I found this very very sweet folk art carousel in New Hampshire last week and paid for it about what I'm asking, but it called very loudly to me to be its steward, and I could not ignore the call! The underside of the base tells us that it was created by George P. Denck in the winter of 1952, I'd be willing to bet for a child or grandchild--and all signs are that it was much loved and played with. On the carousel--which still rotates very smoothly by turning the hand-crank--are six animals (horses, cows, a goat I think...) and their riders, each unique, with wonderfully carved faces and colorfully painted outfits. It seems likely that each moved forward and back a little as the carousel rotated, and a couple of them still do just a bit, but mostly it's just the carousel itself that moves. (One can manually move a few of them into different positions, with a couple examples in photos.) At the center is a tin can covered in images of a cowboy, a cow, and a dog, while a dowel extending up from its center supports the colorful wood and metal "topper," which terminates in a carved and painted balancing clown. (Notes on this clown in condition descrip.) Photos document it all pretty comprehensively! Very home made feeling to begin with, and all the more so with 70 or so years on it, but I find it completely charming and cheering, so full of life and love.
10" diameter x 13 5/8" tall. Riders sit about 6" tall measured up from base. General wear as pictured but crank and carousel still turn smoothly. (It needs a bit of elevation under the base in order to be able to turn the crank; I just put a couple of scraps of wood under it.) A few riders hold yarn "reins" in their hands but in most cases the yarn just hangs loose. Most precarious is the clown topper--it is just a thin piece of wood (part of a toothpick I believe) that connects from a hole in his foot to a hole in the top of the wood dowel that elevates him. When the carousel is still, he stands fine, but is not very securely attached. He also shows loss to one arm and a couple of chips to feet. If needed/desired he could be replaced with a colorful bead or all sorts of other things.