Gormully & Jeffery Help

[prewarmachine]

That's a lot of great investigating there! Thank you for all that information!
Between the badge design and the seat post style it sounds like the early early 1900 version. I'm curious what your serial #'s are on the 2 two-badge model 32's you have. Maybe that will really solidify that they used the original old style badge on the 32's for at least a short period of time.

 

[Rusty McNickel]

My two badge 32's are 281 3 and 308 3. Your single GJ badged 32 appears to be 270 8(?) So this may lend evidence to the sequence of release of these three bicycles and an ascending S/N pattern.

 

[slcurts]

A side note, the advertisement posted earlier here may well be from an 1899 publication, but it was probably in advance for the 1900 line of Ramblers, much like we see TV commercials for the next years car models. The prices were the same for the two years, $40, so that's no help to support the claim, but there is plenty of GJ and ABC produced literature out there (and in my possession) to support the change and introduction of the rococo lugs in 1900.

I concur that the 1899 ad I posted was advertising the new 1900 models and their Rococo lugs. I've since seen something somewhere, maybe the original source of the ad, and it was late 1899. So I'd say we've established that the rococo lugs were first used on the 1900 model year.

 

[Rusty McNickel]

My two badge 32's are 281 3 and 308 3. Your single GJ badged 32 appears to be 270 8(?) So this may lend evidence to the sequence of release of these three bicycles and an ascending S/N pattern.

Well it may appear that these numbers on the left rear drop-outs are not the serial numbers. I noticed on my two very rusty 1900 32's there is a window on the left side of the seat binder lug, opposite where the model number is stamped, which has a number stamped in it. This is where the serial number appeared on GJ Ramblers back to 1897 as far as I'm aware. I see no reason why these numbers wouldn't be a s/n. Odd thing is, they don't match the drop-out numbers and are four digits instead of the previous GJ five digit s/n's. They must have started a new pattern for s/n's in 1900.

Have a careful look on your frame. My numbers are 6051 and 4178, photos attached.

 

[Rusty McNickel]

Update on left rear drop-out numbers; l have a '97 frame that is stamped there also but has the conventionally place serial number at the top of the seat tube and paper tag to match the serial number as well. As with all seven other TOC Ramblers in my possession there seems to be no correlation between the two numbers. Perhaps it was a production reference, a maker's mark?