# Pennant by Butler Brothers Bicycles



## Dan the bike man (Jan 21, 2013)

I mainly look for nice bikes from the 50's and Krates, but least year I bought this Pennant Butler Brothers bike from a resale shop for $140. I call it my ratrod bike. Home paint job, but it has tank, mud flaps, and a seat with LONG springs. What can you all tell me about it? About the company, any idea of age? I know the picture is bad, can't get my camera to work better. Badge is brass color. Thanks!


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## Adamtinkerer (Jan 24, 2013)

Nice find Dan! It's made by CWC (Cleveland Welding Co), early postwar. Somewhere between 1946-54, it can be dated by the serial and/or suffix. From around 49ish, there is a "Cw" stamp after the serial, the next series was "ACw", and in '52, "52Cw", with 53 and 54 the same way. The small w is partially inside the C.


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## Dan the bike man (Jan 26, 2013)

Thank you Adam. When the bike was painted they covered up the serial number. I was thinking the bike looked per-war, skip tooth chain, long springs on the seat, and that the tank is not a horn tank. Glad I could learn from you.


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## Adamtinkerer (Jan 28, 2013)

Looking closer, I believe the seat is from an older ladies' bike. They are much shorter. It's a common misconception that rear facing dropouts and skip tooth chain being prewar only, since Schwinn changed to front drops in 1946, and Westfield/Columbia started using 1/2 pitch chain on more of it's models around that time. W/c built their last rear drop frames around 1950, CWC and Shelby, 1954. Murray had the last skip tooth models in early 1955 as far as I know, but Huffman used their antiquated rear drop ladies' frame through 1958!


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## silvertonguedevil (Jan 29, 2013)

Adamtinkerer said:


> Murray had the last skip tooth models in early 1955 as far as I know, but Huffman used their antiquated rear drop ladies' frame through 1958!



My Murray-built '56 JC Higgins Jetflow and my '57 Murray Fleetline are both skip tooth.


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## ratina (Jan 29, 2013)

Lets see some better pictures! Would be interested to see a pic of the head badge also. And post up the serial number, it looks to be 50-54 but its hard to tell with the one pic.


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## Dan the bike man (Jan 29, 2013)

Thank you. I liked it more when I thought it was from 40's, ha ha. I'm glad to know the truth.


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## widpanic02 (Jan 29, 2013)

*!*

My 57 murray fleetline super deluxe is 1/2  " . Did not know they made any fleetline SD  with skiptooth chainrings.


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## evanknighs (Jan 29, 2013)

yeah,i think so,Murray had the last skip tooth models in early 1955 as far as I know, but Huffman used their antiquated rear drop ladies' frame through 1958.


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