PAIGE-DETROIT/PAIGE

Paige-Detroit Motor Car Co. (1909-1927)

Graham-Paige Motors Corp. (1928 and 1931)

Detroit, Michigan

This is a Paige radiator emblem (1919-1927)      mjs
Size: 100mm wide 43mm high   MM: Unknown

The Paige-Detroit was a 25 hp three-cylinder two-passenger roadster designed by Andrew Bachle and promoted by Fred O. Paige, who had previously been president of the Reliance Motor Car Company. Harry M. Jewett was interested to get into the automotive business and, after taking a test drive in the roadster, he decided to provide cash to help set up the Paige-Detroit Motor Car Company in 1909 with Fred Paige as president.

Production of the Paige-Detroit began in late 1909 but the car was not very good. Harry Jewett removed Fred Paige, installed himself as president, stopped the production line and had the car re-engineered. The new car for 1911 was a 25 hp four-cylinder car offered as a small two-passenger roadster similar to the Paige-Detroit or as a longer wheelbase model in three body styles. The car name was changed to Paige.

By 1912 the Paige was offered in a variety body styles, including several open sports cars. The Paige was well received and production rose from 4,631 cars in 1914 to 12,456 cars in 1916. A six-cylinder model appeared in 1915 and only sixes were produced from 1916.

The first Paige commercial car was a 2-ton capacity model, which appeared in 1918. This model was upgraded to 2-1/2-ton capacity in 1919 and was joined by a 3-1/2-ton capacity model. A 1-1/2-ton capacity commercial car appeared in 1921 but passenger cars only were produced after 1923. 

The Paige passenger cars became known for their styling and the company used the slogan "The Most Beautiful Car in America". Paige also took advantage of its sporting achievements. In 1921 Ralph Mulford drove a stripped down Paige roadster to a one-mile straightaway speed record of 102.83mph at Daytona Beach and Paige offered a sporty three-passenger roadster in 1922. A smaller companion car called the Jewett appeared in 1922 and was available through 1926 (see Jewett).

Paige survived the post First World War depression, although sales did reduce in 1921 and 1922. But the introduction of the Jewett boosted sales again by 1923 and the company was in 10th place in the industry by 1925. However, sales dropped again in 1926 and the company lost money.

Harry Jewett sold the company to the Graham brothers in 1927 and it became the Graham-Paige Motors Corporation. The Paige name continued as a 1928 model to use up parts in hand and in 1931 a Graham-Paige express pick-up commercial car was marketed as a Paige (see Graham-Paige).

Emblems

The first Paige-Detroit cars did not carry a radiator emblem but did display a brass radiator script. I believe the script would have been a "Paige-Detroit" script but I can fnd no evidence of this script before 1911, see later below.

The earliest illustration showing the front of a Paige-Detroit car appears in a 1910 article in the Cycle and Automobile Trade Journal and shows a "Paige" radiator script. Original "Paige" radiator scripts are be extremely rare.

This illustration shows a "Paige" radiator script (1910)     catj

The same "Paige" radiator script is seen on an original 1910 photo of a Paige-Detroit car, see below:

This is a Paige-Detroit showing the radiator script (1910)     dpl

Close up showing a "Paige" radiator script (1910)

Early Paige-Detroit advertisements from 1910 and early 1911 include a "Paige-Detroit" script logo, see examples below:

This is a Paige-Detroit ad showing a script logo (1910)     catj

This is a Paige-Detroit advertisement showing the radiator script (1911)    ms

The following photo shows a surviving 1911 Paige-Detroit with the "Paige-Detroit" radiator script and an incorrect emblem. It is, of course, possible that the radiator script may have been added later, perhaps at the time that the incorrect emblem was attached.

This is a Paige-Detroit showing a radiator script (1911)     paulsen

This "Paige-Detroit" radiator script is not seen on original photos but may have been used from 1909 until the change to "Paige" in late 1910 or 1911 but I cannot confirm this. Original "Paige-Detroit" radiator scripts are be extremely rare.

The small oval, white and blue enamel Paige emblem shown below is a mystery:

This appears to be a Paige radiator emblem (dates unknown, poss 1910-1912)  caam
Size: Unknown   MM: Unknown

I do not know, if or when this emblem was used on a Paige car. It may be a reproduction emblem but it does have the appearance of an original Paige car emblem. The style of the word "Paige" is the same as the Paige word in the early Paige-Detroit script shown earlier above. This indicates that this emblem may have been the first to be used when the car name was changed to Paige in 1910/1911, and, presumably before the decision to change the style of a new capital letter "PAIGE" radiator script for 1912.

Another possibility is that this was a trial emblem design, which was not used. If this emblem was indeed a Paige car emblem, it would be extremely rare.

A circular Paige-Detroit radiator emblem appears in original photos of Paige-Detroit cars from 1911, see example shown below:

This is a Paige-Detroit showing a circular radiator emblem (1911)    dpl

This Paige-Detroit radiator emblem is also shown on advertisements in 1911, see example below, which also shows what appears to be a new capital letters "PAIGE-DETROIT" radiator script design, although I have not seen an example of this script used on a car.

This Paige-Detroit ad shows the radiator emblem (1911)   sep

Close up showing the Paige-Detroit radiator emblem (1911)     sep

The circular brass Paige-Detroit radiator emblem illustrated above was used on all 25 hp and later Model 25 Paige-Detroit cars up to 1914. This Paige-Detroit radiator emblem is found painted red and black or black only, as shown below, and is very rare.

This is a Paige-Detroit radiator emblem (1911-1914)    mjs
Size:  57mm diameter   MM: Unknown (poss None)

The brass capital letter "PAIGE" radiator script shown below is in evidence from 1912 and continued in use until 1918: 

This is a Paige radiator script (1912-1918)    mjs
Size: 192mm wide

There was a new large oval shaped enamel Paige radiator emblem from 1914, and just possibly from late 1913 but I cannot confirm the 1913 date, see illustration shown below:

This illustration shows a Paige radiator emblem design (1914)   hcg

The cover of the Paige Model 4-36 Reference Book for 1914 also shows the new radiator emblem design on the cover:

This is a Paige Model 4-36 Reference Book showing the radiator emblem (1914)   bk

There is also a Paige emblem of the same or very similar design attached to the top of the radiator of a surviving 1914 Paige car but with the date "1914" on the emblem, as shown below:

This appears to be an original Paige radiator emblem (1914)    bk
Size: Unknown   MM: Unknown

This emblem is reported to be original but may, of course, be a special emblem made much later to adorn a 1914 Paige car.

The advertisement shown below appeared in late 1914 for 1915 Paige models and shows a large oval radiator emblem similar to the emblem above, although the detail is not clear.

This is an ad for the 1915 Paige (1914)    ms

The same large oval Paige radiator emblem is depicted on the cover of a 1915 Paige brochure, see below:

This is a Paige brochure cover showing oval rad emblem (1915)  itsnotrust

The following original photos show the oval emblem on 1915 six-cylinder vee-shaped radiators:

Paige showing a large oval radiator emblem (c1915)     wcroberts

Paige car showing a large oval radiator emblem (1915)     hippostcard

Apart from the 1914 emblem shown earlier above, I do not have a good photo of the large oval Paige emblem, which appears to have been used from 1914-1915 and possibly into early 1916. This Paige radiator emblem is extremely rare. If you have a photo, please send details to me in order to update this post.

In 1916, the design of the Paige radiator emblem was changed to a diamond-shaped emblem. However, the detailed design of this new emblem was apparently not finalized in February 1916 when the attached advertisement appeared showing the "Paige" name with letters growing in size from the ends to the center:

Paige Model 6-38 ad (1916) washington post

In the event, the new Paige radiator emblem in 1916 displayed the "Paige" in the same style as the "PAIGE" radiator script shown earlier. There are several varieties of this new Paige radiator emblem design, which continued in use until 1928, see examples shown above at the top of this post and below.

The diamond-shaped Paige radiator emblem design was patented in October 1918. Paige radiator emblems dated after late 1918 are marked ""Reg. U.S. Pat. Off."

Most Paige radiator emblems used in the 1916-1920 period were riveted to the radiator header tank and have two fixing holes. A separate steel radiator shell was introduced on some Paige models in 1919 and more widely by 1921. Paige radiator emblems attached to these radiator shells do not have fixing holes.

The following blue and white enamel Paige radiator emblem with a sunburst design behind the blue enamel and holes for fixing screws is believed to have been the first of these new radiator emblems appearing in 1916 and is rare:

This is a Paige radiator emblem (1916-1918)      mjs
Size: 100mm wide 44mm high    MM: None

The following is a white and opaque blue enamel Paige radiator emblem with holes for fixing. This Paige radiator emblem is scarce.

This is a Paige radiator emblem (1917-1918)     zac
Size: 101mm wide 44mm high    MM: Unknown

The following is a white and transparent blue enamel Paige radiator emblem with holes for fixing. This Paige radiator emblenm is scarce.

This is a Paige radiator emblem (1917-1918)      dnc
Size: 101mm wide 43mm high    MM: Unknown

The following is a white and blue enamel Paige radiator emblem with holes for fixing and a patent reference inscription. This Paige radiator emblem is scarce.

This is a Paige radiator emblem (1918-1920)      kmc
Size: 102mm wide  44mm high   MM: Bastian Bros

The following is a blue and white enamel Paige radiator emblem with holes for fixing and patent reference. This Paige radiator emblem is rare.

This is a Paige radiator emblem (1918-1920)      zac
Size: 102mm wide 44mm high    MM: Unknown

The following white enamel Paige radiator emblems with blue enamel letters without fixing holes show three different sizes of the "Reg U.S. Pat. Off." inscription:

This is a Paige radiator emblem with small sized inscription (1919-1927)   mjs
Size: 100mm wide 44mm high     MM: D L Auld

This is a Paige radiator emblem with medium sized inscription (1919-1927)    mjs
Size: 100mm wide 45mm high    MM: Unknown (poss D L Auld)

This is a Paige radiator emblem with large inscription (1919-1927)     mjs
Size: 100mm wide 45mm high    MM: Unknown (poss D L Auld)

The following blue enamel Paige radiator emblems with white enamel letters without fixing holes show the same three sizes of the "Reg. U.S. Pat. Off." inscription as the white enamel emblems shown above. These blue enamel Paige radiator emblems are scarce.

This is a Paige radiator emblem with small inscription (1919-1927)    mjs
Size: 100mm wide 44mm high    MM: Unknown

This is a Paige radiator emblem with medium sized inscription (1919-1927)  zac
Size:102mm wide 44mm high     MM: Unknown

This is a Paige radiator emblem with large sized inscription (1919-1927)  kmc
Size: 102mm wide 44mm high    MM: Unknown

The following white enamel Paige radiator emblem with blue enamel letters without fixing holes has "Detroit U.S.A." under the patent reference inscription. This Paige radiator emblem has been seen on a surviving 1927 Model 6-75 and may have been used for export models. This Paige radiator emblem is rare.

This is a Paige radiator emblem for an export model (c1927)     kmc
Size: Unknown (poss 102mm wide 44mm high)     MM: Unknown

The following pale blue and blue enamel Paige radiator emblem, with the inscription "Graham Built" in place of the patent inscription, was used on a limited number of Paige cars assembled from parts on hand in late 1927, after the take over of the Paige company by Graham Brothers. These cars were marketed as "1928 First Series". This Paige radiator emblem is very rare. 

This is a Paige radiator emblem (late 1927)      pinterest
Size: Unknown      MM: Unknown

There is also a much smaller diamond-shaped, white enamel Paige emblem with blue enamel letters in a slightly different style, see example below. This small Paige emblem was mounted on the dash board instrument panel on the larger Paige models, for example, Model 6-72.

This is a Paige dash emblem (1926-1927)     mjs
Size: 42mm wide 20mm high   MM: None

Paige motor trucks built from 1918 to 1923 displayed the "PAIGE" name on decal emblems attached to the front bumper and on both cab side panels under the windows. These decal emblems are shown in black and white on Paige advertisements, so the actual color is unknown. 

The earliest Paige trucks from 1918-1919, displayed the "PAIGE" name in a large diamond shaped decal, see examples below:

This is a Paige truck ad showing the front bumper decal emblem (1919)  ms

Close up showing the decal emblem on the bumper (1919)

Close up of Paige truck ad showing cab side decal emblem (1918)    sep

From late 1919 to 1923, the Paige truck emblem was changed to a large oval shaped decal, see example below:

This is a Paige truck showing bumper emblem (1921)   sep

Close up showin the bumper decal emblem (1921)     sep 

This is a restored Paige truck showing the cab side decal emblem (c1919-20) brian brown

The Paige name ceased to be used from 1928, except for 1931, when the name was resurrected by Graham-Paige Motors Corporation for an express pick-up commercial car using the rare radiator emblem shown below:

This is a Paige Commercial Car radiator emblem (1930-1932)    mjs
Size: 66mm high 35mm wide   MM: None

If you have further more detailed information about any of the Paige-Detroit or Paige emblems discussed above, please let me know, in order to update this post.