# WOW! What a find!



## appleman (Oct 14, 2011)

I know this bike is a good find, but what have I got? I need info on brand, year, maker, value and any ideas about the bike. The serial # on the crank housing frame is J20347 and there is also an "N" and perhaps a "3" stamped near the serial number. I could read "Sears" on the front headlight, but don't know if the bike is a sears brand or who made bikes for Sears.

It has: Skip tooth sprocket. crimped downtubes at the rear, and rear facing dropouts. Anything else that I should be aware of? thanks for any help


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## redline1968 (Oct 14, 2011)

*looks like a prewar columbia.*


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## rustyspoke66 (Oct 14, 2011)

The book says the J serial# is 1945?


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## catfish (Oct 15, 2011)

redline1968 said:


> *looks like a prewar columbia.*




Not a Columbia. It's a Westfield built bike. Westfield made Columbias.


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## Danimal (Oct 15, 2011)

What does the headbadge say? 

Btw, the front fork looks a little bent as well.


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## vincev (Oct 15, 2011)

yup,I say a bent fork


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## MrColumbia (Oct 16, 2011)

The 1945's made from the same tooling as the pre-war bikes...no new tooling yet after the war. Fork is bent for sure.


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## Freqman1 (Oct 16, 2011)

I just sold one very similar to this on Ebay except mine had the blackout hubs, sprocket, and headset. It was a very early '45 bike and I got about $265 for it. I don't think this one would bring half the money though based on condition and the fact these are very plain bikes. v/r Shawn


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## Adamtinkerer (Oct 16, 2011)

Looks like my Westfield built Elgin.


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## appleman (Oct 16, 2011)

*It is a Westield, but what model?*

Thanks for the replies. I have been searching a lot and I now believe that this is definitely a Westfield built Elgin. I was able to see "Sears Elgin on the lights mounted to the fender but don't know if they are original. The headbadge is totally rusted and there is no "relief" image. I took it off and found that the back had a reddish background with 3 thin horizontal stripes top and bottom and a wide diagonal stripe with some lettering on it. But since this was on the back I couldn't make out the letters. The badge was rectangular and the hole spacing was 2 9/16 spacing. The chainring is a 26 tooth skip type and the ring looks like other Westfields. The fenders are peaked.


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## Adamtinkerer (Oct 18, 2011)

appleman said:


> Thanks for the replies. I have been searching a lot and I now believe that this is definitely a Westfield built Elgin. I was able to see "Sears Elgin on the lights mounted to the fender but don't know if they are original. The headbadge is totally rusted and there is no "relief" image. I took it off and found that the back had a reddish background with 3 thin horizontal stripes top and bottom and a wide diagonal stripe with some lettering on it. But since this was on the back I couldn't make out the letters. The badge was rectangular and the hole spacing was 2 9/16 spacing. The chainring is a 26 tooth skip type and the ring looks like other Westfields. The fenders are peaked.




The badge with a diagonal stripe was actually a Westfield _badge_, also, the treatment of the frame 'darts', with eight segments, are usually on Westfield badged bikes. Note that on my Elgin, they're completely different. I've also seen a detail on a frame I have, that looks like a pair of post hole diggers on their side, no badge, but I believe they used certain darts with certain badges.


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## appleman (Oct 18, 2011)

Appreciate that info Adam. I am slowly narrowing it down to find the true brand. Here is a picture of the BACK of the headbadge. I don't know why there would be an image on the back unless it was just from being stacked together before assembly and some of the paint transferred. Also a picture of the frame/seat post which has a flat sided screw and locks against a 5/8" post.


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