I am reprinting this here without comment or modifications from
http://blogs.forteana.org/node/195Minnesota Ice Man - For Sale!
February 20, 2013 - 17:40 — Gordon
After a number of blog posts about Fortean property you need something to put in it. Well how about what is claimed to be Frank Hansen's original 1960's Minnesota Ice man sideshow exhibit?
A snip at $20 000 on ebay.
The listing reads
"This is the actual sideshow gaff billed as "The Minnesota Iceman" by
Frank Hansen in the 1960's. This is a one of a kind hoax that was
fabricated by a mid-20th century showman. The Iceman was featured in an
issue of Argosy Magazine (as you can see in the pictures) and spawned
decades of debate as to its authenticity. For around 40 years the
whereabouts of the Iceman were unknown to the cryptozoology community.
The "creature", while under ice, baffled the famed zoologist (and
so-called father of cryptozoology) Bernard Heuvelmans who examined it in
it's heyday. Stories circulated as to the origin of the creature
ranging from "a hunter shot it in the great northwoods", to "it was
killed during wartime in Southeast Asia", and even that it was found
floating in the ocean encased in it's signature block of ice. It is
thought that the "creature" was actually crafted by one of Disney's
early Imagineers. Regardless of who actually did create it, the quality
is flawless, and it has stood up remarkably well to the rigors of time
and repeated freezings. The chest freezer that it is housed in is
unfortunately not operational at this time. It has been looked at by a
licensed refrigeration contractor who determined that the compressor
needs to be replaced. A new custom sheet of glass was added in September
of 2012. The housing is extremely heavy, in upwards of 1000lbs, and is
approxamately 4' x 4' x 8'. This listing includes the rolling freezer
container, the creature, and the original signage. Buyer will need to
either arrange to pick item up in Minnesota, or arrange for shipping.
Follow this link to read the original Argosy Magazine article: http://www.bigfootencounters.com/articles/argosy2.htm Any questions, please feel free to email. Serious inquiries only. Thank You!"
So is this the real deal? There are other images at ebay to allow you to make up your mind. Was the original Ice Man a fake or genuine? Was it subsequently replaced by a fake and is this a fake that was associated with Hansen or is it a fake of a fake? Or a fake of a real animal? Or a fake of a fake of a real animal? Whatever it is it looks mighty impressive and I am searching down the back of the sofa to see if the Charles Fort Institute has enough money to buy it, but I'm not holding my breath!
For some excellent colour photographs of the beast Hansen showed I can strongly recommend L'Homme de Néanderthal
est toujours vivant
And here is a composite photograph by Heuvelmans and two interpretaive drawings
Whoever buys it I hope it goes on display somewhere.
A snip at $20 000 on ebay.
The listing reads
"This is the actual sideshow gaff billed as "The Minnesota Iceman" by
Frank Hansen in the 1960's. This is a one of a kind hoax that was
fabricated by a mid-20th century showman. The Iceman was featured in an
issue of Argosy Magazine (as you can see in the pictures) and spawned
decades of debate as to its authenticity. For around 40 years the
whereabouts of the Iceman were unknown to the cryptozoology community.
The "creature", while under ice, baffled the famed zoologist (and
so-called father of cryptozoology) Bernard Heuvelmans who examined it in
it's heyday. Stories circulated as to the origin of the creature
ranging from "a hunter shot it in the great northwoods", to "it was
killed during wartime in Southeast Asia", and even that it was found
floating in the ocean encased in it's signature block of ice. It is
thought that the "creature" was actually crafted by one of Disney's
early Imagineers. Regardless of who actually did create it, the quality
is flawless, and it has stood up remarkably well to the rigors of time
and repeated freezings. The chest freezer that it is housed in is
unfortunately not operational at this time. It has been looked at by a
licensed refrigeration contractor who determined that the compressor
needs to be replaced. A new custom sheet of glass was added in September
of 2012. The housing is extremely heavy, in upwards of 1000lbs, and is
approxamately 4' x 4' x 8'. This listing includes the rolling freezer
container, the creature, and the original signage. Buyer will need to
either arrange to pick item up in Minnesota, or arrange for shipping.
Follow this link to read the original Argosy Magazine article: http://www.bigfootencounters.com/articles/argosy2.htm Any questions, please feel free to email. Serious inquiries only. Thank You!"
So is this the real deal? There are other images at ebay to allow you to make up your mind. Was the original Ice Man a fake or genuine? Was it subsequently replaced by a fake and is this a fake that was associated with Hansen or is it a fake of a fake? Or a fake of a real animal? Or a fake of a fake of a real animal? Whatever it is it looks mighty impressive and I am searching down the back of the sofa to see if the Charles Fort Institute has enough money to buy it, but I'm not holding my breath!
For some excellent colour photographs of the beast Hansen showed I can strongly recommend L'Homme de Néanderthal
est toujours vivant
And here is a composite photograph by Heuvelmans and two interpretaive drawings
Whoever buys it I hope it goes on display somewhere.
I think it's been sold. Hope we find out who got it.
ReplyDeleteYes,thank you for bringing that up; I had heard the news a few hours after I had posted this information here and I was still going to make an update with the new information. The problem is, all that we know now is just the statement that it has been sold and not who made the winning bid nor yet how much they paid. I thought it would be better to wait until we had more details before adding the update.
ReplyDeleteCan't wait to see where this story goes.
ReplyDelete