Antique Doty bellows sweeper

The 'Doty' goes back to about 1916 and was the design of Daniel B Replogle. Never heard of him? bet you did. He was a doctor in Toledo, Ohio with a deep concern about dust in the air. Dr. Replogle had many ideas not just the Doty, which I think was named for a relative named Dorothy, so variation of Dottie.

Enter one of the Tracy brothers of Toledo. It was a rainy afternoon and Dr. Replogle was walking, Prat Tracy offered him a ride and the conversation turned to vacuum cleaners. The Tracy brothers, I believe the other was Clarence, were the owners of a factory that made radios and small appliances. The company name, Air-Way! Dr. Replogle was to design the early uprights of 1920-1940. Yes, he was the one who dreamed up the paper filtered bag inside the outer bag, thus being the first person to create the disposable vacuum cleaner bag and was the one to call these vacuum cleaners 'Sanitary systems.'

So, yes, the Doty is worth what the asking price is and why it's an important part of vacuum cleaner history.


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Post# 468393 12/31/2023 at 14:26 by JustJunque (Western MA)
Checkrate/Likes Never heard of this. I don't know if it's worth what they're asking or not. Just thought I'd post, in case anyone is interested. CLICK HERE TO GO TO JustJunque's LINK on Westernmass Craigslist

Post# 468444 , Reply# 1 1/3/2024 at 14:54 by OhioVacuums (Ohio)
Checkrate/Likes 1 *I have one* I bought a Doty at an antique mall for $ 50. I've read that they are rare but I doubt they are.....I've seen at least 5 for sale in the past 2 years. They are funny to use though. When you push it the wheels spin (of course) and make the bellows go up and down. An unusual design.

Post# 468466 , Reply# 2 1/4/2024 at 11:51 by Caligula (Wallingford, Connecticut)
Checkrate/Likes 1 *Date is wrong by about 30 years.* The 'Doty' goes back to about 1916 and was the design of Daniel B Replogle. Never heard of him? bet you did. He was a doctor in Toledo, Ohio with a deep concern about dust in the air. Dr. Replogle had many ideas not just the Doty, which I think was named for a relative named Dorothy, so variation of Dottie. Enter one of the Tracy brothers of Toledo. It was a rainy afternoon and Dr. Replogle was walking, Prat Tracy offered him a ride and the conversation turned to vacuum cleaners. The Tracy brothers, I believe the other was Clarence, were the owners of a factory that made radios and small appliances. The company name, Air-Way! Dr. Replogle was to design the early uprights of 1920-1940. Yes, he was the one who dreamed up the paper filtered bag inside the outer bag, thus being the first person to create the disposable vacuum cleaner bag and was the one to call these vacuum cleaners 'Sanitary systems.' So, yes, the Doty is worth what the asking price is and why it's an important part of vacuum cleaner history.

Post# 468467 , Reply# 3 1/4/2024 at 12:33 by Hoover300 (Kentucky)
Checkrate/Likes Interesting history!! Did he also design the electric Doty upright with the wooden base? The Hoover Historical Center has one. That will not sell for $300. I've seen them barely sell for $50. Very neat cleaner though.

Post# 468475 , Reply# 4 1/4/2024 at 15:42 by JustJunque (Western MA)
Checkrate/Likes Thank you, Alex! That IS really interesting! When I mentioned not knowing if it was worth the asking price, I was thinking along the lines of Hoover300. It seems like I've seen them sell for more around $50 or so; despite being an interesting, significant piece of vacuum history.

Post# 468488 , Reply# 5 1/5/2024 at 00:55 by huskyvacs (Gnaw Bone, Indiana)
Checkrate/Likes 1 The Doty is one of the more popular antique vacuums, what makes it so, I don't know, but as soon as they are listed they are sold virtually overnight. I've seen them off and on, and got scammed out of one, for the last several years. I finally secured one last week!

Post# 468569 , Reply# 6 1/8/2024 at 19:18 by Lesinutah (Utah)
Checkrate/Likes 1 *They* Have one north of me about an hour for $5. I've seen a few and fairly cheap often.