Old wooden water pump

[hudsonhacker]

Brand new here, first post. Just starting out with antiques. I have been going to auctions and sales for a year or so and now I have to figure out how to start selling some of this stuff! Running out of storage room!

One item I have is an old wooden water pump (see the pics). My problem is how to sell the thing! I picked it up at an auction, and a few people have told me it is worth about $1200, but I have no idea how to sell this thing! It will be a specific buyer I guess. ANyone have any ideas? I am located in Montreal, Canada.

[mart]

Whats the size of that pump ?? Looks tall !!

[hudsonhacker]

It is actually 84" tall. The bottom 3 or 4 feet were supposed to go in the ground. This one was never installed, so the wood never rotted away, that is what makes it so unique (so I have been told!)

[talesofthesevenseas]

Well, I don't know what your $1200 figure was based on, since the metal ones go for $50 and less, although wood is definitely more unusual. I'm afraid it seems a bit overly optimistic in the current economy.  I did find one similar on Ebay, priced at $375.00/best offer.

http://cgi.ebay.com/Original-Antique-turned-wooden-water-pump-/250753615967

[talesofthesevenseas]

...And another for $275.00

http://www.detroitgardenworks.com/garden-store/antique-tools/wood-and-iron-water-pump/

[hudsonhacker]

Heck, didn't figure it was worth $1200, but even at $375 I would turn a nice profit on it! Guess I will go around some of the guys I know that do landscaping at some of the higher end homes around here. Maybe they could find someone that could use it as a water feature.

Finding old stuff around here at a good price is easy. Trying to sell it is tough without a store!

[talesofthesevenseas]

Do you have a local Craigslist?

[hudsonhacker]

Already listed on Kijiji. Much more popular than Craigslist in Canada. Tons of people selling antiques on Kijiji, but I guess they wouldn't list them if it wasn't effective.

Just want to sell off some stuff so I can go to more auctions. Okay, so I am a junkie!

[mart]

Well,, let me say welcome to the club !! Glad to have another member !!  We are all junkers or collectors of some sort !!  LOL   Primitives like your pump were top dollar in the late 70`s to mid 80`s then prices started diving !! I still love them and you are right in going the decorator route !! Let a few in your area know that you have items and it wouldn`t hurt to  ask if there is anything they are looking for. Then as you go to auctions ect keep your eyes open for something they need !! Just keep the prices low enough both buying and selling to make a fair profit and ypou might get a following among the decorators !!  That pump would make a great water feature !!
Tales is about right on the prices here. I am in Texas and It would bring about $250.- $275. here !!

[waywardangler]

Full size old metal ones here in Wisconsin go for $50-100. They are mainly used for garden/yard decorations with or without water running through them. The smaller counter metal pumps go for $20-40. I do not think a wood one would bring more than a metal one (in Wisconsin) because it will just rot away in about 4 years so how is one to display/use it? I have a full size one in the garden with water continuosly recirculating from a whiskey half-barrel through the pump spigot.  I also have a smaller counter pump set up the same way but I had to build a wood shelf on the whiskey half-barrel to sit the pump on.

This would have to be sold locally because shipping would be a killer and would have to go freight due to the length, I think. If it was me and I was flipping it, I would be happy with a profit and not hold out for top dollar unless you personally love it.

[sapphire]

Welcome to the forum hudsonhacker. I can't help much on the pump info (other than check online for antique farm implement forums/sites where they may have a buy/sell section), but if you had the chance to sell outside your area, Greyhound might be a way to go to keep costs down if you found the right buyer. My daughter shipped 'everything' she owned from T.O. to NS that way......futon mattress folded in half wrapped with nylon cord (sheets/blanket/pillows stuffed inside) .......kind of like a blue ticked sandwich. And it was the most reasonable form of shipping. I don't know if Greyhound goes through or connects with Que. bus lines. At some point in NB they switch over to Acadian Lines, so it's possible something similar would be available out of Montreal.

BTW, nice to see another Canuck on here!!