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January 24, 2021

STANDARD/FISHER-STANDARD

Standard Motor Truck Co. (1912-1933)
Detroit, Michigan


This is a Fisher-Standard radiator emblem (1930-1933)  mjs
Size: 76mm wide 54mm high    MM: Bastian Bros

The Standard Motor Truck Company began building trucks in 1912. All Standard trucks used chain drive up to 1920 by which time the largest truck produced was a 5-ton capacity model. In 1925 Standard expanded the line to include a 7-1/2-ton capacity truck powered by a 36 hp engine. The company also built lighter trucks from 1-1/4-ton to 3-1/2-ton capacity. 

A 1-1/2-ton speed model, called the Fisher Fast Freight, was introduced in the mid-1920's and by 1928 all the smaller trucks used the Fisher name. The 1-ton model was called the Fisher Junior Express, the 2-ton model was the Fisher Mercantile Express and the 3-1/2-ton model was the Heavy Duty Six.  At the same time, the larger capacity trucks and a 28-passenger bus continued to be called Standard. 

After 1930 all models of vehicles produced by the Standard Motor Truck Company from 3/4-ton to 10-ton capacity were called Fisher-Standard. The company suffered financial problems and did not survive the Depression. It was all over for the Standard in 1933.

Emblems

The Standard Motor Truck trademark in 1912 was as shown below:

Standard Motor Truck trademark (1912-c1917)   ms

This Standard trademark is seen on Standard Motor Truck advertisements from 1912 to about 1917, see example shown below:

Standard truck ad (1915)  detroitfreepress

There are very few photos or illustrations of early Standard motor trucks and I can find none showing the front of the radiator. So, although I suspect that the first Standard trucks had the "Standard" name from the trademark shown above cast or embossed into the radiator tank top, I cannot confirm this. 

However, the first Standard trucks did display the "Standard Made in Detroit" trademark shown above on the sides of the hood, probably in the form of a decal, see original photo shown below of a Standard truck taken from a Standard Motor Truck advertisement from 1913:

This is a Standard truck showing hood slide nameplate (1913)    tpw

By 1918, the registered trademark for the Standard Motor Truck Company of Detroit had changed to the style shown below:

Standard Detroit USA trademark (c1918-1933)   ms

Standard motor trucks from about 1918 to the mid-1920s displayed the "Standard Detroit USA" trademark shown above cast into the radiator tank top. The same "Standard Detroit USA" trademark was also displayed on both sides of the chassis frame below the driver's seat in the form of a metal stamping. 

These trademark emblems can just be seen on Standard Motor Truck brochures and original period truck photos, see examples shown below:

Standard Truck sales brochure showing truck (c1920)
autopaper

Close-up showing radiator emblem & side nameplate (c1920) 

This is a Standard truck showing cast emblem & chassis frame nameplate (c1918)

Heavy Duty Standard truck showing cast radiator emblem & chassis frame nameplate (c1920)   lktec

The "Standard Detroit USA" chassis frame nameplate stamping is shown below. This Standard nameplate is rare.

Standard chassis frame nameplate stamping (1918-mid 1920s) lktec
Size: 340mm wide 130mm high 

Some Standard truck models also displayed the "Standard Detroit USA" trademark on the sloping sides of the hood, probably as decals, see the following original photo from the 1920-1923 period:

Standard truck showing hood side decal and chassis side nameplate (c1920)   lktec

The following original photo shows a Standard truck with the cast in radiator emblem and a larger painted "Standard Detroit USA" sign on the panel just under the driver's seat:

Standard truck showing cast in radiator emblem and body side nameplate (c1923)   eBay

Standard truck models fitted with a high guard frame to protect the radiator, carried the same "Standard Detroit USA" trademark emblem mounted at the top of the guard frame, see example below:

Standard Motor truck with emblem on the radiator guard frame (1919) americanikons

Some, possibly smaller capacity, Standard models in the early to mid 1920's carried a large oval shaped painted metal radiator emblem, see example shown below, This Standard radiator emblem is rare.

This is a Standard radiator emblem (early-mid 1920's)   mjs
Size: 205mm wide 120mm high   MM: None

Heavy duty Standard trucks continued to have the "Standard" name cast into the radiator tank top up to 1930.

From the mid-1920's, Standard speed trucks displayed the "Fisher" name cast into the aluminum radiator and had hood side nameplates with the model designation. See examples of the cast-in radiator emblem shown below:

Fisher Junior Express 1-ton truck (1927)   iowa80 

Close-up showing radiator "Fisher" emblem (1927) 

Fisher Mercantile Express 2-ton truck chassis (1927)  ccj

The Fisher Fast Freight 1-1/2-ton truck also had an aluminum radiator and emblem but the emblem was a separate Fisher emblem mounted on the radiator tank top, see example shown below:

Fisher Fast Freight 1-1/2-ton truck radiator emblem (1928) aths

The Fisher-Standard truck from 1930 to 1933 carried an oval shaped radiator emblem and  "Fisher-Standard" hood side nameplates, see example shown below in a 1931 advertisement:

Fisher-Standard truck ad with radiator emblem & hood side nameplate (1931)  autopaper

Close-up showing the radiator emblem & hood side nameplate (1931)

This emblem is the gold and black enamel Fisher-Standard radiator emblem shown above at the top of this post and again below. This Fisher-Standard radiator emblem is nearly always found in unused condition but is, nevertheless, still rare.

This is a Fisher-Standard radiator emblem (1930-1933)   mjs
Size:76mm wide 54mm high   MM: Bastian Bros

The following is an example of the painted Fisher-Standard hood side nameplate. This Fisher Standard hood side nameplate is rare.

This is a Fisher-Standard hood side nameplate (1930-1933)  lktec
Size: 305mm wide 50mm high

The following red and white enamel Fisher-Standard emblem is mounted in a clipboard made for advertising purposes. I do not know, if this emblem was ever used on a Fisher-Standard truck.

This is a Fisher-Standard clipboard emblem (c1930-1933) lktec

Close-up of clipboard emblem








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