1895 Champion Coaster Wagon

1880s/1890s juvenile wagons were previously underestimated by collectors of antique pedal cars because they were overshadowed by the first automobile toys that came out a decade later. But their genre has now been acknowledged, and those which can be identified to an individual manufacturer or retailer are snapped up promptly. They are particularly sought by those with an interest in the final days of America’s Wild West and the first days of the bicycle – the era before the automobile changed society forever.

The romance of the American west and its frontier life was far removed from its reality – harsh conditions and poverty – and It’s interesting to consider that this Champion coaster wagon, a miniature version of the full-size horse drawn wagons seen on American streets, was being sold to rich children’s families in American cities at a time when cowboys still operated in wilder parts of the country.

To see it at The Museum click here…