yard sale score, early-mid thirties wards hawthorne?

[ericinflag]

Hi there, great site here, love seeing all these old bikes.... I just picked up this wards hawthorne at a yard sale last weekend, it looks to have all the original parts on it, new departure hubs front and rear, minus chainguard, tank, rack, not sure, however the previous owner had painted it all glossy black.... even the rims (bummer) I cleaned it up a bit and painted the frame, fenders, rims and with a little steel wool tried for a more vintage patina. polished on the painted over headbadge and it came out very nice.... I am pretty sure it is a 30s' something bike, any help on exact year would be great. Thanks for reading, Eric

 

[RMS37]

Your new find is a Cleveland Welding built Hawthorne. That pattern frame was produced by CWC from mid 1937 until at least 1940 and probably remained in production until WW2. It is only shown in the Montgomery Ward catalog in the summer 1938 issue but was available through MW in various guises for roughly the full period of time it was in production. In the catalog, it is shown with a tank as the Comet model for summer 1938, but the Comet name was used on other bicycles before and after that catalog issue so there is no official model name for the variation you have. It is also likely this example never had a tank as, post 38, it was usually sold as an unequipped bargain model.

Your bike has the “Throwing Star” chain ring, which was introduced in 1940 so your bike is probably from that year or perhaps 1941. The serial number stamped into the bottom of the crank hanger will pin the build date down more closely.

 

[ericinflag]

Thanks for the fast response Phil, the serial number is F55017. Any thoughts on the value of this bike would be great. I was thinking about powdercoating and rechroming a few parts.... but am now thinking just leave it and ride it. Thanks again for the info, respectfully Eric

 

[RMS37]

Hi Eric,

The serial number* indicates the bike was manufactured in early 1940.

It is more involved to give a complete and comprehensive answer to your question about the value of the bike. The comments below, about market value refer mainly to the current market and are based on how collectors value bicycles. Outside of the hobby you often see bicycles traded below collector market value at yard sales and occasionally above market value by dealers to the broader antique market.

As a standard base model Hawthorne and a non-tank model, your bike falls into the lower range of values for pre-war balloon bicycles. The other prime factors that contribute to the market value of bicycles are the completeness, the correctness, and the condition of the original finish. Your bike is reasonably correct and complete but without the additional points for original finish, it falls into the rider/for restoration end of the market.

That is actually the most active part of the market these days. Prices in that market vary quite a bit depending both on the venue of the sale and by geographic location. It is probably safe to say that weeding out those afore mentioned lucky yard sale finds and fortuitous sales outside the hobby, the “R or R” market falls in the $100 to $300 range.

Your plan to leave the bike as is and ride it is a good way to maximize the value of the bike while you have it and insure that you don’t lose money later if you decide to sell it. To Restore the bike to original condition including fully rechroming all the plated parts, replacing any parts that were unrestorable and repainting the bike to the correct original finish would cost in excess of a grand and not add more than about half that amount to what the bike would bring in the collector market. Refurbishing the bike with a powder coating and some plating would still be expensive and still likely to cost more than it would return.

The main point is to enjoy the bike and that means a lot of different things to different people, If you like riding this is an excellent bike to cruise with and not be worried about damage to an original or restored finish. If you like restoration or refurbishment work (and don’t expect a living wage from the time you invest) this bike could be improved in many areas without a huge outlay as long as you avoid overdoing it with things you have to contract out (plating, professional paint). And lastly, if you are interested in becoming a bicycle historian, a bicycle like this can open the doors to a fascinating lifetime hobby!

Glad you found the CABE, please feel free to post any other questions you have now or later

Phil

*I have collected CWC serial numbers and built a model to project build dates from serial numbers. While this in not the equal of true factory information (which is not known to exist) I have recorded enough numbers to have reasonable confidence in the system.

 

[ericinflag]

Thanks again Phil, I will be enjoying my $50 survivor for years to come. I will restore the seat and call it done. ride on....

 

[55ColumbiaBuilt]

Eric

If you're interested, I have a friend that dabbles in leatherwork who recovered my seat. I'm sure he would come up with something you would like that would not be a compromise to your bike's value.

 

[ericinflag]

Thanks for the offer, I have a guy here in flagstaff that is going fix me up. Sweet seat though....

 

[BIKE AT THE MOON!]

Thank the lord we have Phil amongst us...thanks Phil!