1819 Original DENIS JOHNSON HOBBY HORSE
An extremely rare Regency Denis Johnson in an Auction 18 May 2026 Lewes, E. Sussex in England.
Sold for £24,050.
An extremely rare Regency Denis Johnson Dandy Horse / Hobby Horse, circa 1819, of painted wood and wrought iron construction, with velvet padded seat and elbow rest, wrought iron tyres and decorative carved top to the steering column, approximate dimensions; overall length 150cm, seat height 84cm, height to the top of handlebars 111cm, Developed from Karl Drais's Draisine, produced in Germany, and patented in England in 1818. Denis Johnson (c.1760-1833) made at least 320 of these during the early part of 1819 including a dropped frame version for ladies. Without the development of pedals, movement was achieved by swift walking.
It is understood that the popularity faded quickly by the summer of the same year due to a number of reasons which included the discouragement of their use by the London Surgeons, and the Metropolitan Paving Act of 1817 which made it unlawful to ride any wheeled vehicle on the pavement.
With the roads really only suitable for horse traffic there followed no notable cycling developments in England until the 1860s.
A similar example of the Velocipede can be found in the Science Museum, London.
This bargain, the £18.500 Hammer price has some extras to add for the auction house…. Buyer's Premium. The Conditions of Sale oblige buyers to pay a buyer's premium at 25% plus VAT on the hammer price of each lot purchased plus 4.95% plus VAT live bidding fee.
1819 DENIS JOHNSON HOBBY HORSE
The Stepney Tyres sign
A total of around £25,000 for a bicycle or hobby horse or velocipede seems like a pretty good price compared to £83,000 for an enamel sign.
A rare 1920s British enamel advertising sign has sold for a record £83,780, underlining the growing strength of the UK’s collector market. The Stepney Tyres sign, which measured five by four feet, sold for more than eight times its £10,000 estimate at a standalone auction hosted by Cheffins Machinery Auctioneers on 21st March 2026, setting a new UK record price for an automobilia item. It was sold to a UK based collector.
