “machine operator” at a “tool factory.” He married Ruth from Saco in 1943 and listed his residence as Brewer. He died in 1985 and was buried in Biddeford. Neither he nor his father appears to have ever been listed in any of the Bangor or Old Town city directories during his lifetime.
The most likely explanation for the source of this canoe may be that someone Robert knew from Eddington worked across the river in Veazie at the Morris canoe company and made this at home. For example, Walter Grant was born in Eddington and worked at the Morris, Kennebec, and Skowhegan canoe companies. Walter’s twin brother Wendall worked at White for many years.
A world record price for an auction sale of a 4' Old Town display model canoe, likely dating to the 1920's, appears to have taken place at White's Auctions, Middleboro, MA, on Sunday, June 9th, 2013, when the hammer fell at $26,000 plus another 15% buyer's premium, for a total of $29,900. Add in state sales tax, if applicable, and the price is well into the $30,000+ level. The previous auction record for a 4' Old Town sample was just over $18,000. Private sales of similar pieces in mint condition are known to have taken place in the $25,000 to $30,000 range, but this is a new high for a...
