# 1933 or 1934? Trying to identify the year of my Schwinn.



## mccoyhistory (Sep 20, 2011)

I have a bicycle that belonged to my dad's uncle since the 1930's.  I have been told it may have been made for the Wyeth Hardware store in St. Joseph, Missouri. This may be true because he lived there. I was also told it's a fat tire bicycle. It is in good working condition. Everything is there, including the chain guard and New Departure brakes that I believe were optional at that time. The fenders are in good shape. It was repainted at one time but I think it must have been early on because the paint looks really old. There is red paint coming through in a few places so I think it's original color was red. 

I am trying to identify what model it is exactly and figure out how much it is worth. Any help would be appreciated!


----------



## Freqman1 (Sep 20, 2011)

Pull the crank and look for the year date. I dated my B9 to 1934 by doing this. v/r Shawn


----------



## RMS37 (Sep 20, 2011)

Your bike is not a Schwinn; it is a Shelby. The width of the fork crown does make it look like a model built for Balloon tires so that would date it from 1934 perhaps as late as 1936. Shelby serial numbers have not been decoded in the public domain but the National Bicycle History Archive of America does have factory records for Shelby that should be able to pin the date of manufacture down more closely.


----------



## mccoyhistory (Sep 20, 2011)

*I am confused then...*

This bike frame looks like every other Schwinn I've seen online in this time period and it even says Schwinn on the tire rims. I have a serial number but I'm unsure how to interpret it. Someone needs to convince me it's not a Schwinn because I find it hard to believe that anyone would put Schwinn wheels on a Shelby bike. Not impossible I don't think, but unlikely. The bike is otherwise complete and barely even has a spot of rust on it.


----------



## RMS37 (Sep 20, 2011)

American bicycles produced in the early 1930’s before streamlining became prevalent in the industry all look very similar. Discerning the specific manufacturer (roughly a dozen different independent American companies produced bicycles at that time) of any bicycle from that period involves studying the smaller details of the frame construction rather than an overall view of the bicycle. 

Knowing what to look at and knowing the differences in construction between the various companies comes with time so there is no real shortcut to attaining enough knowledge to differentiate between one manufacturer and another. 

The wheels and tires on your bicycle have been changed out overtime, and are not the original type for the bicycle or, for that matter, for a Schwinn from that time period. Wheels and Tires (and saddles, pedals and grips) are among of the most often updated items on a bicycle because they are subject to more wear than the frame. 

The chain guard is a Schwinn item but it is actually much later than the bike itself, the rear mounting bracket shows it to be a post WW2 part.

As you asked about market value; Schwinn bicycles have name recognition and a following that makes them often a bit more valuable than similar bicycles from other manufacturers, the difference between the current market value of what you have and a similar Schwinn is not monumental though. On eBay I expect the current market value of your Shelby falls roughly between $125 and $250. If it were a Schwinn it might bring about $100 more.


----------



## mccoyhistory (Sep 20, 2011)

I replied to the other post but thank you again for your help. I guess that's the reason the person told me it was Schwinn cuz it does have Schwinn parts on it. This is why I'm here. I knew someone on this site would give me some accurate information.


----------

