# Anyone ever figure out who sold the Schwinn "Mission" Bicycle?



## barneyguey (Jan 7, 2020)

Any help figuring this out would be greatly appreciated. Mission badge Schwinn Bikes, where were they sold? Barry


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## hoofhearted (Jan 7, 2020)

*Barry … by no means am I attempting to Bogart your thread.

There is one mystery that was never cleared-up at the time
of a particular posting.

The owner of a TOC/teen's MISSION-badged bicycle frame has 
not been seen since October 19, 2019.  He was a CABEr and 
posted some pics of his diamond-framed roadster.  A Miami-Built.

Sometimes I sit and think.  Sometimes I just sit.  But it did occur
to me that this badge MAY have been the ancestral forerunner of 
the Schwinn MISSION badge.

Not a single reader (self-included) brought up the possibility of a
connection of the badge on his antiquated Mission … with those 
Mission badges of the Schwinn persuasion.  In truth … I really 
wanted that Mission-badged frame .. but failed to pursue it at 
the time.

Could there have been a connection ?*

Thank you in advance, Barry … and to any readers who care to share their thoughts ….

*..... patric*






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## barneyguey (Jan 7, 2020)

Wow! Cool! Thanks for the tip Patric! I will check it out for sure and let you know what I find. Thank you. Barry



Always feel free to contribute. I value your input.


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## barneyguey (Jan 7, 2020)

I just found that they merged with Baker & Hamilton in 1918. You probably saw this Savage badge when someone posted it on the Cabe a while back.


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## mr.cycleplane (Jan 26, 2020)

I can't say for certain but like the northwest patrol badge-everyone assumed it was a Washington-Oregon-Idaho regional badge. Turns out more showed up in Minnesota! The same has been thought of the A.S. Mission badge being a 'California' only badge with a representation of one of California's historic 21 missions and the bear like on our state flag and the mountains representing our sierra Nevada mountain range. the specific mission seen on the badge is I think best fit to the Santa Barbara mission-the most beautifully restored and still standing of the 21 originals. But who sold them or which distributor offered them......quien sabe?


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## oldmtrcyc (Jan 3, 2021)

I don't know the answer to your question but my orig paint B-10e came from the LA area.


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## barneyguey (Jan 4, 2021)

oldmtrcyc said:


> I don't know the answer to your question but my orig paint B-10e came from the LA area.
> View attachment 1332526



Very cool! Some people have told me they think the mission on the badge is like some of the missions in California. It just might be the case that's where they were sold. Thank you for sharing. I'd love to see the whole bike. Barry


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## hoofhearted (Jan 5, 2021)

*Still mysterious to this day .....*


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## cyclingday (Jan 5, 2021)

The building depicted on the badge, is the Mission Inn, Riverside, California.
The mountain in the background is, Mt. San Antonio.
The bear of course, is the California Grizzly.
It’s a California themed badge, no doubt about it.
Where they were sold, is definitely still a mystery.
My own hunch, is that they were badged for the Mission Inn, as a bicycle fleet for the guests that stayed there.
Look up the history of the Mission Inn, and see what your thoughts are.
Maybe the Inn has some record of the bicycles they provided guests back in the 1930’s?
Just a hunch.


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## WetDogGraphix (Jan 5, 2021)

Here is a link to it.......




__





						Mission Inn Foundation - Preserving, promoting and sharing the history and legacy of the historic Mission Inn
					

Preserving, promoting and sharing the history and legacy of the historic Mission Inn in Riverside, CA




					missioninnmuseum.org


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## mr.cycleplane (Jan 5, 2021)

cyclingday said:


> The building depicted on the badge, is the Mission Inn, Riverside, California.
> The mountain in the background is, Mt. San Antonio.
> The bear of course, is the California Grizzly.
> It’s a California themed badge, no doubt about it.
> ...



Thanks Marty-that is way awesome info! I looked at that site(awesome-stayed there years ago) and if I were to offer this opinion-the 'mission' depicted on the badge is perhaps a composite of several missions actually(to honor all of them)! I would also have to amend my statement about the Santa Barbara mission(the most beautiful and still standing!)! I can see also from a historical point of view they might have used the Carmel mission(Monterey)-the capitol of California during Spain's 'control' here. One of those mysteries we may never solve-but its still a cool badge!


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## cyclingday (Jan 5, 2021)

I’ve looked at all of the Missions, and the building that it most closely resembles is the Mission Inn.
Mt. San Antonio is visible from there as well, and in fact looks very similar from that vantage point to the profile depicted on the badge.
The folklore, that it’s the Santa Barbara Mission has been circulating around the hobby since it’s inception, but the image on the badge looks nothing like the Mission in Santa Barbara.
I’m pretty convinced that it’s the Mission Inn, in Riverside, California.
But hey, that’s just me.


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## barneyguey (Jan 5, 2021)

This is from the Mission Inn website

Mission Inn Hotel & Spa began as a quaint adobe boarding house in 1876, becoming a full-service hotel in the early 1900s. Opened by Frank Miller, it expanded in 1903 with over 200 guestrooms and the addition of the Mission Wing, built in Mission-Revival style while incorporating architectural features from more than 20 different California missions.


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## gkeep (Jan 5, 2021)

Somewhere in a box of old books I have a copy of this from the teens or 20s. If they had their own song book they might have had their own bikes too.


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## oldmtrcyc (Jan 5, 2021)

I haven't seen any of them, but a road trip down hwy 101, with my Mission bike in tow, is in the future once the craziness is over


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## barneyguey (Jan 5, 2021)

I agree with Marty, I'm also convinced it's a California themed badge. I've found want ads for Schwinn Built Mission bicycles in California Newspapers from the 30's and 40's. Most of the ads are for people selling bikes, but one is for a Schwinn built Mission bicycle that was stolen. California is the only place I've found ads. Barry


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## mr.cycleplane (Jan 5, 2021)

Would the 'newspaper' want ads be a clue-example: San Francisco Chronicle or the Los Angeles Times-or that ad for the stolen Mission badged bike-now we are getting some where-awesome!


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## barneyguey (Jan 5, 2021)

Bakersfield Californian-December 30th 1936, Page 9.

I was wrong. The ad didn't say it was stolen, it says it was found by the police.


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## barneyguey (Jan 5, 2021)

Hayward Review, June 10th 1943, page 5


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## gkeep (Jan 5, 2021)

Another bit of info or fly in the ointment. According to this website Nostalgic Reflections reproduced these badges in the 1970s (?) and is still selling them online.


*New Old Stock - Bicycle Parts*​*Back in the early 1970s, the original family owners of this bike company, who made these parts, had Nostalgic Reflections reproduce bike badges, castings, decals, sprockets, headlight and taillight lenses & other parts for their customers who collected and restored their vintage bicycles.
Nostalgic Reflections no longer makes any of these parts for the current owner(s) of this company, but we are eliminating our old stock. When it is gone, it is all gone!



			Nostalgic Reflections has an extensive collection of bike badges, decals and more. If we don't have it, we can make it!
		

*







*Mission*
_(MBS-0019)_
Bike Badge
_Etched, hand-painted
& curved brass_
*$110*
_

_


*Mission*
_(MBS-0401)_
Bike Badge Black
_Etched, hand-painted &
curved - nickel plated_
*$135*
_

_


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## mr.cycleplane (Jan 5, 2021)

barnyguey said:


> Bakersfield Californian-December 30th 1936, Page 9.
> 
> I was wrong. The ad didn't say it was stolen, it says it was found by the police.
> 
> View attachment 1333458



My imagination is going wild....'many accessories'......jeweled tank-handlebar speedomter-full floating saddle-fore brake......hummmmmm.......


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## Obi-Wan Schwinnobi (Jan 5, 2021)

cyclingday said:


> The building depicted on the badge, is the Mission Inn, Riverside, California.
> The mountain in the background is, Mt. San Antonio.
> The bear of course, is the California Grizzly.
> It’s a California themed badge, no doubt about it.
> ...



My money is on this. If You bought enough bikes, schwinn would make whatever badge you wanted to go on them. It’s the simplest explanation. It’s probably the right one.


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## Obi-Wan Schwinnobi (Jan 5, 2021)

mr.cycleplane said:


> My imagination is going wild....'many accessories'......jeweled tank-handlebar speedomter-full floating saddle-fore brake......hummmmmm.......



Or 2 mirrors, a bell , tassels and baskets  haha..


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## cyclingday (Jan 5, 2021)

Don’t forget the poorly taxidermied raccoon tail. Lol!


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## Maskadeo (Jan 5, 2021)

mr.cycleplane said:


> My imagination is going wild....'many accessories'......jeweled tank-handlebar speedomter-full floating saddle-fore brake......hummmmmm.......



Bring the ad down to the cop shop and see if it’s still there!!!


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## barneyguey (Sep 24, 2021)

bump


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## barneyguey (Dec 14, 2022)

bump


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