When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.

Mercury

-

cadillacbike

Finally riding a big boys bike
I got this cool Mercury girls bike this weekend at the Eden Swapmeet. I am trying to figure out the year it was built. Serial number M E over 22776. It's about to drive me crazy. Thanks guys. Kevin
latest bike 020.jpg
latest bike 018.jpg
latest bike 016.jpg
latest bike 015.jpg
 
Wow is that paint all original?? I would say it's probably one of the last wartime bikes. Didn't they all quit producing bikes altogether after they stopped chroming and nickel-plating stuff, hence the handlebars chain hanger etc.

she's really beautiful
 
I got this cool Mercury girls bike this weekend at the Eden Swapmeet. I am trying to figure out the year it was built. Serial number M E over 22776. It's about to drive me crazy. Thanks guys. Kevin View attachment 43877View attachment 43878View attachment 43879View attachment 43880

Kevin, wasn't there a MO indentifier on the bottom of the crank housing? That should give the year. because it is a Murray these letters are on the bike somewhere. I remember seeing some letters stamped there when we looked at it.

Nice bike dude. It was great paling around with you and your wife at the show. Show all the other stuff you got too. I know you're proud of the finds.
 
Awesome find, I bought a 59 Mercury bicycle and it had MO but I don't know how they did for the early Mercury bicycles.
 
The ME over 22776 is all i see .Am i missing something? with no space in ME.

beyond my knowledge on this serial number. I'm not familar with the ME prefix.
I always thought that ALL Murray Ohio (MO) built bikes had a prefix identifier of MO and a year letter or two.
Maybe it was on the left rear drop out of the frame that I saw the MO??.

maybe Adam or Phil can help with this one. Sorry Kevin...still a nice bike.
 
beyond my knowledge on this serial number. I'm not familar with the ME prefix.
I always thought that ALL Murray Ohio (MO) built bikes had a prefix identifier of MO and a year letter or two.
Maybe it was on the left rear drop out of the frame that I saw the MO??.

maybe Adam or Phil can help with this one. Sorry Kevin...still a nice bike.

I got nothin'! :confused:
The mid-late 50s Mercurys were a middleweight offshoot of Murray, whereas the original Mercurys predated the Murray badge. Same co, but I guess a different numbering system? ABC's book shows Murray built Western Flyers as being stamped MOB in 1937 as the earliest MO listed.
 
Hi Kevin,

Your bike is definitely a prewar Murray-Ohio built girl’s Pacemaker. Murray sold them under the house brand of Mercury and through other retail outlets branded specifically for the retailers. M-O introduced the design at the 1939 World’s Fair and it was produced through 1941 and probably into early 1942.

The ABC Services publication of a booklet of serial numbers used on Western Autos bicycles has been helpful in several areas with regard to dating bicycles made for Western Flyer by several manufacturers and inferences can be taken from that information and cautiously applied to similar models built for other suppliers. I believe the key in this case is the letter “E” in your serial number which I believe is a year signifier. My speculation at this time is that it shows your bike to have been produced in or for 1940. That date aligns with the bike you have but the source information I am deriving my estimate from says nothing about the subtleties of model years vs calendar years and if the dates refer to orders taken, the factory completion of bicycles, or the delivery of the bicycles to the retailer.
 
Sweet Lill Ride!

Man, that thing is nice,what did ya have to give for little gem? Don't mean to be nosy,
 
Thanks alot for the information Blue trap.That helped me alot.And dxmadman.Not much at all .He asked me to make a offer and i did.I was very surprised. :D kevin
 
Back
Top