# Wards Hawthorne



## Clicheman (Aug 17, 2012)

Hello I am new to this forum and would like to find out a little information about a bike I bought at auction.   It is a Wards Hawthorne and has a light mounted on the front fender and a horn with a push button mounted on the frame.    I am trying to figure out a year built on this and do not know where to start.  Any information would be appreciated.

Thank you.

Bil


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## scrubbinrims (Aug 17, 2012)

My guess is that it is a 37-39 HP Snyder build for Montgomery Wards...not later than 40 with the crank sprocket.
Stay tuned, that estimate will be more finely tuned and thanks for posting a pic from the start.
Very nice and orignal bike I wouldn't mind having myself.
Chris


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## Clicheman (Aug 17, 2012)

Hey thanks for getting back to me so quickly.   This is a cool bike.   Any idea what this would be worth?


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## Rear Facing Drop Out (Aug 17, 2012)

*Cool bike*

As for value, $400 to $550ish... I am sure others will chime in. Headlight and drop stand are nice parts to have on it!


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## RMS37 (Aug 17, 2012)

You have turned up a very nice and very correct/original 1939 Girl’s Montgomery Ward Hawthorne. Your bicycle was produced for Montgomery Ward (MW) by the H.P. Snyder Company and this model’s only appearance in the semi-annual Ward’s consumer catalog is in the Fall 1939/Winter 1940 issue. The design of the bike stands out primarily for the extreme arc of the seat tube, something it inherited from a lineage that connects it to Onnie Mankki’s 1936 design for the 1937 Cleveland Welding (CWC) Roadmaster Supreme line

   This 1939 Snyder built model you have is essentially a continuation of their 1938 girl’s Hawthorne “Zep” with some differences. 

The 1938 girl’s Zeps were sourced from both Cleveland Welding and Snyder and those bikes came about as CWC expanded their sales significantly through Montgomery Ward that year. The girl’s CWC built 1938 Zep was based on the Mankki designed 1937/1938 CWC Supreme and the Snyder produced girl’s Zeps for 1938 were based on productionalizing a copy of the CWC bike to sell alongside the CWC built versions (MW did not distinguish between the two and orders were generally filled either by which version was closer in proximity to the destination or which was available at the time of the order.)     

   The girl’s 1938 model Zep was offered at the top of Hawthorne’s line of steel bicycles and it may be that it was a slow seller based on its cost and the limited demand for deluxe girl’s models. 

  Cleveland Welding dropped their two year old version of the bike, in-house, at the end of 1938 and did not offer a deluxe replacement model through MW for 1939. Snyder, having tooled up exclusively to build the 1938 model for MW continued offering a modified version of it in 1939.

   The 1939 model you have was not given a model name in the catalog and while it was still the top-dog girl’s model in the catalog (especially considering the aluminum Monark sourced line was dropped), it was placed in the catalog to suggest it was a companion to the next to least expensive boys models. The main frame change from the 1938 design was the change from two closely spaced brace tubes below the tank to the use of only one on the 1939 version. Other changes for 1939 amounted to the typical annual sheet metal and accessory changes and in general a lowering of the overall specification to lower the cost. 

   The 1939 you have is not common but it is also not exceedingly rare, I have two of these frames and I have seen several examples of this bike appear on forums and eBay in the last few years. Yours may be the second best I have seen for condition following a pristine bike in red that sold on eBay a number of years ago. The catalog lists the bike as available only in cream with blue trim but I have seen examples in cream/blue, red/white, black/white, and dark blue/white.

Between the visual appeal of the model, the fact that the design has a presence that sets it apart, and the overall excellent condition and originality of the bike; you have a very nice find in your possession. The condition as much as anything adds to it's dollar value in the market which I would place just a bit higher than what has been mentioned. One thing that will make many happy is that none of the individual parts on this bike are valuable to the degree that parting it would realistically increase its value, an issue that plagues most girl's bikes.


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## Clicheman (Aug 17, 2012)

Wow thanks for all the information.   You people are a wealth of knowledge.   

Bil


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## Bicycle Belle (Aug 17, 2012)

Beautiful girl!
I hope you keep her and appreciate her for the lovely girls speciman that she is.


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## Clicheman (Aug 17, 2012)

I do not have any plans to sell it.   It is a nice bike.  

Bil


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## scrubbinrims (Aug 17, 2012)

As much as I like this bicycle, I think you would be lucky to net 400 for it because at the end of the day, it's less desirable with 99.9% of collectors being male and yes, it is unlikely to get pilaged for parts, however it's those rare/deluxe parts that help set higher value.
There's typically a 75-150 handicap in shipping as well as folks having less discresionary income that has influence.
Chris


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## RMS37 (Aug 17, 2012)

Clicheman said:


> I do not have any plans to sell it.   It is a nice bike.
> 
> Bil




I agree that this bike is a keeper quality bike. You asked the question regarding the worth of the bike and I think my best answer is that it is worth more than it would likely sell for but I still believe it could be fairly sold in the $400 to $550 range previously mentioned or even a bit above that. 

  While there are few female bike collectors compared to their male counterparts, there are still plenty of girl’s bikes held in collections owned by males. It generally takes a special blend of design, rarity, and condition to keep a girl’s model in a collection and I think that this bike has all of those qualities, which is why I would appraise the monetary value of this bicycle as I do. 

  It would certainly not sell for what the companion boy’s model in equal condition would but the range on those models (consider a commonality with the 39 boy’s Snyder/Hawthorne bent-tank and 39 boy’s Snyder/Hawthorne 5-Bar) are way above the range I noted.  

  There are many bikes that are imbued with qualities either by their design, rarity, or condition that still will not be bikes that the average collector will spend up to. If that is the case, realized sale prices will not really reflect the special nature of those bikes and they can be enjoyed by the lucky person that finds them and understands them without feeling overpowered by the mighty pull of the dollar.


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## bike (Aug 17, 2012)

*PHIL PLEASE WRITE A BOOK! or several...The only thing*



RMS37 said:


> You have turned up a very nice and very correct/original 1939 Girl’s Montgomery Ward Hawthorne. Your bicycle was produced for Montgomery Ward (MW) by the H.P. Snyder Company and this model’s only appearance in the semi-annual Ward’s consumer catalog is in the Fall 1939/Winter 1940 issue. The design of the bike stands out primarily for the extreme arc of the seat tube, something it inherited from a lineage that connects it to Onnie Mankki’s 1936 design for the 1937 Cleveland Welding (CWC) Roadmaster Supreme line
> 
> ....




Published I have seen attributed to you was info on elgin twin bar- 15+ years ago
-pg


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## tdstims (Jun 26, 2014)

*5 bar  wards Hawthorne*

Found this bike yesterday and was looking for any info anyone may have.Thinking of restoring this one.


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## rustjunkie (Jun 27, 2014)




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## vincev (Jun 27, 2014)

What thee guys are saying about the value is correct.Like they said,the girls bikes draw less money.I actually think some of the girls bikes are better looking than the boys version. If you were to sell it I would step up to the plate probably if you lived within pickup distance.The added cost of shipping would probably make this bike more costly than its value.DO NOT LET PEOPLE TALK YOU INTO PARTING THIS NICE ORIGINAL OUT! PLEASE!


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