Identification Please

Year & Model Identification Please

Colorflow?????? UNFORTUNATELY I neglected to ask if there were any problems with this bike before I bought it, so I'm going to have to replace some parts on my "GREAT DEAL". But first I need to know what year this JC Higgins is. Serial number is: First line: MOD 502 271, Second line: 241229. This bike has peaked fenders, and I believe all parts are original to this bike.

1949 J.C. Higgins Deluxe

Thanks a million Rambler!!!! Does anyone happen to know if there was a less deluxe version of this bike that may not have included the deluxe reflectors and batwing headlight?

You're in luck! Less deluxe version was available in Spring Summer Catalog for 1950.

You're HIRED! Thank you, Thank you, Thank you!

nice project Dave.

Great Deal

Nice score and may very well still be a GREAT DEAL. Congrats, Dave on a nice project bike.

Hi Dave

You should re-examine your crank hanger (the one on the bike) to see if you can find the year code letter.

In addition to the numbers you posted there should be something along the lines of “MOS-?” The ? will be the year code letter that will date the production year for the frame.

The Mod 502 indicates the bike was manufactured by Murray and the 271 is the model number which represents the actual original build pattern/model of your bike. The model numbers are interesting because representing a specific model they can span more than one year but, because they code to a Sears designated model, is some cases the same model was produced by more than one manufacturer and two bikes with the same model number can actually be very different bicycles.

I have been collecting model numbers from original complete bikes when I can but I have yet to register a Model 271.

The six-digit number is the sequential serial code, probably run up over a years production and then reset for the next year.

Where do you guys find the charts to decode these? I have a Higgins frame with MOS P. What year would that be?

The information I have is composited from many sources but the current “best practices” code breaker I use for the Murray-Ohio serial letter codes came from ABC Services reproduction of a parts book for Western Autos bicycles (which is available from him on this site and on eBay.)

The book is full of information and hard to find data but the caveat is that is was produced by a distributor rather than a factory so it needs to be interpreted in that light. It is also possible that the MO codes refer to a company specific fiscal year or otherwise derived model year which may not be in sync with the Gregorian calendar.

Based on the book, Murray built Western Flyers were coded with a “P” in 1950. This seems to align with the coding for MO produced J.C. Higgins when features of documented bicycles are compared with catalog cuts.