Josephine from Utah with a Jacobs to sell or?

[MsJo]

Hi Everyone, My husband and I are hoping to find out if there is any interest, or suggestions on where we should go, to sell a very old Jacobs windmill that has been in storage for 40 years, as we waited to "buy that ideal piece of property" that never happened. We purchased it from an elderly gentleman who, 40 years ago, was in a similar situation. We were told it is a Jacobs of the same type as the one that was in Antartica. As I recall it needed the wiring and electronics that would take the power generated by the windmill and convert it to useable electricity. We never did buy that piece of property and now a serious medical issue for one of our children has pushed us to accept reality and allow someone younger, or with more resources to take on the project. I believe it came with a 20 (?) foot tower, and all of the parts needed for the windmill itself. It has the wooden blades, which are in decent shape, the generator and tail. If it is not the sort of thing anyone would want to purchase, then suggestions as to a museum or suitable group that would put it to some good use, or, if we should just sell it for parts. Any advice will be appreciated, we just need to downsize! Thank you!

[mtblah]

Josephine , thank you for going us windmillers , do you have any idea what value you place on your electric generator & tower ?
I am assuming it is on the ground all dissembled .

[windybob]

Windchargermike is the go to guy for this topic. He will reply.

[MsJo]

Thank you guys for responding! It is in parts on the ground. I will get pictures of it tomorrow when the roads are cleared, if they would be useful.. The pieces will be dusty!

[PaulV]

Welcome to the forum. Yes, pictures will help us determine what model you have, and perhaps a value. Lots of knowledgeable folks here.

[Wind Charger Mike]

Hi Josephine
The model, condition and completeness will give us a better idea on value. It can be worth anywhere from a few hundred to several thousand. If it is an early Jacobs like Admiral Byrd used at Little America, then it may have more historic value. They’re not very common. That model had a 2 piece tail vane was likely a 1500W. I’m comfortable saying Jacobs are the most reliable wind generators ever built and many are still in use today. That said any 90 yr old piece of equipment especially with electrical wiring may need reworked. You’ll want to advertise locally on Craigslist and/or marketplace. You can put it on eBay for a wider audience but of course with local pickup only. Start high and negotiate down depending on interest and how long it takes. If you decide to donate I’d suggest the American Windmill Museum in Lubbock. They need a direct drive Jacobs in their wind electric section of the museum. I look forward to seeing the pics. My contact info is in my profile if I can help in any way.

[MsJo]

We have taken a bunch of pictures today, but I am not sure how to post/link, or somehow share them with the community. My son suggested I use Imgur, but some of you may have better suggestions. Thank you again for the informative and friendly responses!

[MsJo]

Continuing with link to pictures in "for sale"

[Wind Charger Mike]

Bottom line after seeing your pics and conferring with a couple of guys I consider my mentors, your machine absolutely needs to be in a museum. A few jaws hit the ground….It may be the earliest known Jacobs that is still in mostly original condition. It appears to have a few touch ups and verifying the finer details of its originality is going to take a little more research.
The experts I shared your pics with are Craig Toepfer and Mick Sagrillo. Both are subject authors and much more knowledgeable on Jacobs than me. Craig worked with Marcellus Jacobs in the 70s and Mick owned a company that specialized in servicing Jacobs machines in the same time frame. As a run of the mill Jacobs in that condition it’s a $3k machine all day. It’s historical value is much higher. Unfortunately I’m afraid the market may not support its true value as a piece of wind electric history. Putting your Jacobs on a tower to produce electricity would be like making a Duesenberg a daily driver. To put it in context for my windmill friends, it’s a 1889 Aermotor. I urge you to go the donate to a museum route but I understand if you need to sell it. I’ll be glad to help you facilitate it going to the right museum and if you have to sell it, put a big number on it and please discourage any potential buyer from restoring it or putting it out in the elements. Let me know if I can help.
I also posted this in the classified section with your link to the pictures…

[windybob]

This whole subject is really interesting, and exciting. Thanks to both of you for sharing this fascinating story, and details.