The American Sporting Auction (Syracuse, NY) taking place on September 20, 2025 features a neat paddle with an interesting history that appears to have never been used.
American Sporting Auctions
Syracuse, NY, United States
September 20, 2005
Page Brand - New York Boat Oar Company
New York, NY c.1916
54.5" long
Provenance: Private Collection Midwest
Purchased for the Raquette Lake Boys Club by Master Gordon Schwartz and still retains all the original postage and customs documents
Ezekiel Page revolutionized oar making when he patented his groundbreaking oar turning machine and, in 1843, established the New York Boat & Oar Company at 69 West Street in New York City. His invention allowed oars to be produced with unprecedented efficiency, enabling the company to become one of the largest manufacturers of oars, sculls, and paddles of its time.
The paddle itself features a crisp Page Brand mark and retains its original copper-ridged tip, a detail that ensured durability and performance.
Most interesting is that the paddle blade Page Brand stamps along with a Canadian customs sticker and matching tag documenting its shipment across the border. Unfortunately a worn watermark smudged the year section on the customs tag but the paddle is assumed to not predate 1916 when the Raquette Lake Boys Club was founded. Addressed to Master Gordon Schwartz with his name appearing on both the sticker and the tag, this object offers a rare, almost whimsical glimpse into how fine paddles were casually shipped a century ago.
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