# Lexington Badged Schwinn...Just Bought It!



## HARPO (Jun 4, 2021)

OK... @barneyguey  Barry...I bought it! 😃

Turns out it was the guys mother's bike that she got new. It had been banging around his garage for years since his mother had passed away, along with tons of assorted other things. He figured the bike was made sometime in the 1940's and his mother was born in 1931. He wasn't sure at what age she got it, though.

His daughter had  the bike listed on Facebook for _6 months_ at $700. Then, the other day it appears again... but with newer photos, for $299. When I met him (his daughter wasn't around), he said "I'm not taking less than $300, I have a guy who wants it for his collection", and pulls out a piece of paper to show me his name and phone number. I said I just came to look at it and see exactly what is was. 😕

We spoke for awhile, he now knew I collected bikes, we had a good repore going, but told him I couldn't do $300 and thanked him for even showing me the bike. He then asked what I could pay...I said I have $170 on me, and he said "I'll take it" and smiled. He said he gave me a good deal and was happy I was the one going home with it. 🤑

Serial number is: *J84665  *Can someone let me know the year, please?

Enjoy the barrage of photos. Appears to be only the rear reflector missing!


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## HARPO (Jun 4, 2021)

...and the rest!...


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## tacochris (Jun 4, 2021)

HARPO said:


> ...and the rest!...
> 
> View attachment 1424053
> 
> ...



Beautiful survivor bike man!!
If those tires ever come off let me know.  Haha


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## 49autocycledeluxe (Jun 4, 2021)

very nice. 1953 is what the site I put the number in says.


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## Neal405 (Jun 4, 2021)

Dang his mother bought that bike new in the 50's? I could never of sold it!


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## schwinnja (Jun 4, 2021)

Not '53.
Probably '47,  check equipment and serial number location.


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## HARPO (Jun 4, 2021)

@schwinnja  After going over the 40's and 50's catalogs, I tend to agree with you on photos alone. 😎


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## 49autocycledeluxe (Jun 4, 2021)

rims are earlier than 53 for sure. Truss rod forks stopped in 52 or 53.... I always thought Bendix Brakes came out later.

when did they start using the S-2 rims?? my guess is 52.


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## HARPO (Jun 4, 2021)

Actually, this is from the 1946 Catalog...and it's dead-on...Model BA-37.


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## catfish (Jun 4, 2021)

Nice


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## Maskadeo (Jun 4, 2021)

I’ll take the badge 😜!


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## HARPO (Jun 4, 2021)

Lol...everybody wants the badge...


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## Maskadeo (Jun 4, 2021)

Yes. We’ll all take the badge.


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## barneyguey (Jun 4, 2021)

Beautiful!


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## GTs58 (Jun 4, 2021)

🍒

Looks like a possible 1947 or late 46?  Tapered stand with the stand tube angle not as steep as the early post war pieces and it appears to me that the drop outs are thicker. Drop center rims pre 1948. The serial stamping has clean thick hard struck numbers also unlike the real early post war pieces.

I've found more production details and have come to the conclusion that this a 1945 model.


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## bobcycles (Jun 4, 2021)

bike was on facebook for ages at an unrealistic price...hopefully the seller came back down to earth


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## 1817cent (Jun 4, 2021)

Nice looking bike.  Congrats!


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## HARPO (Jun 5, 2021)

bobcycles said:


> bike was on facebook for ages at an unrealistic price...hopefully the seller came back down to earth




Read the beginning of the Post. After 24 weeks at $700...it had_ just_ come down to $299...and I took it home for $170. 😎

Seeing the way that the bike was "stored" in his garage, and being banged around with other bikes, I can only assume that most of the scratches/dings were from him. 
I was shocked, though, to see the Goodyear tires that were still on it. Only missing the rear reflector! 🙂


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## HARPO (Jun 5, 2021)

I started to clean the rims, and I'm not sure what plating is on there. Nickel? They're certainly not chrome. Anyone care to enlighten me?


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## HARPO (Jun 6, 2021)

@GTs58  What plating is on the rims?...🧐


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## GTs58 (Jun 6, 2021)

Sara Lee's Chrome frosting?

I've seen this numerous times and I always think that someone didn't do the job right. The French were famous for their crappy chrome plating on the old Huret parts but this is not as common on older parts made in the US. Is there any manufacturers markings on the rims? All I can say is those rims had a poor plating job for some reason and the war may have affected the manufacturers chroming process. A similar issue with crappy chrome plating also happened during the Korean war. Here's a quote from from someone that does plating.

_Unlike "sacrificial" coatings like zinc plating or galvanizing where porosity or a hole or bare edge may be no big deal, porosity in nickel-chrome plating is a disaster that doesn't merely fail to protect the steel, but greatly accelerates the corrosion of the steel. Chrome plating is a "barrier layer" plating; once the barrier is breached by a pinhole, very rapid rusting is unavoidable. A low quality chrome plating job with pinholes or porosity is much worse than no plating at all; the plating electrochemically forces the underlying steel to rust. _

I wonder if that bike was stored or used close by the coast. Here's a 1961 Corvette 5 speed that was found in the San Fran Bay area. I chemically stripped the black paint and primer and even were the paint was not chipped or scratched there was an extreme amount of rust. The older the paint gets the more porous it gets and having no wax or care, the paint will suck up the moisture.


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## HARPO (Jun 6, 2021)

@GTs58  Thanks for the explanation!! Hard to believe it _was_ actually shiny chrome at some point! 😲

I'm not sure where the guys mother lived in her youth, but the handlebars are experiencing pretty much some of the same issue. The truss rods, however, are much better and look like chrome should look as I've been working on all three today.


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## HARPO (Jul 3, 2021)

I was going take some shots outside today, but the rain wouldn't stop, so here are a few from inside.

I'm on the fence about letting this one go...but I can't keep _everything_ I keep buying. I know some people want the badge, some the tires. But if I sell it, it goes all in one piece. And No Shipping, pick up only. (No idea as to what I'll even ask).

BTW, I only removed the chain guard to work on it. Everything else stayed put. And from what I can see, the wheels haven't been off the bike sine it left the Schwinn factory. The paint around the rear drops is perfect.  😃


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## GTs58 (Jul 3, 2021)

Looks very respectable! Nice job on the clean up. 👍 I went back to the first page and viewed all the pictures and the serial number again. After looking at this picture closer I noticed the angle of the kickstand tube. It's angle is *not *as severe as the early post war 1946 and later models almost looking like they are on a 45 degree angle. The J serials were used during the war on the BB shells that were the first to be electro-welded and used on the one piece cranked 1942-43 and up New Worlds. The rear chain stays on those were still hand welded to the BB shell but the seat post was also Electro-welded to the shell. Notice how close your chain stay EF joints are to the shell? That detail and angle of the kickstand tube indicates to me that your J serial bike was produce in 1945.


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## Maskadeo (Jul 3, 2021)

I can give you a Royal badge plus $200 for your badge. Whoa, it’s like getting a free bike! Happy 4th!


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## HARPO (Jul 3, 2021)

GTs58 said:


> Looks very respectable! Nice job on the clean up. 👍 I went back to the first page and viewed all the pictures and the serial number again. After looking at this picture closer I noticed the angle of the kickstand tube. It's angle is *not *as severe as the early post war 1946 and later models almost looking like they are on a 45 degree angle. The J serials were used during the war on the BB shells that were the first to be electro-welded and used on the one piece cranked 1942-43 and up New Worlds. The rear chain stays on those were still hand welded to the BB shell but the seat post was also Electro-welded to the shell. Notice how close your chain stay EF joints are to the shell? That detail and angle of the kickstand tube indicates to me that your J serial bike was produce in 1945.
> 
> View attachment 1440453




Thanks for the Update!!!!!! Damn, you know your Stuff!! 🧐

Cooool! A year older...and one of the first bikes produced after the War. Uh...might be _keeping_ this one now. 😎

September 2, 1945 was when the war ended. And since bike production was pretty much at a snails pacel until that time, I'll assume pretty much right after that date???


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## HARPO (Jul 3, 2021)

Maskadeo said:


> I can give you a Royal badge plus $200 for your badge. Whoa, it’s like getting a free bike! Happy 4th!





I wouldn't remove the badge, but I do thank you for your offer! This one will stay intact...and maybe now with me! 🙂 It will have company with my '41.


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## GTs58 (Jul 3, 2021)

HARPO said:


> Thanks for the Update!!!!!! Damn, you know your Stuff!! 🧐
> 
> Cooool! A year older...and one of the first bikes produced after the War. Uh...might be _keeping_ this one now. 😎
> 
> September 2, 1945 was when the war ended. And since bike production was pretty much at a snails pacel until that time, I'll assume pretty much right after that date???




Schwinn produced over 90,000 bikes in 1945 and very few if any were sold to the government. Most were for retail. Some of these 1945 models have shown up with a few black out parts too.


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## HARPO (Jul 3, 2021)

@GTs58  BTW...the head badge...Bloomingdale Bros., LEXINGTON. It means it was made to be sold in Bloomingdale's Dept. Store in NYC...on* LEXINGTON Ave. *Hence the name on the bike. My _wife told me_ the name on the head badge was for where their store was!! 😀

I wonder how many were made before the War ended, and then after in 1945?


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## GTs58 (Jul 3, 2021)

Schwinn most likely started ramping up for production after the Sept. 1944 restoration of bicycle production.


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## HARPO (Jul 3, 2021)

I need to do more detailing now on the bike, lol...


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## HARPO (Jul 3, 2021)

GTs58 said:


> View attachment 1440489
> 
> Schwinn most likely started ramping up for production after the Sept. 1944 restoration of bicycle production.




So...then Schwinn didn't SELL bikes in 1945, but began production, if I'm reading this correctly???


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## GTs58 (Jul 3, 2021)

HARPO said:


> So...then Schwinn didn't produce bikes in 1945, if I'm reading this correctly???




Not reading it correctly. They produce 98,185 bikes in 1945 and these were shipped out from the factory in 45.


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## HARPO (Jul 3, 2021)

GTs58 said:


> Not reading it correctly. They produce 98,185 bikes in 1945.
> 
> View attachment 1440498




I didn't see this until now. So yes, a lot of bikes!! Still, I'm happy with what I have now, and THANK YOU for the info! 😃


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## HARPO (Jul 4, 2021)

Pretty much done. I'll do my knit picking at a later date on it, as I want to get back to the Schwinn American I had gotten last week. 😛


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## HARPO (Jul 4, 2021)

...and of course more...😄


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## HARPO (Jul 4, 2021)

New scrapes/gouges on the bike drive me crazy!!! This was in such nice condition until the guy I bought it from decided to smash it in with other junk bikes and crap he had in his garage. 😡


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