INTER-STATE

Inter-State Automobile Co. (1909-1914)

Inter-State Motor Co. (1914-1918)

Muncie, Indiana

This is an Inter-State radiator emblem (c1912-1914)   mjs
Size: 69mm wide 60mm high  MM: Whitehead & Hoag

Production of the first Inter-State car began in 1909. It was a medium priced 35/40 hp four-cylinder car offered in a variety of body styles. Production grew from 1909 to 1912 but trouble followed soon after. For 1913 the Inter-State became a 38 hp six-cylinder model offered only as a five-passenger touring car. In October 1913 the company announced a lack of working capital and bankruptcy proceedings followed.

In February 1914, Inter-State was sold to F. C. Ball, who had been an investor in Inter-State. He reorganized the company as the Inter-State Motor Company and a new, lower priced, 19.6 hp four-cylinder Inter-State touring car, called the Model T, appeared in 1915. The new Inter-State sold well and production grew each year until 1918, when F. C. Ball stopped production of the Inter-State and turned the plant to manufacture for the war effort. Inter-State also built a Deluxe Delivery van in 1916 and 1917 and a Delivery Wagon in 1918. 

It was planned to resume production of the Inter-State after the First World War but in March 1919 the factory was sold to General Motors for the production of the Sheridan automobile.

Emblems

The earliest Inter-State advertisements in 1909 were published before the "Inter-State" logo was settled, see example shown below:

Inter-State advertisement without logo (1909)   minnetrista

However, the following Inter-State advertisement, also from 1909, which uses a different lettering style of the "Inter-State" name, shows an illustration of a car with a large "Inter-State" script mounted on the radiator core:

This is an Inter-State ad (1909)  tma

Close up showing the Inter-State radiator script (1909)    tma

Original Inter-State radiator scripts of this early design would be extremely rare.

The Inter-State logo with opposing arrows above and below the "Inter-State" name in a Gothic script was decided before the end of 1909, see below:

Inter-State logo (1909)   ms

This Inter-State logo was used as the basis for a rectangular Inter-State radiator emblem, which appeared later in 1909, see original period photos shown below:

Inter-State showing radiator emblem (1909)    dpl

Inter-State at trade show showing radiator emblem (1909)  dpl

Close up showing radiator emblem

This radiator emblem was a simple painted brass nameplate soldered to the radiator tank top, see example below. This Inter-State radiator emblem is extremely rare.

This is an Inter-State radiator emblem (1909-1911)   mjs
Size: 118mm wide 45mm high    MM: None

A surviving Inter-State 31A from 1911 shows this same radiator emblem:

Inter-State Model 31A radiator emblem (1911)   coneptcarz

The Inter-State logo was also displayed using a brass script mounted on the front of the radiator core. This Inter-State radiator script may have been used in 1909 and is certainly seen on some but not all original period photos of Inter-State cars in 1910 and 1911, see examples shown below:

Inter-State at trade show showing radiator emblem & script (1910) dlp

Inter-State on Munsey Historic Tour with rad emblem & script (1910) dpl

The original, brass Inter-State radiator script shown below is very rare:

This is an Inter-State radiator script (c1909-1911)    mjs
Size: 420mm wide

The following shows a surviving Inter-State Model 40 from 1911 with radiator emblem and script:

Inter-State Model 40 with radiator emblem & script (1911)  wiki

The following original photo shows a line of Inter-State motor cars displaying diamond shaped radiator emblems. The photo is dated "c1909" but this is unlikely to be correct, as the rectangular Inter-State radiator emblem shown earlier above was certainly in use up to at least 1911. 

Inter-State cars with diamond radiator emblems (date uncertain)  dpl

Close up showing radiator emblem 

I have not seen an original period photo of an Inter-State model showing the front of the radiator for 1912 and Inter-State advertisements do not show the radiator emblem for this period. This was a difficult time for the Inter-State company, which was in receivership in 1913 and only one model was built in 1913 and 1914. A diamond shaped Inter-State radiator emblem is seen on a surviving Inter-State model from 1913 and it is possible that the diamond shaped radiator emblem was introduced in late 1912 but I cannot confirm this.

The first diamond shaped Inter-State radiator emblem is believed to be the red, white and blue enamel Inter-State radiator emblem shown below but I cannot confirm this absolutely, as the detail cannot be seen clearly in the original period photo shown above, partly due to sunlight reflection on the emblem. The Inter-State radiator emblem shown below is very rare.

This is an Inter-State radiator emblem (c1912-1914)   mjs
Size: 69mm wide 60mm high    MM: Whitehead & Hoag

The following variations of this Inter-State radiator emblem have the "Inter-State" name and opposing arrows in metal without enamel and with the side triangles in blue or red enamel. The examples that I have seen are poor quality emblems compared with the genuine emblem shown above and have no obvious maker's mark on the reverse. They appear to be reproduction emblems. It is possible that some poorer quality less expensive emblems were made for use in the period 1913-1914 but I cannot confirm this. If these Inter-State radiator emblems could be found with a maker's mark, they would be very rare.

This may be an Inter-State radiator emblem (poss c1913-1914)    ms
Size: 69mm wide 60mm high   MM: Unknown (poss None)

This is may be an Inter-State radiator emblem (poss c1913-1914)     ms
Size: 69mm wide 60mm high   MM: Unknown (poss None)

The following Inter-State radiator emblem is seen on a surviving 1913 Model 45 but it is not confirmed that this emblem was originally on the radiator of this car. It is likely that it was placed on the radiator at a later date. The Inter-State Automobile Company was in financial difficulties leading to bankruptcy in 1913 and it is most unlikely that money would be spent on a new radiator emblem design at that time. It is more likely that this Inter-State radiator emblem was used on Inter-State models built after the formation of the new Inter-State Motor Company in 1914. This Inter-State radiator emblem is very rare.

This is an Inter-State radiator emblem (c1914-1915)      mjs
Size: 69mm wide 60mm high  MM: Unknown (probably W & H)

The following Inter-State radiator emblem may have been used on models intended for export. This Inter-State radiator emblem is also very rare.

This is an Inter-State radiator emblem (c1914-1915)     mjs
Size:69mm wide 60mm high  MM: Unknown (probably W & H)

The following Inter-State advertisement for 1916 shows a slightly different radiator emblem design:

This is an Inter-State ad showing the emblem (1916)  ms

The following red and white enamel Inter-State radiator emblem is believed to be the emblem depicted in the advertisement shown above. This Inter-State radiator emblem is rare.

This is an Inter-State radiator emblem (c1915-1918)     mjs
Size: 69mm wide 60mm high    MM: Unknown (probably W & H)

The following unusual, oval shaped, red and white enamel Inter-State radiator emblem is a mystery. I suspect that it may have been used for some commercial Inter-State vehicles built between 1916 and 1918 but I cannot confirm this.

This is an Inter-State radiator emblem (poss 1916-1918)   mjs
Size: 110mm wide 61mm high     MM: Unknown

If you have better details of the use of this Inter-State emblem or can confirm the dates of use of any of the other Inter-State radiator emblems, please let me know in order to update this post.