Prewar Schwinn autocycle head badge question. How many?

illMATTic · May 17, 2011

I was wondering how many different head badges there were on the prewar autocycles. Are they different each year? Are there different models that had different badges?

Thanks

B607 · May 18, 2011

Plenty. About every hardware store had it's own badge. Here is a list of jobbers I put together that shows some of the different badges on Schwinn built bikes.

The following is a partial list of those jobbers, along with the name-plate
used by them :
Montgomery, Ward & Co., Chicago, ILL.
Wolverine Leather Co., Detroit, Mich.name-plate, "De Luxe."
Knapp & Spencer Hardware Co., Philadelphia; name-plate, "Black
Beauty."
Chas Oft, Dallas Tex.
Haverford Cycle Co., Chicago and Sioux City, la.
Marshall Wells Hardware Co.
Geo. Worthington, Cleveland, O. ; name-plate "Harvard" "Erie "
Annana Supply Co., High, la.
Wm Walker Co. Peoria ILL.
H. Kudie, Baltimore, Md.; name-plate,
Geller Ward & Hanson Co., St. Louis, Ardmore. Mo.
Tracy Wells & Co., Columbus, O. ; name- plate, "Excelsior."
City Supply Co., 56 Warren Street, New York City, N. Y.
Pritzlaff Hardware Co., name - plate, "Prize No. 5 Special."
Butler Bros., 375 Broadway, New YorkCity, N. Y.
Shapleigh Hardware Co., St. Louis,Mo.; name-plates, "Speed," "Ruby."
Wm. Frankfort Hardware Co., Milwaukee, Wis.
Witte Hardware Co., St. Louis, Mo. name-plate, "Witte Flyer."
Henkle & Joyce Hardware Co., Lincoln, Neb.
John S. Temgs and Son & Co., New York City; name-plate, "Excelsior."
A. Baldwin Co., New Orleans. La
W. B. Jarvis Co., Grand Rapids, Mich.
Kaufman Hardware Co., Pittsburgh, Pa.; name-plate, "Schenbey."
Spear & Co., Pittsburgh, Pa.
J. W. Grady, Worcester, Mass.
Van Camp Hardware & Iron Co., Indianapolis, Ind.
Hibhard-Spencer-Bartlett Co., Chicago, 111.

I have a DX with a Witte Hardware badge. Gary

illMATTic · May 18, 2011

Ah Haaaaaaaaa. I wondered why I was seeing so many off the wall badges.

Did Schwinn ever have their own?

Thanks.

B607 · May 19, 2011

Yes, they had their "Arnold, Schwinn & Co." badge. Several different ones in fact. Gary

axsepul · Nov 12, 2011

Was there ever an autocycle badge?

ozzmonaut · Nov 13, 2011

I thouight a saw an autocycle on ebay recently that had a badge that actually read AUTOCYCLE. I seem to remember the letters being somewhat squared much like on the cycletruck badges. Somebody correct me if I'm wrong, as I often am.

c.p.odom · Nov 13, 2011

To confuse the whole head badge issue the hardware stores and auto supply shops that sold bicycles would use the same head badge on several different brands of bicycles.