JC Higgins year info

[Beng360]

I picked this up yesterday and unfamiliar with JC Higgins bikes. I couldn't pass up the price and was wondering if someone could let me know what year this is. Will be up for sale soon.

Here are the numbers on the bottom
742061
4526-R

 

[bloo]

Welp... that's a weird one. Could there be more numbers on the left rear dropout by the rear axle?

It sure doesn't seem to be the Murray you would expect it to be. It has a Huffy chainring, but a decidedly un-Huffy serial number. It seems like there was one year when Murray shut down (1956? 1957?) to move to a new factory, and Sears was forced to source their bikes elsewhere. Mostly Puch (of Austria) I believe. This sure doesn't appear to be Puch. Stelber maybe?

Paging @Adamtinkerer , @Archie Sturmer .

 

[Beng360]

Thank you for the info. I will look to see if there are numbers on the drop out. I have a Stelber. I will try to post a picture.

 

[Beng360]

Here is my Stelber

 

[Archie Sturmer]

I’m no help; often I confuse that frame style with a Rollfast, but the “R” likely represents something else?

 

[bloo]

I tried to make a Ross out of it, but found no matches there either.

 

[GTs58]

Huffy built. Number on the drop out?

Huffman serial number project | Classic Balloon Tire Bicycles 1933-1965

Hi, This post is going to be for keeping track of the serial numbers of Huffman made bicycles. I will try to keep up with editing this post and updating the list. Hopefully this will help develop a basis for dating these bikes where none has existed before.The second post will have the list...

thecabe.com

 

[Adamtinkerer]

I've not seen one like that before! The frame style is JCH, but they retired the name after '63, and I wouldn't expect a Huffy built one before '60.

 

[bloo]

Are you convinced it's Huffy? I'd sure like to see the serial number.

If it's Huffy I'm thinking it should be on the left dropout, possibly upside down.

 

[J-wagon]

Looks like 1959, 1960 Sears catalog item 4526 boys 26" Bike in red.
Eg, bottom pic 1960 catalog

Catalogs here:

Catalogs & Wishbooks

329 Vintage Christmas Catalogs & Holiday Wish Books with 294,495 total catalog pages from Sears, Montgomery Ward and JCPenney over the years.

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