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Pre '33 AS&CO Serial Number Project

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dasberger

I live for the CABE
Greetings CABE Land and welcome to the Unofficial Pre '33 Schwinn Thread. This has come up a number of times in other threads and mentioned again yesterday. Let's get it done!

It's time to put together a collection of all things Pre '33 Schwinn and get a Serial # registry going.

Please include year and any info used to determine, Model, Name badged under and of course pics, especially badges, decals, original equipment (pedals, seats, sprockets, wheels, hubs) , crank stamps, etc.

Any catalogs, spec sheets or advertising encouraged!

Here's a few who have been in on the conversation... Please tag anyone else who may have knowledge or bikes to add

@SKPC @New Mexico Brant @onecatahula @cyclingday @Archie Sturmer @RustyHornet
 
I currently own 3 of these machines in varying states... Here is the first:

It's a 1927 Motobike, Lincoln Badged. It's a parts bike that was well loved and documented on the CABE by @rcole45. It made it's way east and I picked it up a while back from @onecatahula

It seems Serial # 415,000 was struck in 1928... The serial on this bike 404,860 thus putting it 1927. I believe frame and badge are the only original parts and I have since pillaged a number of parts for other projects while collecting more correct parts for my build.


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@dasberger Thank you for starting this thread, limited to the pre-1933 forum (actually to include 1933 and 1934).

Your A&S Lincoln bike from @rcole45 may have a very-good estimate, if based on the crank.

We should be careful in using a list, if although we know where or who it came from, yet we do not understand the details on how it was estimated, or any confidence factor:
1527078

We see from the picture above that an arbitrary number of bikes per year (e.g. 10,000) was once postulated. We have also seen odd figures of ~17,000 or ~46,000 or ~86,000 bikes per year, but how were those numbers obtained, and when, and did it involve computers or the internet(?).
Trust but verify.

We should encourage members to share how they estimate the years of their pre-1933 A&S built bikes— say, by using the date on the crank (preferred); expert opinion; what the seller hinted at; a group consensus or votes; special features; catalog information; and so on. Perhaps such info may be provided by mere reference via a link to another thread with a discussion about a specific bike.

In the following thread, with 100+ posts and a similar sounding title, we see only two early (1934) serial numbers from @Nick-theCut and @volksboy57 in the 12 pages.
https://thecabe.com/forum/threads/prewar-schwinn-serial-list.49379/

And there are more than a couple of other threads that we have seen with good info.
https://thecabe.com/forum/threads/i-just-aquired-my-first-really-old-bike-hibbard-badged-schwinn.55581/

https://thecabe.com/forum/threads/schwinn-b9-b10's.190992/

I plan to add my few A&S-built Mead project bikes, (serials ~141,000 to 189,000), when I get better pictures. All have the post-war 1919-22 patent 1,435,611 chain tensioner; the oldest has the Mar. 14, 1922 patent decal, and one of the latest came to me with a repaired M-23 crank. (They might all be the same year?).
1527110

Don't want this thread to go way-off on a Mead tangent though!
 
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A benchmark for Pre-1933 A&S serial numbers might be the one millionth bike, with a picture and commentary posted by @chitown
1527116

And another potential benchmark might be a two-millionth bike by 1925(?). A few posts in the following thread so suggest, and an article used the plural “millions”.
Thinking more-likely an excess of 1.5 million around 1934/35.
 
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@dasberger Thank you for starting this thread, limited to the pre-1933 forum (actually to include 1933 and 1934).

Your A&S Lincoln bike from @rcole45 may have a very-good estimate based on the crank.

We should be careful in using a list if although we know where or who it came from, yet we do not understand the details on how it was estimated, or any confidence factor:
View attachment 1527078
We see from the picture above that an arbitrary number of bikes per year (e.g. 10,000/yr.) was once postulated. We have also seen odd figures of ~17,000 or ~46,000 or ~86,000 bikes per year, but how were these numbers obtained, and when, and did it involve computers or the internet(?). Trust but verify.

We should encourage members to share how they estimate the years of their pre-1933 A&S built bikes, say using the date on the crank (preferred); expert opinion; what the seller hinted at; a group consensus; special features; catalog information; and so on. Perhaps such info may be provided by mere reference via a link to another thread with a discussion about a specific bike.

In the following thread, with 100+ posts and a similar sounding title, we see only two early (1934) serial numbers from @Nick-theCut and @volksboy in the 12 pages.
https://thecabe.com/forum/threads/prewar-schwinn-serial-list.49379/

And there are a couple of others threads that we have seen with good info.
https://thecabe.com/forum/threads/i-just-aquired-my-first-really-old-bike-hibbard-badged-schwinn.55581/

https://thecabe.com/forum/threads/schwinn-b9-b10's.190992/

I plan to add my few A&S-built Mead project bikes, (serials ~141,000 to 189,000), when I get better pictures. All have the post-war 1919-22 patent 1,435,611 chain tensioner; the oldest has the Mar. 14, 1922 patent decal, and one of the latest came to me with a repaired M-23 crank.
View attachment 1527110
Thanks for inserting those threads... The crank on the Lincoln was long gone before I got the bike. Here's what it used to look like. Wish it still had that 60 tooth sprocket! Thanks for the pics @Rust_Trader

E87F5601-7037-426B-B456-99C4B11AA317.jpeg
0E3C61D2-27CE-4972-962E-1A424D014371.jpeg
 
I posted this bike before and ended up more confused dating it, but if it can help this registry here it is. I was told first teens then twenties. It's an Excelsior (Chicago) You guys might be able to figure it out.

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Late 20's? Have you ever pulled the crank on this bike? An original crank with date stamps could nail it down.
 
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