Factory Troxel long-spring in blue?

[lgrinnings]

Howdy folks! I recently picked up this 34 Hawthorne Flyer (man, am I a sucker for these blocky early ballooners) and I’m intrigued by the Troxel long-spring saddle as it appears to have originally been upholstered in blue. The color you see in the picture is the result of sun and weather bleaching. I thought perhaps it had just been painted at some point, but when I opened up the stitched seam, it was navy blue which would have matched the paint in the same way an early red Elgin Falcon had a red Troxel. I’m just curious if anyone has seen a navy Troxel in the wild? As always, my thanks in advance to the CABE community for lending your knowledge.

 

[kccomet]

¹¹¹
yep, had one years ago, and on a hawthorne no less. I've never seen another one

 

[lgrinnings]

¹¹¹
yep, had one years ago, and on a hawthorne no less. I've never seen another one

Awesome! My sincere thanks @kccomet for the verification. Has anyone else seen one? Or have a picture perhaps?

 

[bikewhorder]

I'm sure I've seen one before. There should be a catalogue page that lists all the colors.

 

[lgrinnings]

I'm sure I've seen one before. There should be a catalogue page that lists all the colors.

What I've witnessed personally accounts for such a tiny fraction of what's out there, but with so few floating around, I wonder if they may not have been exclusive to associated blue Hawthorne models. If someone does have a catalog reference, that would be awesome. The 1934/35 Montgomery Wards catalog lists only black and brown Troxel saddles in the accessory section. Does anyone have a Troxel-specific catalog from 1934?

 

[SKPC]

Great early ballooner Lester! Awesome wheelset.