Handlebar, fender, or headset ornaments

[rwoody]

Bill here, antique toy collector and retired full-time toy designer. Years ago I purchased a small collection of antique toys from the
1930s and this 8 inch long cast aluminum Spirit of St. Louis airplane was included. To me it looks like either a fender, handlebar, or
headset ornament for either a bicycle or motorcycle.

I'm aware of the Shelby Cycle Company's 1928 Lindy Flyer bicycle that came with a cast aluminum Spirit of St louis fender ornament,
but mine is much different. Personally, I like mine better and as a toy designer for over 45 years I can tell you mine is a much harder
plane to cast. The mounting arm on mine may be incomplete. That is it may be missing another aluminum piece or perhaps an
adjustable steel band for mounting. The way it is now it couldn't attach to the front fender of a bicycle.

I wonder if this could have been a prototype for the Lindy Flyer bicycle. It may have proven too difficult
to cast, or too expensive to manufacture and they went with with another design, which was almost an exact copy of a cast iron toy airplane
made by the Hubley Manufacturing Company of Lancaster, PA.

I've spent countless hours online trying to find another example and have turned up emptyhanded. I've also contacted a half dozen well known
automobile hood or radiator ornament (mascot) collectors and they've never see one either. Their consensus is that it's an decorative accessory
for a bicycle for either a bicycle or motorcycle. They say the "fun is in the search", so if you have any ideas on the subject please let me hear from
you. For those of you who like old toys my online antique museum is at www.usdimestore.com. Cheers, Bill

 

[catfish]

 

[NBHAA]

Bill here, antique toy collector and retired full-time toy designer. Years ago I purchased a small collection of antique toys from the
1930s and this 8 inch long cast aluminum Spirit of St. Louis airplane was included. To me it looks like either a fender, handlebar, or
headset ornament for either a bicycle or motorcycle.

I'm aware of the Shelby Cycle Company's 1928 Lindy Flyer bicycle that came with a cast aluminum Spirit of St louis fender ornament,
but mine is much different. Personally, I like mine better and as a toy designer for over 45 years I can tell you mine is a much harder
plane to cast. The mounting arm on mine may be incomplete. That is it may be missing another aluminum piece or perhaps an
adjustable steel band for mounting. The way it is now it couldn't attach to the front fender of a bicycle.

I wonder if this could have been a prototype for the Lindy Flyer bicycle. It may have proven too difficult
to cast, or too expensive to manufacture and they went with with another design, which was almost an exact copy of a cast iron toy airplane
made by the Hubley Manufacturing Company of Lancaster, PA.

I've spent countless hours online trying to find another example and have turned up emptyhanded. I've also contacted a half dozen well known
automobile hood or radiator ornament (mascot) collectors and they've never see one either. Their consensus is that it's an decorative accessory
for a bicycle for either a bicycle or motorcycle. They say the "fun is in the search", so if you have any ideas on the subject please let me hear from
you. For those of you who like old toys my online antique museum is at www.usdimestore.com. Cheers, Bill

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Hello,

Shelby's Lindy with the aluminum fender ornament was not just made in 1928. These were manufactured for several years. Ours is a 1931.

And yes, Shelby's Lindy ornament (for the early models) was similar (but not the same) as the cast pot metal toy marketed over several years.

The airplane ornament in these photos with screw-on wings is far more robust than the Shelby bicycle ornament. Even as a prototype proposal, it would have been difficult to adopt. This one no doubt would out-weigh a normal bicycle piece and that thick, cast propeller would have a tough time rotating in a breeze generated by a bicycle.

However, there were at least two companies in the 1920s-30s that made automotive novelty aftermarket radiator ornaments. One I remember came in a series of different designs. Several were animated. These all would attach to a common twist-on base. This base had a niche recess in the front with an alignment nub and a threaded screw hole. I would strongly suggest looking in this direction.

Nice Shelby Lindy literature. Yours?

Leon Dixon
National Bicycle History Archive of America
(NBHAA.com)