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Peculiar Serial number

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YenkoStingerMaxx

Finally riding a big boys bike
I was able to finally get the last digit on my Black Phantom that I bought last February. The digits date back to Dec. 15 - 22 of 1951, even though they are stamped on the rear dropout instead of on the bottom crank. The first few bikes built during the first week of January 1952 also share the first three digits. However, the same digit may have been used on a bike that was built between Sept. 10 and Sept. 18 of 1953. So, the big question is; what year is my bike? I'm leaning towards late 1951/early 1952.

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All that will do is date the hub, not the bike. Hopefully it hasn’t been changed out and it matches the 1953 serial number.
So I take it the bike is a '53 then. I wonder if there are any 1951 Phantoms out there that have an "A" serial stamped on the bottom crank with the same digits mine has. I know the first Phantoms made in 1952 had them on the rear dropout and those have a very close serial number.
 
Here's the break down on the serial dates and when Schwinn supposedly made the change with the serial number stamping location.

1951 numbers stamped on the BB shell.

12/15/1951 to 12/22/1951 ------- A65381 ------------------- A87593

1952 numbers stamped on the rear drop out.

01/01/1952 to 01/07/1952 ------- A87594 ------------------ A92478

The number A87369 was stamped on the BB shell in late 1951 so that number was used on a 1952 bike, and the stamping was still on the BB shell. I have not come across any of Schwinn's publishing's stating anything different about the stamping date change over from BB to dropout.

1953 numbers stamped on the drop out.

09/10/1953 to 09/18/1953 ------- A71783 ------------------ A94366

With that information I would have to say your Phantom is a 1953 model. If you can find some Schwinn literature that states the actual change over of the stamping date was in late 1951, then there is a possibility that your Phantom "Might" be a 1952 model. Lets just say for an example that if your SN stamping was done in early 1952 and on the drop out, you still do not know if your Phantom is a 1952 model or a 1953 model. You'll still be guessing on what year the bike was built since the number was duplicated.

Edited for clarification.
 
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