# barn fresh bluebird



## walter branche (Jan 18, 2012)

a real dream that came true ,, found in a barn in Moultrie georgia , offered 1,500.00, a lady friend of mine worked her magic and i got it for 2,500.00


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## redline1968 (Jan 18, 2012)

better run fast... at that price.very nice score. i love it. my best is a  early 3rd phase chiefs blaket for a 1.00.


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## walter branche (Jan 18, 2012)

*3 months of wishing*

it took awhile ,I told my lady friend that ,get the bike whatever it took, weird sex , cleaning house, whatever!!she got a 2,000.00 finders fee


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## redline1968 (Jan 18, 2012)

thats great.  i would have done the same thing.   bet you couldn't  get the money out fast enough


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## markivpedalpusher (Jan 18, 2012)

Awesome and congrats! would love to see updated pics when available.


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## bikewhorder (Jan 18, 2012)

walter branche said:


> ,I told my lady friend that ,get the bike whatever it took, weird sex , cleaning house, whatever!!




Was that what you would do, or what your lady friend had to do for the previous owner?  I'd be the same way, "just do whatever he wants honey, I NEED that bike"


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## brownster69 (Jan 18, 2012)

*birdie*

wish i had that kind of luck can you send your lady friend my way i have about a half dozen bikes that i want buy but they will not cough them up............


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## catfish (Jan 18, 2012)

walter branche said:


> a real dream that came true ,, found in a barn in Moultrie georgia , offered 1,500.00, a lady friend of mine worked her magic and i got it for 2,500.00View attachment 38467




WOW! Nice score!


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## Rust_Trader (Jan 18, 2012)

*Wow!!!!*

I want it!!!! 

Congrats!!!


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## catfish (Jan 18, 2012)

How about some more photos?


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## dfa242 (Jan 19, 2012)

Nice to know they're still out there - good for you!


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## 37fleetwood (Jan 23, 2012)

Hey Walter, I think everyone is under the impression that this is a recent deal. the photo looks like an old polaroid. when did this deal take place, and what happened to the bike?


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## scrubbinrims (Jan 23, 2012)

37fleetwood said:


> Hey Walter, I think everyone is under the impression that this is a recent deal. the photo looks like an old polaroid. when did this deal take place, and what happened to the bike?




Exactly...  With over 100 bluebirds and "rareity" questioned, let's not have these double counted for a proper perspective.
Chris


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## Nickinator (Jan 23, 2012)

scrubbinrims said:


> Exactly...  With over 100 bluebirds and "rareity" questioned, let's not have these double counted for a proper perspective.
> Chris




Which is Why I think (just like cars) we should make a bicycle registry! 

Anyone else agree?

Nick.


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## npence (Jan 23, 2012)

I think that is a great idea they have it with cars right why not with bikes


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## partsguy (Jan 23, 2012)

Nickinator said:


> Which is Why I think (just like cars) we should make a bicycle registry!
> 
> Anyone else agree?
> 
> Nick.




A very wise and very young collector! I'm with you and Nate, bike registry is a MUST!


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## chitown (Jan 23, 2012)

*Registry*

Totally Agree

I just won't be the one to create it. It would be a pretty huge undertaking and it has been discussed before here. You would need a pretty dynamic website with someone to maintain such a wonderful site.


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## 37fleetwood (Jan 23, 2012)

are you three volunteering?


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## Freqman1 (Jan 23, 2012)

I believe we brought up the subject of a registry a few months back but I didn't here from the moderators. Essentially this would require the establishment of a database in the forum. This may not be possible or easy depending on teh format of the forum and would probably be a lot of work on someones part to do (Dave?). Before we even got there though we would have to decide what would or would not be included in the registry. As I said before doing a registry for Phantoms would be pointless. Evinrudes sure, Bluebirds sure, Super Streamlines-required! But seriously where do you draw the line? The three bikes mentioned would be valid regardless of whether they were restored or not but not necessarily so with things like Phantoms where any cantilever frame from 1949-59 can be made into a Phantom. Just my thoughts. v/r Shawn


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## npence (Jan 23, 2012)

Anybody have an idea how to set something like this up. I think it would be great to have one pic serial number and maybe the year if you know it for a fact and not just guessing. And I agree with Shawn there has to be a limit or what bikes to track and I would say phantoms are out. I would say the top 25 bikes that everyone sees as rare and hard to find.here is my list of registry bikes.
Bluebird
Evinrude
Mercury pacemaker
Mercury pod bike
Colson firestone super cruiser and super cruiser
Colson Goodyear clipper
Colson imperial
Colson commander
Road master supreme
Auto cycle
Cycle plane
Shelby airflow long tanks and short tanks
Hiawatha arrow long tanks and short
Dayton streamline firestone fleetwood included
Dayton big tanks lite and non lite tanks
Dayton twin flex
And I'm sure there is a lot more but this could be a good start on something great


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## Nickinator (Jan 23, 2012)

*HEREs WHAT I CAM UP WITH*

I emailed scout about a mouth ago with no response, Here is what I came up with about a month ago.

ELGIN:
Bluebird 35-37
Bluebird 38
Miss America
Skylark
Twinbar 20,30,40,50,60
Robin shaftdrive prototype
Robin

SHELBY:
Airflow boys
Airflow girls

HUFFMAN:
dont know huffman well

MONARK:
5-BAR
SILVERKING

EVINRUDE:
Evinrude

ROADMASTER:
Roadmaster supreme
Supreme girls 

I have rules also but i dont want to make it longer then this.


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## 37fleetwood (Jan 23, 2012)

I'm going to post a new topic concerning this. look for it and we can discuss it without ruining this thread with lots of unrelated blather.


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## fatbike (Jan 23, 2012)

*I don't know guys.*

Boy...Elgin Bluebirds are becoming very trendy, everyone has one. Ha! Nice score on the new edition in the world of Bluebird lovers! Love to see the inventory list that is being created on who has what. It will always be a challenge to confirm whats really out there other than whats suspected to be known in the hobby. There are a lot of long time collectors who do not use the web plus whatever is just not accounted for floating around who knows where with households who do not have a clue like the Bluebird that was just found on this thread. Hard to say there is 5 of something in the world for sure of what ever the rare bike is. It does sound fun though to see what is in the hobby and how much from the cabe members to start and go from there.  I'm in.


Derek


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## npence (Jan 23, 2012)

To me it looks like this pic is from long time ago an scanned onto the computer. Looks to be a very old find to me


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## Wayne Adam (Jan 24, 2012)

*Old pictures, Old finds!, what's up?*

It appears that Walter has been posting very old finds and deals lately. This past week in the Middleweights forum he posted the story of the 1960 Black Bowdens that he found as if it just happened. I pasted that story below. The photos looked really old, so I decided to do a Google Search, and found the real story. I pasted that below the original one he wrote.

Why these old stories now??

( Posted by Walter this week)
a nice Black Bowden found with 17 others in a loft inside a lawn mower shop in Grand Haven Michigan  more photos of the stash ,.. there are always bikes to be found ,, when you are cheap or rude your chances are cut down ,, be kind to others ,what goes around comes around ,,.  

( The real story I found on Google that he posted here years ago)

Upon a google search, I found the original story of Walter's Bowden Purchases. I pasted the story below as writen by Walter in 2008 in the CABE forum.


walter branche08-10-2008, 04:00 PM
between 1989 and 1991 i sold them for 6,500 to 7,500, a friend of mine found 18 bowdens in a lawn mower shop,in 1987,he payed 800.00 for 18,. 1n 1990 ,i payed 5000,for a nice red one,, it is in burgwardts museum in new york,they payed 7,500,after i got ben bowden to sign .....,it..------there is no set price ,a few years ago ,a good one sold for 3500, we hope you find a bowden, walter branche
Wayne
PS...You can find some other interesting stories about people and things on Google also.

Anyway, I don't know why he is posting them now. He makes it seem that these deals are still out there. The Bowden deal was 25 years ago! Oh well, no rules against it.


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## walter branche (Jan 24, 2012)

*never*

i never said anything was recently purchased,i post for people to see the items, if you know about the situation that is fine .. do not make such a big deal about nothing ..  if i posted all the great bikes that i know of ,you would not think any bike is  hard to find ,. I have a client base all over the world , I have been actively pursuing unusual,hard to find -wheeled items for over 40 years . most of the finds are sold before they are shown in public,some of my clients are very private ..  wait till i show the honey hole -pickers delight -whatever you want to call it .., If I released all information,,, all of your so called RARE machines will get de-valued ,and I do not want to cause the collectors to get upset .. I do this for fun and entertainment , if you do not like my post ,its easy -do not read them .


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## redline1968 (Jan 24, 2012)

i enjoy "the score stories" i have lots of them and heard all kinds of them from all the "pickers" i know. keep it up.


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## 37fleetwood (Jan 24, 2012)

walter branche said:


> i never said anything was recently purchased,i post for people to see the items, if you know about the situation that is fine .. do not make such a big deal about nothing ..  if i posted all the great bikes that i know of ,you would not think any bike is  hard to find ,. I have a client base all over the world , I have been actively pursuing unusual,hard to find -wheeled items for over 40 years . most of the finds are sold before they are shown in public,some of my clients are very private ..  wait till i show the honey hole -pickers delight -whatever you want to call it .., If I released all information,,, all of your so called RARE machines will get de-valued ,and I do not want to cause the collectors to get upset .. I do this for fun and entertainment , if you do not like my post ,its easy -do not read them .



you know we love you Walter! I understood this was an older deal, I just heard from some that they weren't sure. maybe on some of these deals from the past, you can say that this was some years ago. don't stop posting them, we love the stories, just help us get them in context.


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## walter branche (Jan 24, 2012)

*thank you for your support*

Hi, I am here , thanks for the support . sometimes as you get older, you can not think of everything to make everyone a happy camper ,.  I do what I do, the way I do It. .. ,You have always been supporting of my actions and I appreciate the time and effort  ..thanks again wpb--


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## Larmo63 (Jan 24, 2012)

I for one, love the "find it" stories too!!

Keep 'em coming Walter!!


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## JimK (Jan 25, 2012)

Larmo63 said:


> I for one, love the "find it" stories too!!
> 
> Keep 'em coming Walter!!




I agree!!!! I enjoy the fresh find stories (though I get a bit envious). I have always thought that this subject would make a fantastic book. You could have a section on the "barn fresh finds", one on restorations of those special finds, another on Christmas and birthday memories of bicycles past etc. I would find this much more interesting than your standard price guide or tech manual. There are enough stories here to fill volumes.

JimK


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