Upstate NY museum’s antique bicycle collection sold for $4M

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) – A collection of 400 antique bicycles owned by a suburban Buffalo museum is being sold to an overseas buyer for $4 million.

Carl Burgwardt, the owner of the Pedaling History Bicycle Museum in Orchard Park, says he’s selling the collection after it wasn’t included plans to redevelop Buffalo’s Erie Canal Harbor area.

The plans call for museums at the downtown site, but the development agency hasn’t decided which ones to include.
Burgwardt says a confidentiality agreement with the buyer prevents him from discussing where the collection is going.

The collection ranges from a wooden two-wheeler made in 1817 to iconic Schwinn bicycles. Many of the older bikes were made by Buffalo factories that later shifted to automobile manufacturing in the early 20th century.
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Information from: The Buffalo News, http://www.buffalonews.com

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AP-ES-11-12-08 1109EST