H. A. Moyer (1908-1915)
Syracuse, New York
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| This is a Moyer radiator emblem (1912-c1916) mjs Size: 63mm wide 29mm high MM: None |
Harvey Allen Moyer established himself as a wagon builder in 1876 in Cicero, New York and moved his business to Syracuse, New York in the early 1880's. He built an experimental four-cylinder four-passenger tourabout automobile in 1908 and decided to manufacture automobiles as well as carriages and wagons.
In 1909, Moyer had a new automobile factory built close to his carriage factory and, while the auto factory was under construction, he built Moyer car #0, a prototype runabout with a “mother-in-law” rear seat and, most likely a few production models of this first generation Moyer car design as well.
Moyer announced in December 1909 in automobile trade journals that full production of the Moyer automobile would begin in January 1910 and expected to produce about 200 cars. It is believed that only around fifty or less Moyer automobiles were produced in the first year. The first three cars, Car #s 001, 002, & 003, to come out of the new factory and be delivered, were announced in the Syracuse Post Standard newspaper on July 2, 1910.
The following period photo shows a Moyer touring model labeled 1912 on the front of a postcard date stamped March 17, 1911, so the car was likely built early 1911. This Moyer also displays a radiator emblem but again not the later white centered oval emblem.
As an aside, it is noted that most early Moyer factory photos and illustrations of Moyer cars display the "Moyer" name and sometimes the model year painted on mahogony plaques mounted beneath the running boards, see following examples:
The Moyer was a big car and was very well built. The first Moyer automobiles included tourabout and roadster models. By 1911, the Moyer was a 29 hp four-cylinder model offered in runabout and touring body styles. This was followed in 1912 by a 38 hp six-cylinder model, which was increased in size to a 49 hp six-cylinder model by 1913.
Financial problems led Moyer to sell his automobile factory in November 1915. He moved his automobile manufacturing machinery into his carriage factory and a few more cars may have been built in 1916 but this cannot be confirmed. Total lifetime Moyer automobile production is believed to have been just over 400 cars.
In 1917, Moyer sold most of his carriage factory buildings but retained the main office and showroom building with sufficient space to continue to service his automobile customers and to service other makes of cars.
Moyer then incorporated his business as an automobile sales dealership for Stearns-Knight, Velie and Elgin.
However, the following original photo taken on September 14, 1909 shows what is believed to be the first Moyer roadster registered as car #0. A radiator emblem is present but the design cannot be clearly identified from the photo. However, it is certainly not the later white centered oval Moyer emblem.
Emblems
The first Moyer radiator emblem was a stamped brass emblem riveted and soldered to the radiator tank top and, from photo evidence, is believed to have been first used in 1909.
There are original period photos of early Moyer cars showing the radiator with a radiator emblem and, although the emblem details in most early photos are unclear, they are clearly not the better known red, white and blue enamel oval-shaped radiator emblem shown above at the top of this post.
One of H. A. Moyer's first experimental cars built in 1908 is seen in the newspaper article shown below but the print quality is too poor to see a radiator emblem, if any.
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| Moyer experimental car (1908) gsc/mfa |
However, the following original photo taken on September 14, 1909 shows what is believed to be the first Moyer roadster registered as car #0. A radiator emblem is present but the design cannot be clearly identified from the photo. However, it is certainly not the later white centered oval Moyer emblem.
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| Moyer roadster showing a radiator emblem (1909) gsc/mfa |
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| Close up showing Moyer radiator emblem (1909) |
The following period photo shows a Moyer touring model labeled 1912 on the front of a postcard date stamped March 17, 1911, so the car was likely built early 1911. This Moyer also displays a radiator emblem but again not the later white centered oval emblem.
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| 1912 Moyer with radiator emblem (March 1911) |
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| Close up showing radiator emblem |
As an aside, it is noted that most early Moyer factory photos and illustrations of Moyer cars display the "Moyer" name and sometimes the model year painted on mahogony plaques mounted beneath the running boards, see following examples:
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| Moyer roadster close up showing name plaque (1909) |
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| Moyer Model B close up showing name plaque (1911) |
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| Original mahogony Moyer name plaque (c1911) gsc/mfa |
Returning to the Moyer radiator emblem, the following newspaper photo from February 9, 1912 shows a Moyer car offered as a prize. The car was most likely built in 1911 and clearly has a radiator emblem, which has an unusual shape that is also certainly not the later white centered oval shape:
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| Moyer car offered as prize (1912) The Syracuse Herald |
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| Close up detail showing radiator emblem (c1911) |
The following photo shows a surviving 1912 Moyer Model 5 touring car taking part in the Glidden Revival Tour in 1950. This is Moyer car #145 believed to have been built in 1911. The car carries the unusual shaped radiator emblem seen in the earlier photos but is now more clearly visible. The car also displays a reproduction brass "Moyer" script attached to the radiator core.
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| Moyer car with early rad emblem on Glidden Tour in 1950 gsc |
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| Close up showing Moyer radiator and emblem (c1911) |
The following close up photo shows the top of the radiator and the emblem on Moyer car #145:
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| Close up showing the Moyer radiator emblem (c1911) gsc |
This is the stamped brass Moyer radiator emblem. This Moyer radiator emblem is extremely rare and very possibly ultra rare.
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| This is a Moyer radiator emblem (1909-1912) Size: 49mm wide 36mm high MM: Unknown (poss None) |
The next surviving Moyer car after the Moyer Model 5 touring car #145 shown above with the stamped brass radiator emblem is a Moyer "Small Six" 5-passenger touring car #173 bought new from a Moyer showroom on August 14, 1912, so built sometime before this date. This Moyer car carries the later enamel oval radiator emblem, which appears to have been introduced in early to mid-1912, see below:
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| Moyer Car #173 radiator & emblem (1912) gsc |
The following very rare original period photo shows a Moyer car under construction in the Moyer factory in about 1912. The Moyer car clearly displays the new oval shaped radiator emblem.
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| Moyer car manufacturing factory (c1912) gsc |
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| Close up showing radiator emblem (c1912) |
This is the red, white and blue Moyer radiator emblem shown above at the top of this post and again below. This Moyer radiator emblem is very rare.
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| This is a Moyer radiator emblem (1912-c1916) mjs Size: 63mm wide 29mm high MM: None |
The "Moyer" name was also displayed on the bronze hub emblem riveted to the brass hubcaps, see example shown below. This Moyer hubcap design did not change throughout the production of the Moyer.
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| This is a Moyer hubcap (1909-c1916) dkc |
The following is a bronze Moyer hub emblem, which is very rare:
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| This is a Moyer hub emblem (1909-c1916) mjs Size: 49mm diameter MM: None |
For some Moyer models the background to the "Moyer" name in the hub emblem was color painted to match the body color, see the following original period photo of a light colored Moyer seven-passenger tourist phaeton with matching hubcaps:
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| Moyer seven=passenger tourist phaeton with color matching hubcaps gsc/mfa |
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| Close up showing painted hubcap |
Hubcap collectors should beware as there are counterfeit Moyer hubcaps using a blank vintage hubcap with a fake "Moyer" hub script soldered on, see example shown below:
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| This is a counterfeit Moyer hubcap ms |
The "Moyer" name was also shown on a small brass oval shaped serial number tag riveted to the part of the chassis frame where the transmission system was held, see example shown below. These serial number tags were used throughout the production life of the Moyer.
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| Moyer tag serial number 203 gsc Size: 36mm wide 28mm high |
From 1913 to the end of Moyer production, an additional serial plate was mounted on the kick board under the front passenger seat giving the car number and engine number, see example shown below:
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| Moyer serial plate car number 235 gsc Size: 89mm wide 38mm high |
Some surviving Moyer cars also display the "Moyer" name on a reproduction brass script mounted on the radiator core, see example shown below:
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| Moyer Model C roadster with rad emblem & script (1914) ms |
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| Reproduction Moyer radiator script ms |
This reproduction brass "Moyer" radiator script, most likely based on the design of the "Moyer" hub cap script, was first used to decorate the radiator of Moyer Model 5 touring car #145 shown earlier in a photo from the 1950 Glidden Revival Tour. The Moyer factory never did make or supply a brass "Moyer" radiator script for any of their car models.
I am most grateful to Moyer historian and registrar, Gary Smith of Sahuarita, Arizona for his very helpful advice and for access to his Moyer photo collection. Any errors in my interpretation of his advice are entirely down to me. It is noted that some items in the Gary Smith collection are copied from the Moyer Family Archives, courtesy of Mr Jeffery Moyer, g-g grandson of H. A. Moyer, Binghamton, NY.
