Re: >> '22 Columbia Superb - Takes Shape<<
Hi Joe,
The 1922 date (based on info from the MrColumbia site?) is incorrect. The bike is actually from 1935. Westfield ran through serial letters several times. N is appropriate for 1922 but was used again in 1935 and later in 1950, 1964 and 1965.
The N serial number stamped on your bike’s bottom bracket equates to 1935. M/1934 and N/1935 serial numbers precede the A/1936 serial numbers that are listed on the MrColumbia site. The 1935 date for the bike is also appropriate for that chain guard which was first introduced in that year.
For more reference Dave Stromberger has scans of a complete 1934 catalog on his site which shows a similar bike to the one you have.
http://www.nostalgic.net/arc/ScannedLit ... ?start=100
On the subject of Westfield serial numbers and in regard to the MrColumbia site:
The information on the MrColumbia site is a very good reference and clears up some inaccurate information posted elsewhere on the internet (especially regarding some mid-fifties numbers)
There are a couple of areas though, that still need more research
Kenneth Kowel notes that Westfield stamped the model number on the badge until 1924 and then dropped the practice. The information on his site picks up again in 1936 with the serial numbers stamped in the bottom bracket beginning with the letter “A”.
The hole in the information available/provided is regarding Westfield built bicycles constructed between 1925 and 1935 for which no badge model numbers or bottom bracket serial numbers are listed.
From my research the bottom brackets were stamped with the serial numbers “M” for 1934, and “N” for 1935. I would speculate that bottom bracket serial numbers were used throughout the twenties and my guess is that they would mirror the badge model numbers perhaps with the model/calendar shift of one letter noted by Mr. Kowal.
That being the case the likely progression would be:
A=1923, B=1924, C=1925, D=1926, E=1927, F=1928, G=1929, H=1930,
J=1931, K=1932, L=1933, M=1934, and N=1935. This progression leaves out “I” which is usually skipped for it’s resemblance to a 1 and returns to "A" before moving to “O” which resembles a zero.
I haven’t examined bikes earlier than 1934 to check this progression but it is a speculative start for determining the year of pre-balloon Westfield built Elgins and other Westfield built motobikes.
The other issue that comes up is Mr. Kowels explanation of the double serial numbers found on many 1930’s Westfield built bicycles. He explains that the second letter is one letter higher than the one preceding the serial number, and represents the model year as opposed to the calendar year. I have found that often the second letter is two higher than the leading serial letter but I don’t have an explanation for this phenomenon.
While this is more information than is necessary, I hope that posting it here will lead to more data being collected to clear up the gray areas in dating Westfield products
Esp if I was able to find some that were stainless steel with blue pin stripes. 
