Schwinn Sales West
Cruisin' on my Bluebird
@60sstuff Chris, nice advertising piece.
It's interesting to compare how these different Schwinn advertising items changed over the years. It would be my "unsupported position" that the changes are the result of how the company changed their marketing and the focus of the advertising over time. Each time an item is revised and updated you can see lots of subtle changes. I'm not just talking about adding new company colors and graphic's but the key things they wanted to promote in the advertising piece.
I'm not exactly certain when your Quality Features Board was distributed, so lets just call it the 1950-60's version. It was stamped steel and was painted white with silk screened graphics. It had a metal rod stand that swung out so it could be used on a counter or hung from a wall. It was one of two demonstrator items that you found at every Schwinn Dealer during the period. The other item was a chrome plated derailleur demonstrator which was made in several versions. Schwinn promoted the term Electroforged and the specific way they formed and electronically welded the head and hanger parts. You will find the Electroforged welding slag at the top of the crank hanger in your photo. The head tube was ground smooth. You're missing the Schwinn adjusting crank cone that would have come with your display.
By the 1970's this display piece was updated with new graphics. It no longer was made of steel but was changed to Masonite wood and silk screened. It was basically the same display to serve the same purpose but with the newer Schwinn graphic look. What is interesting to me is the subtle changes that were made. We can argue about the reasons, but they dropped any reference to Electro Forged. The bottom bracket shell supplied with the 1970's display does not have the rough electric welding slag on the bottom of the shell, they ground it smooth. During this period in Schwinn History they were heavy into their marketing of Schwinn X-Lite models. I can only assume they were moving away from their well-earned Heavy Varsity image.
Today we spend lots of time discussing Schwinn's Electro Forged parts. But by the 1970's, Schwinn as a company was clearly moving away from promoting the process. It's all shown in the history and watching the new models evolve each year.
John
