Historical Hockey Memorabilia Auction October 2016
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 11/9/2016
Beginning with bone, ice skates then evolved to steel, with the first edged blades thought to have been developed in the Netherlands in the 13th or 14th century. This group of 5 pairs represents a bygone era, when wooden models began to give way to solid steel construction. We have a transitional pair with wooden bases from the late 19th century, along with four pairs that feature solid steel construction including a rare example with calf attachments. Three of the offered pairs have no discernible maker’s marks. The other two include an example made in Germany with “Hens-Rekord” and “Stahl” on each blade, while the rare pair with calf attachments were manufactured by famous make Barney & Berry, and include 1881 and 1887 patent dates.
The single pair with wooden bases date from the mid-to-late 19th century, with the blades slowly taking the shape of early 20th century examples. There are metal ankle reinforcements along with great patina to the blades and bases. The Barney & Berry skates have folding calf attachments with intact leather harnessing, along with the aforementioned patent stampings. The remaining steel pairs all show great patina, with the original adjusting key for the German skates intact and included.
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