DEERING MAGNETIC

Magnetic Motors Corp. (1918-1919)

Chicago, Illinois

St Louis, Missouri

This is a Deering Magnetic radiator emblem (1918-1919)    sam
Size: 57mm diameter    MM: Unknown

The Deering Magnetic was a luxury styled 38 hp six-cylinder car with an Entz transmission system, which was also being used on the Owen Magnetic. The Deering was introduced at the Automobile Salon in Chicago in January 1918 and offered as a seven-passenger touring or a five-passenger town car. A wider range of body styles was offered for the 1919 model year but it is unlikely that many were actually sold.

The Deering had been well designed by Karl H. Martin and was well built by the Dorris Motor Car Company in St Louis and used a Dorris engine. It should all have gone well for the Deering Magnetic but there were serious problems with material supplies, because of the First World War, and probably with financing, and production of the Deering Magnetic was brought to an end in late 1918. 

Emblem

The black and white enamel Deering Magnetic radiator emblem shown above is extremely rare.

SAMPSON

Alden Sampson Manufacturing Co.
Pittsfield, Massachusetts (1905-1910)
Detroit, Michigan (1910-1912)

This is a Sampson emblem (dates uncertain)  mjs
Size: 57mm diameter   MM: None

The Alden Sampson Manufacturing Company had briefly produced a passenger car called the Alden Sampson in 1904 but in 1905 decided to confine itself to the manufacture of Sampson trucks. 

The main Sampson product initially was a 40 hp four-cylinder 5-ton capacity chain driven truck but by 1909 the Sampson range had widened to include smaller trucks of 1-ton, 2-ton, 3-ton and 4-ton capacity, all with chain drive. In 1910 an 18 hp two-cylinder half-ton truck was offered using shaft drive. From 1908 to 1910 Sampson also built a small number of road trains, which were tractors with 40 hp engines and generators which provided electric power to motors in each of two six-wheeled trailers.

In 1910 Alden Sampson came under the control of United States Motors and Sampson production moved to Detroit where a new low-priced 30 hp four-cylinder truck called the Hercules was also built. In 1911 it was decided to build a passenger car again. The new 35 hp four-cylinder shaft drive car was called the Sampson. But Sampson was out of business in 1912 with the collapse of United States Motors.

Emblems

Early Alden Sampson trucks displayed an "AS" script attached to the radiator core, see example shown on the original truck photo in the following Alden Sampson advertisement from about 1906:

Alden Sampson truck ad showing a radiator script (c1906)  ms

The following Alden Sampson hubcap shows a similar "AS" logo:

This is an Alden Sampson hubcap (c1908)   dkc

The 1910 Sampson truck in the following original photo carries a "SAMPSON" capital letter script style radiator emblem:

This is a Sampson truck displaying a "SALMSON" script style radiator emblem (1910)   dpl

The following original photo shows a 1-1/2-ton Sampson truck with a smaller capital letter script style "SAMPSON" radiator emblem:

Sampson 1-1/2-ton fire department truck showing a radiator emblem (1911)  tpw

However, not all Sampson trucks at this time carried a radiator emblem. The following photo taken at the 1911 Chicago Auto Show shows Sampson trucks, which have no radiator emblem but display the "SAMPSON" name in capital letters on brass scripts attached to the radiator core:

This shows Sampson trucks at the Chicago Auto Show displaying radiator scripts (1911)   dpl

The following are examples of brass Sampson radiator scripts. Original Sampson radiator scripts are rare.

This is a Sampson radiator script (c1911-1912)     mjs
Size: 365mm wide

This is a Sampson radiator script (c1912)     ms
Size: Unknown

The following original photo from 1911 shows two similar Sampson trucks:

Sampson trucks (1911)    dpl

The truck on the left has no radiator emblem but has a radiator script, which is like the capital letter script seen on the 1911 Chicago Auto Show trucks shown earlier above. 

However, the truck on the right has no radiator script but does have a radiator emblem, which shows the "Sampson" name with a large letter "S" followed by lower case letters rather than the capital letter script style radiator emblems shown earlier above, see close-up photo shown below:

Sampson truck with different script style radiator emblem (1911)  dpl

The 5-ton Sampson dump truck shown in the following original photo from 1912 displays a similar "Sampson" nameplate script attached to the chassis frame below the driver's seat and a round radiator emblem:

Sampson 5-ton dump truck with rad emblem and nameplate (1912) tpw

Close-up showing a round radiator emblem and chassis nameplate 

The round red, blue, white and gold painted Sampson emblem shown above at the top of this post is believed to be a Sampson radiator emblem. This Sampson radiator emblem is very rare.

However, the round radiator emblem seen on the Sampson dump truck in the photo shown above appears to be larger than the Sampson emblem shown at the top of this post. I cannot find any photos or illustrations of Sampson vehicles, which show the round Sampson emblem at the top of this post. It is possible that this emblem was used for the Sampson automobile built in 1911 but I cannot confirm this.

If you have details of the use of the round Sampson emblem shown at the top of this post, please let me know, in order to update this post.

MIER

Mier Carriage & Buggy Co. (1908-1909)
Ligonier, Indiana 

Mier name painted on radiator tank top (1908)  rmsothebys

The Mier Carriage & Buggy Company had a successful and thriving buggy business when, in 1908, they added a 10/12 hp two-cylinder engine, friction transmission and double-chain drive to one of their standard buggy models, provided wheel steering and solid tires to produce the Mier Models A & B runabouts. Mier Models A & B continued into 1909 together with a longer wheelbase 18 hp two-cylinder version sold as Models C & D.

Mier sold about one hundred of their motorized buggies before the Mier was discontinued. Thereafter, the Mier company returned to the horse-drawn buggy business.

Emblem

The Mier did not carry an emblem but would have displayed the "Mier" name on a small metal maker's nameplate attached to the body of the vehicle either at the rear or under the driver's seat. It is likely, but not confirmed, that the following painted metal Mier buggy nameplate continued to be used on at least the first Mier runabouts. This Mier buggy nameplate is rare.

This is a Mier buggy nameplate (c1908)    mjs
Size: 77mm wide 19mm high

The bright "Mier" script painted on the front of the radiator tank top in the photo shown above at the top of this post is seen on a heavily restored Mier runabout, see also below. However, there is no evidence that the Mier displayed such a script originally:

Restored Mier Model A (1908)   wheelsage

BOYER

Obenchain-Boyer Company (1879-1925)
Boyer Fire Apparatus Co. (1925-c1960)
Boyer-Universal (c1960-1988)
Logansport, Indiana

This is a Boyer Fire Apparatus emblem (date unknown)   mjs
Size: 218mm wide 95mm high     MM: None

John T. Obenchain and Stephen B. Boyer established the Obenchain-Boyer Company in 1869 and by the early 1900's the company began to specialize in the manufacture of chemical tanks and fire fighting apparatus. By the early 1920's the business had developed into the manufacture of complete motor fire engines mainly using Model T Ford and Reo chassis, including chemical cars, hose and pumper combinations. Obenchain-Boyer fire engines used the the letters "O-B" attached to the radiator as their emblem.

In 1925 the company was renamed the Boyer Fire Apparatus Company and grew into a major builder of fire engines. The company was again restructured as Boyer-Universal and Boyer fire apparatus was then built by the Universal Fire Apparatus Corporation. Production of Boyer fire apparatus ceased in 1988.

Emblems

The Obenchain-Boyer fire engines built in the 1920's carried an "O-B" script attached to the radiator, see photo shown below of an Obenchain-Boyer fire engine based on a Reo chassis:

Obenchain-Boyer Reo Speed Truck fire engine (1920's)  eBay

Close-up showing "O-B" radiator script

The following shows an example of the Obenchain-Boyer "O-B" radiator script. This "O-B" radiator script is rare.

This is an Obenchain-Boyer radiator script (1920's)    mjs
Size: 117mm wide 98mm high   MM: None

After 1925, the Boyer Fire Apparatus Company displayed the "Boyer" name on Boyer nameplates and  emblems, see black and red painted emblem shown above at the top of this post.

The following is a "Boyer" fire apparatus nameplate:

This is a Boyer nameplate (date unknown)     mjs
Size: 102mm high 76mm wide

 

DEFIANCE

Turnbull Motor Truck & Wagon Co.
Defiance Motor Truck Co.
Century Motor Truck Co.
Defiance, Ohio (c1914-1930)

Digby, Nova Scotia (mid-1920s-1930)

This is a Defiance radiator emblem (1922)   hatm
Size: Unknown 

The Turnbull Wagon Works was a major producer of wagons with a plant in Defiance, Ohio but suffered serious damage to their production due to flooding in 1913. It is reported that Turnbull decided to enter the motor truck business and, in the mid-teens, entered into a partnership with the Defiance Motor Truck Company, which was already a producer of motor trucks. The Turnbull Motor Truck & Wagon Company was then established.

The Turnbull Motor Truck & Wagon Company plant in Defiance, Ohio is shown in brochures and on company letterheads and was used to build the Defiance truck. The Turnbull Motor Truck & Wagon Company is named on Defiance truck advertisements to at least 1919. 

The Defiance Motor Truck Company was apparently reorganized in 1925 and became the Century Motor Truck Company. I have not found any examples of Defiance truck advertisements using either the Defiance Motor Truck Company or the Century Motor Truck Company name.

The Defiance was a conventional medium sized truck produced in 1-ton to 3-ton capacity models. Defiance also produced fire engine chassis and a bus chassis was also built in 1923 only. 

Defiance also had a Canadian assembly plant at Digby, Nova Scotia.

Further details about the Defiance truck are unavailable.

Emblem

The Defiance truck displayed the "Defiance" name on a painted cast iron radiator emblem, which on early models may have been cast directly into the radiator tank top, although I cannot confirm this, see examples shown below. 

The Defiance truck shown immediately below is believed to have been built in 1914 and is a very early example a Defiance truck.

Defiance motor truck (c1914 date unknown)   forums.aaca

The following 1918 Defiance trucks advertisement also appears to show a radiator emblem cast into the radiator tank top but, again, this cannot be confirmed with great confidence:

Defiance truck advert (1918)  ma

The following surviving 1922 Defiance Model D 1-1/2-ton truck has a painted cast iron emblem, which appears to be a separate cast emblem attached to the radiator tank top: 

Defiance Model D 1-1/2-ton truck (1922)     hatm

Defiance Model D truck showing radiator emblem (1922)  hatm

This is the painted cast iron Defiance radiator emblem shown at the top of this post. This Defiance radiator emblem is very rare.

WILCO SIX

Willys Corporation (1919-1920)
Elizabeth, New Jersey

This is a Wilco radiator emblem (c1919-1920)    sam
Size: Unknown    MM: Unknowm

The Willys Corporation was formed in 1917 to act as the holding company for the companies acquired by John Willys.

The Willys Six, introduced in 1916, was built by the Willys-Overland Company at Toledo, Ohio and continued in production into 1919 (see Willys), by which time a completely new Willys Six was under design and prototype testing at the newly acquired Duesenberg Motors Company plant at Elizabeth, New Jersey. This new Willys Six was called the Wilco Six

It was planned to build this Wilco Six in a large new plant acquired by John Willys in Indianapolis, Indiana but Willys had over extended his automotive business, which could not withstand the effects of the post World War Depression. The Willys bankers stepped in and hired Walter Chrysler to sort out the mess that had been created. The first model to go was the Wilco Six and the Elizabeth, New Jersey plant was sold to Walter Durant.  

Walter Chrysler was so impressed with the Wilco Six under development that he subsequently hired the designers and had them develop their design, which was introduced in January 1924 as the Chrysler Six (see Chrysler).

Emblem

The Wilco Six did not go into production. However, a red, white and blue enamel radiator emblem inscribed "Willys Corporation" and "Elizabeth, New Jersey" was made for the Wilco Six, see example shown above at the top of this post, and was likely to have been used on the prototype models. This Wilco Six radiator emblem is extremely rare and possibly ultra rare.

 

TEMPLE-WESTCOTT

Bela Body Co. (1921-1922)
Framingham, Massachusetts

This is a Temple-Westcott radiator emblem (1921-1922)  alt
Size: Unknown    MM: Unknown

Very little is known about the Temple-Westcott, which was an assembled six-cylinder medium priced automobile built in small numbers in the Bela Body Company workshop in Framingham, Massachusetts. The people behind the Temple-Westcott are unknown.

From 1916, the Bela Body Company built high quality full-custom bodies for Boston auto dealers on a wide range of automobile chassis, specializing in high grade closed bodies. In 1918, the Bela Body Company was bought by shoe manufacturer, Richard H. Long.  The Bela Body Company was reorganized in 1921 as the Richard H. Long Company, which handled all auto body manufacture thereafter. However, there are no known records regarding the Temple-Westcott. 

It has been reported that total production of the Temple-Westcott was about 10 to 20 cars but this too is not confirmed.

Emblem

There are at least two versions of a Temple-Westcott radiator emblem each showing what is assumed to be a Temple-Westcott car sitting above a classical temple building. Interestingly, both emblems show the Temple-Westcott with an open body, not the closed body style that the Bela Body Company had seen as their speciality.

The multi colored enamel Temple-Westcott radiator emblem shown above at the top of this post was included in the Al Thurn emblem collection and is believed to have preceded the manufacture of a Pulfer reproduction Temple-Westcott emblem. This version of the Temple-Westcott radiator emblem is extremely rare. This emblem may be an original Temple-Westcott radiator emblem. However, this emblem was clearly not produced by one of the major emblem makers, as the design of the temple building is unsymmetrical, and, therefore, cannot be confirmed as original.

The Pulfer reproduction emblem, see example below, also has an unsymmetrical temple building but the Temple-Westcott car has a slightly different rear end and does not have the folded roof seen in the emblem shown at the top of this post. The outer border of the emblem is also in a different color.

This is a reproduction Temple-Westcott radiator emblem   chw
Size: 58mm diameter

If you have better or other details of Temple-Westcott emblems, please let me know, in order to update this post.