# Help Identifying this Trike



## DaughtersNewBike (Sep 16, 2019)

Hi! This message board is really neat! I came across it while trying to identify the year of our daughters “new” tricycle. We were told
It’s a 1938 Mercury. The badge says Mercury and the back foot stand (?) area also appears to be Mercury but I have no idea of 1938 is in the ballpark. Any ideas? Also, wondering if the pedals are original? Any help you can provide would be great! Thank you!


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## GTs58 (Sep 16, 2019)

Murray was the manufacturer and they did come out with the Mercury name around that time, 1939 or so. Yours has an actual head badge verses a sticker and rain gutter fender so it's probably their early vintage.


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## ridingtoy (Sep 17, 2019)

Here's a smaller version of this same Mercury tricycle on ebay - http://rover.ebay.com/rover/1/711-5...0001&campid=5335809022&icep_item=254358053388 The late '40s to early 50s dating on it is about right and it has the same streamlined rubber top seat as yours. The pedals do appear to be original.

The late 1930s Mercury trikes had a different style to them as evidenced in this photo of a 1939 model.


Hope that helps a little in your identifying it.

Dave


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## DaughtersNewBike (Sep 17, 2019)

Hmm very interesting! Thanks for your input! So Maybe early 40's since it has the metal badge, not sticker? Its certainly different than the pic you posted Dave of the '39 model. Any idea as to the value? Hubs is interested in restoring it


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## ridingtoy (Sep 17, 2019)

Mercury tricycles of this time period are still fairly common and aren't that valuable. If just restoring it so that your daughter can have a well made older tricycle to ride, it would be worth it in my opinion. I wanted to do the same thing when our daughter was little. Back then, in the late 1980s, there was no internet to look for one or none to be found in antique stores in our area, so we had to buy her a new one that wasn't made as well. If you were restoring it mainly to resell, you'd probably end up losing some money on restoration costs since, as mentioned, these trikes are more common to come across and reasonably priced, even in good original condition. Just my opinion for what it's worth.

If you do restore it, please post some "after" pictures here. I always enjoy seeing people's tricycle restoration efforts.

Dave


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## Freqman1 (Sep 17, 2019)

I believe late ‘40s at the earliest. I agree with Dave on the restoration. Heck a decent pint of automotive single stage paint will probably cost more than this trike is worth restored. If you want your daughter riding vintage though and don’t care about the cost then go ahead and do it. Once done this will be good for your great grandchildren! V/r Shawn


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## DaughtersNewBike (Sep 17, 2019)

Thank you Dave! Yeah hubs has a weakness for restoring things with wheels... or not... like his TIG welder from the 70s! He says this will be in our family for generations. Pretty cool if it was pre-WWII! I'll post pics for sure. Will be a while. This is third or fourth in line of projects haha Thanks again!


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