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.

Prewar Columbia

-

Jay81

Riding a '38 Autocycle Deluxe
Just picked up this pretty nice prewar Columbia today. Drove about 82 miles each way in the snow. Probably should have waited but didn't want to risk waiting and missing it.
Pretty sure it's a 1941. I looked up the serial and bb code on mr columbia's site and think I have it figured out. Someone please correct me if I'm wrong.

Serial is F129228
BB code G10 = October 1940 (I think)
Morrow hub code J3 = 3rd quarter 1940

It's cold and snowing so I just took some quick pics in the garage. Plan is to maybe try and get the fenders cleaned up a bit, service it and find a couple missing parts.
Looks like I'll need a drop stand, left pedal and headlight. Looks to me like it may have had a silver ray? Not sure if it would have had the dashboard or not.

20180210_152654.jpg
20180210_152850.jpg
20180210_152933.jpg
20180210_152819.jpg
20180210_152737.jpg
20180210_152953.jpg
20180210_152710.jpg
20180210_152729.jpg
20180210_152750.jpg
20180210_152912.jpg
20180210_152844.jpg
20180210_152819.jpg
20180210_152918.jpg
20180210_152808.jpg
20180210_153533.jpg
20180210_153538.jpg
20180210_153611.jpg


20180210_153020.jpg
 
Great find. I doubt your bike was ever equipped with a drop stand.

Really? I thought it would have, since it has the "ears" built into the frame and the holes to mount the drop stand. But if it's not supposed to have one, it'll save me around a Benjamin.
 
Congratulations. Nice bike. Great color. Looks mostly complete. Just needs pedals and a light.
 
Last edited:
I'm thinking its a '40 based on the chainguard. A dashboard bike would have a chrome fork.
 
I'm thinking its a '40 based on the chainguard. A dashboard bike would have a chrome fork.

I agree 1940. I interpret the serial F129288 to be the number of the frame produced in 1939, and G10 to be the date the bike was completed in October 1940.

Nice that it has a correspondong Morrow rear hub.

Cool bike good score!
 
My flash kinda washed the pic out and this is a pic of a '41 model (floating hub). The horn light is gonna be tough. You might be able to find the rack badge from one of the F9T reproductions. Cool bike. V/r Shawn
View attachment 752104

The E19T image is from the 1940 catalog. E would be 40 and F from 41. The F9T reproductions are of a 1941 bike.


I agree 1940. I interpret the serial F129288 to be the number of the frame produced in 1939, and G10 to be the date the bike was completed in October 1940.

Nice that it has a correspondong Morrow rear hub.

Cool bike good score!

The F129288 number would be 1941, a 1939 number would have a D letter prefix.

My suspicion is that the serial number on Jay81s bike actually starts with 'E'. The middle picture of the serial number appears to show a faint line at the bottom of the E.
The bike looks like a 40 with the ferrule on the front fender for the horn light conduit. And the chainguard is consistent with 40.

And Jay81, this a very cool Columbia in a nice color. Best of luck in finding the horn light, it would be nice to complete this bike.
And I'd guess this did not have the dashboard as the stem looks original and the dashboard required a different stem.
 
Back
Top