Snow sparks sledging fun and if you want to race through a winter wonderland in style this vintage Airline Racer Flexible Flyer could be just the thing.
This classic sled has entered Hansons’ January 9 Fine Art sale, estimate to be confirmed, which means you could buy it in time to test out its pedigree.
Samuel Leeds Allen patented the Flexible Flyer in 1889 in Cinnaminson, New Jersey, USA. The company flourished by selling these speedy yet controllable sleds at a time when others were still producing traditional toboggans.
They are flexible in design and usage. Riders can sit upright or lie on their stomachs to descend a slope feet-first or head-first. To steer, riders push on a wooden cross piece with their hands or feet, or pull on a rope attached to it. Shifting the cross-piece causes flexible rails to bend, turning the sled.
Allen began producing sleds in his farm equipment factory to keep workers busy out of season. He developed many prototypes before he created the Flexible Flyer. The sleds did not sell well until he began marketing them to toy sections in department stores. In 1915, around 120,000 Flexible Fliers were sold – almost 2,000 in one day!
In 1968, Leisure Group of Los Angeles, California, bought the S. L. Allen Company and continued to produce Flexible Flyers in Medina, Ohio. In 1973, private investors bought Leisure Group’s toy division and started manufacturing the sleds under the name Blazon Flexible Flyer in West Point, Mississippi. In 1993, Roadmaster purchased the rights and moved production to Olney, Illinois, and in 1998, production moved to China.
The sled will be offered in Hansons’ January 9 Fine Art Auction. To find out more, or to arrange a free valuation/consignment, email [email protected]
