Invalid Rolling Cart

Q: We have an “invalid rolling cart” made by Colson Corp. of Elyria, Ohio. Our school was going to put it in a dumpster. Can you tell us how old it is and what it’s worth?

A: Colson started out as Fay Manufacturing, makers of the Fairy Tricycle, in 1885. There have been several changes in ownership and corporate name since then. By 1903, Fred Colson was one of the owners of the company, then called Worthington Manufacturing Co. The company made tricycles, wheelchairs, invalid chairs, carts and more. In 1917 it became Colson Co. and manufactured wheeled equipment for hospitals and industry. The company’s name was changed to the name on your cart, Colson Corp., in 1933. Colson was bought by Sentinel Capital Partners in 2012 and is still in business. Your cart, made after 1933, is not old enough to be antique, but it’s unusual. It would be hard to sell but might interest a historical society.