Hawthorne Jet

[MelissaF]

I picked up this ladies Montgomery Ward Hawthorne today. I have a few Hawthorne’s but haven’t seen one with this badge before. Anyone have some info on this bike?

 

[Archie Sturmer]

Nice bike; does not look to have been left out at the beach much.

Looks like a Snyder built middleweight girls bike, a design introduced in the middle 1950’s.

Often the date of manufacture can be estimated by the serial number stampings; sometimes found on the left rear axle fork.

Sometimes for earlier bikes, there may be additional stampings on the bottom bracket crank hanger.

 

[MelissaF]

Looks like a Snyder built middleweight girls bike, a design introduced in the middle 1950’s.
Often the date of manufacture can be estimated by the serial number stampings; sometimes found on the left rear axle fork.
Sometimes for earlier bikes, there may be additional stampings on the bottom bracket crank hanger.

Yeah, I figured it was 50’s. I’m more curious about this head badge as I haven’t come across it and Google wasn’t coming up with anything.

 

[GTs58]

A Hawthorne "Jet" with a Davy Crockett head badge? Doesn't make sense. I do remember seeing one of those a while back but don't know anything about it.

 

[MelissaF]

A Hawthorne "Jet" with a Davy Crockett head badge? Doesn't make sense. I do remember seeing one of those a while back but don't know anything about it.

I agree. It’s so odd but doesn’t appear to have been tampered with. I’m stumped.

 

[Adamtinkerer]

Probably a response to Schwinn's American model. Through '58, it should have a reverse year & factory code stamped on the bottom bracket (BB). In '59, serials were on the brake arm side rear dropout, with an 'SE' in a circle above it. Series continued alphabetically through some point in '69, when they returned to A again.