IMPERIAL (2)

Jackson Carriage Co. (1908-1909)

Imperial Automobile Co. (1909-1915)

Mutual Motors Corp. (1915-1916)

Jackson, Michigan

This is an Imperial radiator emblem (c1911-1912)     mjs
Size: 67mm high 65mm wide     MM: Ford Metal Speciality

Imperial cars were initially produced by the Jackson Carriage Company and were available in 1908. These Imperial cars were 30/35 hp four-cylinder roadsters and roadster-runabouts.

The Jackson Carriage Company became the Imperial Automobile Company in 1909. From 1910, the Imperial was offered in a variety of new four-cylinder models ranging in size from 30 to 45 hp and available in touring and roadster body styles with other models following in subsequent years. 

In the spring of 1912 the Imperial factory burned down but by the fall production resumed in another plant in town. In 1914 six-cylinder models were added to the line. Then in 1915 Imperial merged with Marion of Indianapolis to form Mutual Motors Corporation. Mutual Motors discontinued the Imperial after the final six-cylinder Imperial Model 64 was offered in 1916 and the Marion became the Marion-Handley (see Marion-Handley).

Emblems

The first Imperial cars in 1908 did not carry an emblem but may well have had a small serial plate attached to the body. 

Advertisements and original period photos from 1910 show an "Imperial" script logo, which was attached to the radiator core, see examples below:

This is an Imperial ad showing a script logo (1910) indianapolis star 

This is an Imperial car showing a radiator script (1910)     dpl

The Imperial radiator script may have been introduced in 1909 but I cannot confirm this. Imperial radiator scripts continued to be used for a few years. Original Imperial radiator scripts are very rare.

Photos of a surviving Imperial dating from 1910 show a small rectangular brass emblem attached to the top front of the radiator, see example below: 

This is an Imperial showing a small brass radiator emblem and script (1910)  cartype

It is possible that this small brass plate is an Imperial nameplate but more likely it is a radiator maker's nameplate. It is noted that the original 1910 Imperial photo shown earlier above does not show such a nameplate.

The earliest evidence that I can find of an Imperial radiator emblem is in the original photo from 1911 shown below:

This is an Imperial car with a radiator emblem (1911)     dpl

Close up showing the radiator emblem and script (1911)    dpl

The detailed design of the 1911 Imperial radiator emblem cannot be seen in the photo shown above, but it is similar to the Imperial radiator emblem shown above at the top of this post. 

This blue and white enamel Imperial radiator emblem is shown again below for ease of comparison. This Imperial radiator emblem has eleven pearls at the base of the crown and a single jewel at the top of the crown. This Imperial emblem was attached to the radiator with three small pins and is very rare.

This is an Imperial radiator emblem (c1911-1912)     mjs
Size: 67mm high 65mm wide    MM: Ford Metal Speciality

This Imperial radiator emblem is the same as the radiator emblem seen on a surviving but original Imperial Model 34 semi-torpedo touring car from 1912, including the eleven pearls at the base of the crown and the three pin attachment to the radiator, see emblem photo below:

This is an Imperial radiator emblem (1912)     ms
Size: 67mm high 65mm wide    MM: Unknown (prob. Ford Metal Speciality)

The following photos show some other varieties of the Imperial radiator emblem.

The following blue and white enamel Imperial radiator emblem has a quite different crown with nine pearls at the base of the crown and a single jewel at the top of the crown. The emblem has no fixing holes but has a fixing stud at the back of the emblem. This Imperial radiator emblem may have been used from about 1913 but I cannot yet confirm this. This Imperial radiator emblem is very rare.

This is an Imperial radiator emblem (date unknown poss c1913)    khc
Size: 86mm wide 70mm high   MM: Unknown (some Henderson Ames)

The following blue and white enamel Imperial radiator emblem has nine pearls at the base of the crown but is a different design with, for example, three jewels at the top of the crown and raised shoulders on the fleur-de-lis. This Imperial radiator emblem is unusual in that it also has transparent blue enamel over a patterned background and appears to have an edge strip around the emblem. This Imperial radiator emblem may have been a trial emblem but I cannot confirm this. This Imperial radiator emblem is very rare.

This is an Imperial radiator emblem (date unknown, poss c1913-14)    mjs
Size: 90mm wide 72mm high    MM: Unknown

The following blue, white and red enamel Imperial radiator emblem has the same design as the emblem shown immediately above except for the red and white enamel on the crown and the removal of the edge strip around the emblem. This Imperial radiator emblem is very rare.

This is an Imperial radiator emblem (c1914-1915)   tcc
Size: 86mm wide 70mm high    MM: Unknown

This Imperial radiator emblem is seen on the surviving 1914 Imperial roadster shown below:

Imperial car showing a radiator script and colored emblem (1914) yocs

Radiator top showing the radiator emblem (1914)     yocs

Close up showing the Imperial radiator emblem (1914)  vocs

Emblem collectors should beware as there are reproduction Imperial radiator emblems, see example shown below. These reproduction Imperial radiator emblems lack the in depth detail of the original Imperial emblem, are cruder in design, have incorrect colors and shiny flat backs with no maker's mark.

This is a reproduction Imperial radiator emblem   kmc

The Imperial radiator emblem is seen on Imperial advertisements, see the example shown below:

This from an Imperial ad (Jan 1914)  chicago tribune

The Imperial emblem design is correctly shown with white letters on a dark background in the shield and the crown appears to reflect the colored enamel. However, some other advertisements published in 1914 show the Imperial emblem design with dark letters on a white or light color background, see example below:

 This is an Imperial ad (Aug 1914)  republican northwest

This suggests that there may have been a different Imperial radiator emblem design sometime in 1914-1915, see mock-up shown below. However, the emblem illustration uses the earlier crown with a single jewel at the top and the sloping fleur-de-lis, so may be simply artistic licence and not intended to represent a new emblem design.

Possible Imperial radiator emblem design (c1914-1915)  ms
Size: Unknown

If you have details of any other Imperial radiator emblems or can confirm the dates of use of any Imperial radiator emblems shown above, please let me know, in order to update this post