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Larry and Carole
        Meeker
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Internet
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www.AntiqBuyer.com


LCM@AntiqBuyer.com

 

530-620-7019

Purveyors and Dealers of American Patented & Mechanical Antiques
 

 

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Antique Pressing Irons

 Fluters / Gas Irons / Goffer Irons

Sadirons & More 

We are always interested in rare and unusual examples of antique pressing irons, and especially antique fluting irons, gsmall_plait.jpg (18078 bytes)as, alcohol irons,  or other fuel irons, revolving or reversible irons, combination irons, and other antique pressing irons with unusual patented features.

We are avid buyers & sellers of unusual antique and vintage pressing irons / sadirons / flatirons for addition to our sale pages of antique irons on our sister site www.patented-antiques.com.  

On this page you will see a few different examples of each of these types of collectible ironing devices that we want, along with a brief history and general idea of values for each type of  these irons.  

The history of  pressing irons is closely related to the history of fashion, and ironing devices have been produced throughout time in response to the need to press the specific styles of clothes that were in fashion at any particular time. Advances in technology and manufacturing led to an interesting and varied progression in the development of different means to heat the many different styles of irons.  In addition to unusual fluting irons and gas or fuel heated irons we are also always looking for unusual patented antique flat irons or sadirons, early patented electric irons (pre-1907), unusual antique child-size irons, polishing irons, sleeve irons, or any other unique and early ironing related antique devices.  We are also interested in buying any ironing related advertising or early store displays for ironing devices.  

If you have any unique or unusual antique pressing irons that are for sale, via email at  LCM@AntiqBuyer.com giving us as many details as possible including the asking price.  

If you are interested in purchasing antique pressing irons be sure to go to our sister site at www.patented-antiques.com to view our current offerings that we have available there.  

Fluting irons are one of the most interesting type of antique pressing irons ever invented, and were designedholly2.jpg (29232 bytes) to crimp, ruffle and press little pleats into starched fabric.  Used for collars, cuffs, etc. these vintage tools were an invention that saw their heyday in America from the 1860's through the 1880's, but some very rare and unusual ones were made right into the 1920's.  Pictured here are two different types of antique fluting irons.  The Holly is a machine fluter--- it operates by means of a hand crank which crimps the fabric as it transports it between the two fluted rollers.  Machine fluters are also referred to as pleaters, or pleating irons, crimpers, crimping irons, or rufflers and came in a myriad of designs---some had pedestal or tripod bases, some were clamp-on models. Values for machine fluters generally run from under $100 for more common examples like the "American" and the "Crown", to well over $1000 for rare and desirable ones like the Dion or the Meyer's patents "goat" fluter---so if you have any antique fluting irons that you would like to sell be sure to let us know.    

The McClure fluting iron is an example of an usual rocker fluter.  It is the name and the makers name of this fluter that make it rare, not the style, which is mcclure.jpg (26183 bytes)the most commonly found design of all fluting irons.  With this rocker style of antique fluting iron the ironer would manually rock the top half of the iron over the bottom half with the fabric in-between.  The iron pictured in the very top left corner of this page is another example of a desirable and interesting antique rocker fluter that we are seeking to buy known as the Dion, and like the McClure it too is named after the inventor who patented it.  This Dion fluting iron was patented in 1868 and 1870 and is a highly sought after example.  At the other end of the value spectrum is the common Geneva Fluter which is a rocker styleThe most commonly found style of  rocker fluter iron  typically sells for under $30 these days.  This is just one example of how small variations in a given model or subtle variations in features in an antique can widely affect value.   

A third style of fluting iron is the roller style fluter, where a the top piece is roller1.jpg (18275 bytes) manually rolled rather than rocked over the bottom to press the fabric into the flutes.  Unusual irons of this style would be those with unique handle shapes or features.  There is one rarer version called the "Indicator" with a thermometer built into the fluting plate, and another that has a double roller on the handle.  We are always buying unusual examples of all styles of antique fluting irons, so if you have one that you think we would be interested in, please contact us at  LCM@AntiqBuyer.com with the details.  Common roller fluters are currently selling for about $40.00 on eBay these days.  If a rare one appeared, it might bring several hundred on a good day. 

Another category of antique pressing irons we are interested in buying are fuel irons of every type---antique irons that were heated by gasoline, kerosene, alcohol, natural gas, carbide-acetylene, or over a gas-jet or lamp, etc.  Perhaps the best known and most commonly found or offered for sale of this style oftangas.jpg (16187 bytes) iron is the blue enamel Coleman gasoline iron.  Blue is by far the most commonly seen color, but Coleman also made irons in many other colors that are more desirable---turquoise, red, green, tan, etc.  Other manufacturers, such as American Machine Co., made colored enamel irons as well that are also eagerly sought.  These irons range in value in good+ condition from as low as $30 or so for a blue Coleman in typical used condition to several hundred dollars for an unusual color iron in pristine condition in its original box with accessories.  We are always seeking to purchase the more unusual colored enameled gas irons.   Fuel irons from Sears and Montgomery Wards are considered very common, and even when found like new the box sell for very little.  These companies were still selling these well after WWII to regions that had not fully been incorporated into the "grid".

Another type of gas heated vintage pressing iron that we are buying is the gas jet style.  This style of antique iron at first glance resembles a common cast iron "doorstop" sadirongasjet.jpg (17942 bytes) but closer inspection reveals a hollowed out, rather than solid body.  These irons were designed to be heated directly by a kerosene lamp or by a wall-mounted gas jet apparatus, and were hung on the apparatus and inverted over it so the interior of the iron could be directly exposed to the hot flame.  These gas jet irons come in both full size and smaller travel or portable sizes.  The iron shown here is McCarty's patent, which was granted in 1879.  Examples of smaller gas jet irons that we buy are the Acme and the Sultana.    

One example of a very interesting early fuel iron is the c.1870 Crocker Farnsworth reversible iron pictured here.  This is an crocfarn.jpg (21976 bytes)alcohol burning iron which is recognizable from the style and shape of the fuel tank.  This type of iron was heated by means of a burning wick inside the iron, and other similar style irons were fueled by whale oil or by denatured alcohol.  The most interesting  feature of this antique fuel iron is that it also revolves, meaning that the handle could be released by means of a thumb latch and the iron body could be revolved 180 degrees and then locked back into place, providing for a secondary ironing surface to use after the first side had cooled down.  

The theory behind the revolving iron was that heat rises and therefore the top of the iron body would retain its heat longer than the bottom, so that if you kept turning the iron over you would always get to work with the hotter side.  Antique revolving pressing irons are scarce and most are eagerly sought by collectors.  Their value depends on their appearance, condition, rarity, and ranges from about a hundred dollars to five hundred or more for rarer and excellent condition ones that surface from time to time.

Other antique revolving irons were heated by means of a hot chunk of metal called a slug that was inserted into the body.  Revolving slug irons often featured two, three, or even four different ironing surfaces. revol_2fam.jpg (22344 bytes) In other words, after the handle was released the body could be revolved and the handle then locked back into place so that the top or either of the edges of the iron body could be used after the bottom had cooled down.  Oftentimes one or more of the surfaces were specially designed for fluting, polishing, glossing, or embossing designs into the fabric.  The Horace Mann patent pressing irons pictured here are an example of this type of iron.  These irons were manufactured with a variety of  names such as the Family Laundry Iron, Victor, Majestic, etc.  The rotation mechanism and the door itself as well as the latch for it are all very fragile on these irons and often found broken or damaged.   

If you know of one, or have one that is for sale, please contact us at LCM@AntiqBuyer.com

Other revolving antique irons were patented by inventors named Hewitt and Mann, and two of these unusual antique combination fluting / pressing irons are pictured here.  These revol_2.jpg (19333 bytes)solid body irons were heated directly on the stove and combined the features of both a flat iron and a fluter in one iron.  Both of these irons revolved to allow for use of all four sides so that the iron could be used to iron flatwork, to polish and gloss, and to make pleats and ruffles, depending on which side of the iron was in use.  The difference between the two irons is that one had built-in fluting grooves on one side of the iron while the other had a fluter plate that could be attached or removed.  This removable piece is often missing, and it's loss greatly affects the value of this iron.  A third version of this style iron that we are looking to buy has two sets of roller fluters built-in to the bottom rather than the fluting plate design.   In general condition and completeness is important to these type of irons value.   

Revolving irons were also used by tailors and in commercial applications.  The unusual revolving iron pictured here was heated by means of natural gas and weighs a whopping 20 or more pounds and is about 15 inches across.  The weight of the iron wasrevol_tailor.jpg (20658 bytes) thought to make for an easier job in the pressing of wool suits and coats and other heavy garments.  And as with the smaller "homeowners" models of revolving irons, this huge tailors iron could be flipped over by means of a handle release so that the second side of the iron could be put to use once the first side had done its job and began to cool down.  As you can imagine an iron of this size and weight and size would have taken a strong man to maneuver, and the added costs and time to produce such a mechanical device would have been cost prohibitive in most cases and so revolving tailors irons are seldom found and considered very unusual.  

We are avid buyers of antique revolving and reversible pressing irons  If you have any that are for sale, please email LCM@AntiqBuyer.com with details.  

Another extremely unusual revolving pressing iron is the Avery patent sadiron that is pictured revol_rare.jpg (14555 bytes)here.  This design permitted the iron to be turned on any of its four surfaces by loosening the wing nut built into the handgrip.  However the serious drawback of this guy's idea was that the handle not only unlocked the body to allow it to rotate, it actually released completely from the body if loosened too much, and must have made for a few disastrous situations like banged or burned toes.  I am sure his idea was meant to make life easier, but the truth is it takes three hands to reattach and tighten the handle in place, and that is when it is cold.  Irons like this that were "lousy ideas" and were therefore only manufactured for a short period of time are the type that we are most interested in buying!      

There are many different types of antique sadirons irons that we are interested in buying, so be sure to let us know if you have an antique fluting iron, any type of fuel iron,  antique child-size or salesman sample small irons, special purpose irons of any sort, figural irons such as swans, goats, trains, flower irons or leaf irons, early electric irons (1907 or earlier) or patented antique irons in unusual shapes.  We are also avidly seeking to buy a cast iron tobacco cutter made in the shape of a flatiron marked "Scotten Dillon Flat Iron Plug."  

If you have any interesting antique ironing related items,  please contact us at LCM@AntiqBuyer.com and give us the details, as we will buy one iron or your whole collection!  

Please note:  The reason you do not see any doorstop variety irons, or simple irons without any special features, or electric irons from the 50's -70's discussed here is because we generally do not buy them.  If you have these types of irons and are looking to sell them look over at eBay for a while and see what is going on there with irons in general, and these more common types specifically.

 


Examples of Select Antique Pressing Irons Wanted

The antique pressing irons listed above are examples of the caliber, condition and quality of these pieces that I am primarily interested in buying. 

If you have quality antiques similar to those that you see on these pages that you want to sell,  please contact us at LCM@AntiqBuyer.com providing as many details as possible. Thank you!! 

To see other examples of antique pressing irons that we have for sale please go to our sister site at www.Patented-Antiques.com.and visit the antique iron sale pages you will find there.