# Featherstone Duchess 1898



## MorganB (Jun 25, 2018)

We recently uncovered this bike in my mother in laws garage. She says it belonged to her grandmother and it's stamped 1898. Anybody have any info on this type of bicycle? Pricing or otherwise? Any help would be VERY much appreciated.


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## Duchess (Jun 25, 2018)

I don't know a value, but it's really nice! Bike values seem strange to me—stuff that seems like disposable kid's junk to me is worth big money and quality made antiques often aren't, but I guess the former is mostly rooted in nostalgia, a disease that I have never been afflicted by. To me, something that old and in such shape with the beautiful stenciling should be worth good money, but being a step-through frame, I have no idea.


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## MorganB (Jun 25, 2018)

Yea I just can't find any resources on it at all.


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## Freqman1 (Jun 25, 2018)

MorganB said:


> Yea I just can't find any resources on it at all.



Have you searched the online Copake catalogs for a similar bike? V/r Shawn


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## GiovanniLiCalsi (Jun 25, 2018)

The saddle is incorrect. It’s circa 1905.


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## bricycle (Jun 25, 2018)

Fyi, wheels are 40's or newer, pedals too new, fenders too new (would have had wooden rear fender only likely) saddle is newer(teens/20's) although saddle top itself may be from TOC. Value, $500-$700. Wheels hurt the valuation most.


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## GiovanniLiCalsi (Jun 25, 2018)

https://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/antique-bicycle-featherstone-1898-412305731


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## GiovanniLiCalsi (Jun 25, 2018)




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## bikejunk (Jun 25, 2018)

This is absolute typical for a old unused bicycle to be refurbished during World War 2  -lots of people think thy got scraped but really most were put back into service due to gas rationing and automobile tire rationing  a really wonderfull piece of history  --Missing all the valuable parts -but a wonderful seat ask 500


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## shoe3 (Jun 26, 2018)

bikejunk said:


> This is absolute typical for a old unused bicycle to be refurbished during World War 2  -lots of people think thy got scraped but really most were put back into service due to gas rationing and automobile tire rationing  a really wonderfull piece of history  --Missing all the valuable parts -but a wonderful seat ask 500



Featherstones were sold by the Wright Brothers 1890s mid period.


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## Waffenrad (Jul 9, 2018)

There were some huge forum threads about Featherstone bicycles on the Wheelmen website a few years ago, but unfortunately that forum recently moved to a new server and the older content isn't available again yet.  I kept copies of those forum threads myself and I'll try to upload them either here or on the new Wheelmen forum.  In the meantime here a few highlights.  Featherstone originated in Chicago around 1890 as a children's conveyance maker.  In the early 1890s the company secured the exclusive American rights to the Scottish Dunlop tire, the first pneumatic bicycle tire.  Featherstone quickly built an enormous factory and became one of America's largest manufacturers.  However, Featherstone sold most of its bicycles to other distributors, so it is relatively rare to find a bicycle with a Featherstone badge.  The Featherstone product line took its model names after royalty, i.e. Road King (men's), Road Queen (ladies'), Prince, Princess, Duke, Duchess, etc.


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