Possibly the oldest Schwinn catalog ? your thoughts....

[catfish]

 

[sarmisluters]

Does anyone know of another one of these catalogs? I asked Mark M a few months
back and he had not seen or heard of this particular item.

An unbelievable find in a mixed lot of vintage paper goods on eBay.


May consider trade for extensive prewar and early postwar balloon bicycle collection.

Check your buildings and send me inventory lists.

I can trade you a Leon Dixon aka Leeedy autograph
and picture of him in front of the Chicago plant that I found on the Internet.

 

[Freqman1]

The only other place might be the Wheemen or the BMA. When I was hunting info on my ‘98 gents roadster things looked pretty scarce but the Wheelmen did hook me up with a copy of the ‘98 catalog. V/r Shawn

 

[Rust_Trader]

Does anyone know of another one of these catalogs? I asked Mark M a few months
back and he had not seen or heard of this particular item.

An unbelievable find in a mixed lot of vintage paper goods on eBay.


May consider trade for extensive prewar and early postwar balloon bicycle collection.

Check your buildings and send me inventory lists.

Can you post every page, thanks...

 

[cyclingday]

Wow!
The condition of that is amazing!
It looks like it was made yesterday.

 

[RUDY CONTRATTI]

BOB Remember when I traded you and you got the Autocycle maybe you can show us the Letter from the Schwinn in regaurds to the speedo they were requesting,dated 1941

 

[Jeff54]

I wouldn't be surprised if that Catalog is moreover, an a trade show catalog that was saved from 1895: “The Great Bicycle Exhibition” In NYC. A solicitation for business at the show and public visitors. ; or it seems maybe it became an annual trade show and in 1896, or the print in 1896 is talking about the same event in 1895. “The Big Bicycle Show at the Garden,” New York Sunday World, 19 January 1896.

And if “The Big Bicycle Show at the Garden,” , then, also cool as a relic of a huge women's movement that Susan B Anthony was involved, especially bikes. Potentially, why it's in pristine condition. Like from a woman's TOC locker.

Referenced here; A cool read of cycles in 1890's: http://www.annielondonderry.com/womenWheels.html#_ednref1

And Here, more 1890's “The Great Bicycle Exhibition” Christian Work: Illustrated Family Newspaper, Volume 60, NYC published, Jan 2 1896 : https://books.google.com/books?i.d.=An9PAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA169&lpg=PA169&dq=1895++“The+Great+Bicycle+Exhibition”&source=bl&ots=-4HKRo0YEd&sig=lvqUZtZqXs49ITa7bMeZS4_gbkI&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjSyYr-ucLcAhVQwFkKHS2UDHgQ6AEwAnoECAIQAQ#v=onepage&q=1895 “The Great Bicycle Exhibition”&f=false

Now, today 100 year past, not just one 'Schwinn or bicycles' but Two, double collectible interest, women's suffrage movement in 1895 too. A must have fo any female/woman Schwinn or bicycle collector as well. “The Big Bicycle Show at the Garden,” (read the articles Ladies,,,,, and gents too)

 

[bobcycles]

I wouldn't be surprised if that Catalog is moreover, an a trade show catalog that was saved from 1895: “The Great Bicycle Exhibition” In NYC. A solicitation for business at the show and public visitors. ; or it seems maybe it became an annual trade show and in 1896, or the print in 1896 is talking about the same event in 1895. “The Big Bicycle Show at the Garden,” New York Sunday World, 19 January 1896.

And if “The Big Bicycle Show at the Garden,” , then, also cool as a relic of a huge women's movement that Susan B Anthony was involved, especially bikes. Potentially, why it's in pristine condition. Like from a woman's TOC locker.

Referenced here; A cool read of cycles in 1890's: http://www.annielondonderry.com/womenWheels.html#_ednref1

And Here, more 1890's “The Great Bicycle Exhibition” Christian Work: Illustrated Family Newspaper, Volume 60, NYC published, Jan 2 1896 : https://books.google.com/books?i.d.=An9PAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA169&lpg=PA169&dq=1895++“The+Great+Bicycle+Exhibition”&source=bl&ots=-4HKRo0YEd&sig=lvqUZtZqXs49ITa7bMeZS4_gbkI&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjSyYr-ucLcAhVQwFkKHS2UDHgQ6AEwAnoECAIQAQ#v=onepage&q=1895 “The Great Bicycle Exhibition”&f=false

Now, today 100 year past, not just one 'Schwinn or bicycles' but Two, double collectible interest, women's suffrage movement in 1895 too. A must have fo any female/woman Schwinn or bicycle collector as well. “The Big Bicycle Show at the Garden,” (read the articles Ladies,,,,, and gents too)

Good ideas ... I'm leaning towards it being as the cover states, an "advance" to a possibly more in depth catalog for 1895. The 1896 Schwinn
catalog that is presently in the hands of a midwest collector lists the Schwinn bicycle line starting and Model # 8. This catalog
indeed shows a page by page of models 1-7, so definitely Schwinns first offerings for their line. Thus far I've contacted numerous
sources on bicycle history and Schwinn history and no one yet can recall seeing this particular catalog. I'm going to suggest
it's the only one known until someone pops one out of hiding somewhere. A well made piece with the embossed cover and
ribbon tie up top and remarkably well preserved. There were 2 other bicycle catalogs (other mfgs} that came with this lot
that were all found together with other late 1800s letters and papers or misc content and origin. Possibly owned by
a bicycle or hardware retailer in the late 1800s who saved the correspondence or "junk mail" industry paper that was
mailed out to retailers.

 

[Blue Streak]

The Advance Catalog must have been printed after October 1895 as the references below state the name "The World" was not selected for the new bicycle line until November 1895:

October 10, 1895 issue of The Bearings (four Schwinn references

October 31, 1895 issue of The Bearings (one Schwinn reference for contest to name their new bicycle

November 21, 1895 issue of The Bearings (three Schwinn references

November 28, 1895 issue of The Bearings (one Schwinn reference

December 19, 1895 issue of The Bearings (three Schwinn references

December 26, 1895 issue of The Bearings (one Schwinn reference

 

[Freqman1]

The Advance Catalog must have been printed after October 1895 as the references below state the name "The World" was not selected for the new bicycle line until November 1895:

October 10, 1895 issue of The Bearings (four Schwinn references
View attachment 846818

View attachment 846819

View attachment 846820

View attachment 846821


October 31, 1895 issue of The Bearings (one Schwinn reference for contest to name their new bicycle
View attachment 846822


November 21, 1895 issue of The Bearings (three Schwinn references
View attachment 846823
View attachment 846824

View attachment 846825


November 28, 1895 issue of The Bearings (one Schwinn reference
View attachment 846826


December 19, 1895 issue of The Bearings (three Schwinn references
View attachment 846827

View attachment 846828

View attachment 846829

December 26, 1895 issue of The Bearings (one Schwinn reference
View attachment 846830

Great info. So from this it would confirm that 1896 was the first year of production. Also from this lit we can see the first year they produced Models 1-7 (seven models). Interestingly the '98 cat lists the previous year (1897)Models as 1, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 14, 15, 16, & 17 (10 models). The 1898 models begin with Model 22 and run consecutively through 32 (11 models). 1898 also introduces their "Chicago" line (Models 31 & 32). Here is my 1898 Model 22 Standard Roadster. Other than the girls bike listed as a '95 (really a '96) and the Schwinn family tandem (probably a '98) in the Bicycle Museum of America I have yet to find a complete Schwinn earlier than mine. V/r Shawn