August 28, 2023

DANIELS

Daniels Motor Car Co. (1916-1921)
Daniels Motor Co. (1921-1924)
Reading, Pennsylvania


This is a Daniels dealers emblem (1916-1924)    mjs
Size: 29mm diameter    MM: Unknown

The Daniels was advertised as "The Distinguished Car" because each car was custom made to the individual preference of the customer. By definition, the Daniels was a very expensive car made for those who could afford luxury.

The Daniels was a large, heavy V-8 powered car with a radiator shell and core made from one-piece cast pewter and an aluminum body and was produced at a rate of about 200-300 units a year. A wide range of body styles was available. It was planned to increase production and the company was reorganized in 1921 as Daniels Motor Company but it didn't work out and in January 1924 the company was sold.

Emblems

The Daniels was sufficiently distinguished that it did not need the vulgarity of a radiator emblem. The only emblem was on the hub caps. 

The first Daniels cars displayed the "Daniels" name on simple brass or plated brass hub center disc emblems, see examples shown below, which may have been originally painted black. Original Daniels hub emblems are rare.

This is a Daniels hub emblem (1916-1921)   sam
Size: 57mm diameter  MM: None

This is a plated Daniels Rudge Whitworth hub emblem (1916-1921)  mjs
Size: 57mm diameter   MM: None

After the reorganization in 1921, the Daniels hubcap was changed initially to a brass cap with the name and "D" logo cast into the hub with later examples made from cast aluminum, see examples shown below:

This is a brass Daniels hubcap (1922)    bmhv

This is an aluminum Daniels hubcap (c1923-1924)  alt

The J W Bowman Company was the Boston, Massachusetts sales agency for Daniels motor cars and they fitted their own emblem to the dashboard of the Daniels cars they sold. These Bowman dealers emblems were made in different colors, possibly to match the interior design of the car. 

The Bowman emblem shown above at the top of this post and again below is very rare.

This is a Daniels dealers emblem (1916-1924)     mjs
Size: 29mm diameter   MM: Unknown

A 60mm diameter version of this J. W. Bowman emblem has also been found.





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