American
c. 1879

Size eleven gold-plated ice skates with steel blades produced by The Starr Manufacturing Company located in Halifax, Nova Scotia. The steel blade on each skate is labeled “Forbes Patent, Acme Club Skates”. Also included with the skates is a small tool to tighten the bolts on the skates. John Forbes of The Starr Manufacturing Company invented the “Acme Spring Skate,” a revolutionary product that attached the skate to the boot with a spring-lock mechanism and did away with the need for leather straps, as had been previously used on ice skates. The skates are packed in the original white cardboard box labeled “Acme Club Skates 1879” and inside the box, there is a pamphlet with directions for fitting the skates to boots in English, French, and German.

Probably purchased at J.P. Ambler’s located at 9 Market Street in Poughkeepsie.