Can someone put a date of manufacture on my JC Higgins?

[Big Fat Whitewalls]

I've had this bike for over 25 years. I've had it so long, I don't remember where I got it, or how much I paid for it, I know it wasn't much. Originally a girls bike, I made the top bar, and tacked it in place over 20 years ago, long before digital cameras. It's been languishing in the corners all this time, now I want to build it. I didn't even know it was a skip tooth until I recently looked at it. I was going to restore it, as restored as it could be as a converted girls bike, but I've decided to Hotrod it now. It was originally dark blue and white, and somebody fixed it up, with a light blue house paint resto. It's really a pretty sound bike, I used to ride it around before I cut the top bar. What year is it? Thanks, Dean

 

[Unchained]

COOL! I love these old JCH's. I'd say between 1950 and 1956... sorry I can't offer anything more precise, they can be tough to date exactly. That springer fork design should help in identifying the year, as they varied year to year and model to model, that one having a particular and less common truss configuration should be easier to pinpoint...

 

[Rustinkerer]

The "beehive" springer was introduced in 1948, and used thru 1957. Your rear rack looks like one used in 48-49, skip tooth chains were used til early 56. But girl's JCH's used the same frame and tank thru that whole period, so aside from the rack, it really could be any of those years. I have an early 50s boy's version I picked up last year for $25! ~Adam